Diltiazem Hydrochloride

DILTIAZEM HYDROCHLORIDE- diltiazem hydrochloride injection, solution
DILTIAZEM HYDROCHLORIDE- diltiazem hydrochloride injection, powder, lyophilized, for solution
Hospira, Inc.

Single-Dose Fliptop Vial

Diltiazem Hydrochloride for Injection
Single-Dose ADD-Vantage^® Vial
For Continuous Intravenous Infusion
Not For Bolus

R_X Only

DESCRIPTION

Diltiazem hydrochloride is a calcium ion cellular influx inhibitor (slow channel blocker or calcium channel antagonist). Chemically, diltiazem hydrochloride is 1,5-benzothiazepin-4(5H)-one, 3-(acetyloxy)-5-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2, 3-dihydro-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-, monohydrochloride,(+)-cis-. The chemical structure is:

Diltiazem hydrochloride is a white to off-white crystalline powder with a bitter taste. It is soluble in water, methanol, and chloroform. It has a molecular weight of 450.98.

Diltiazem hydrochloride injection is a clear, colorless, sterile, nonpyrogenic solution. It has a pH range of 3.7 to 4.1.

Diltiazem hydrochloride injection is for direct intravenous bolus injection and continuous intravenous infusion.

25-mg, 5-mL vial-each sterile vial contains 25 mg diltiazem hydrochloride, 3.75 mg citric acid USP, 3.25 mg sodium citrate dihydrate USP, 250 mg sorbitol NF and water for injection USP up to 5 mL. Sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid is used for pH adjustment.

50-mg, 10-mL vial-each sterile vial contains 50 mg diltiazem hydrochloride, 7.5 mg citric acid USP, 6.5 mg sodium citrate dihydrate USP, 500 mg sorbitol NF and water for injection USP up to 10 mL. Sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid is used for pH adjustment.

Diltiazem hydrochloride for injection is an off-white lyophilized powder and, after reconstitution in an infusion bag, produces a clear, colorless, sterile, nonpyrogenic solution.

Diltiazem hydrochloride for injection for continuous intravenous infusion is available in ADD-Vantage Vials. The vial contains lyophilized powder comprised of diltiazem hydrochloride 100 mg and mannitol USP 75 mg for reconstitution in the ADD-Vantage Flexible Diluent Container containing 5% dextrose injection or 0.9% sodium chloride injection.

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Mechanisms of Action

Diltiazem inhibits the influx of calcium (Ca²⁺) ions during membrane depolarization of cardiac and vascular smooth muscle. The therapeutic benefits of diltiazem in supraventricular tachycardias are related to its ability to slow AV nodal conduction time and prolong AV nodal refractoriness. Diltiazem exhibits frequency (use) dependent effects on AV nodal conduction such that it may selectively reduce the heart rate during tachycardias involving the AV node with little or no effect on normal AV nodal conduction at normal heart rates.

Diltiazem slows the ventricular rate in patients with a rapid ventricular response during atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Diltiazem converts paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) to normal sinus rhythm by interrupting the reentry circuit in AV nodal reentrant tachycardias and reciprocating tachycardias, e.g., Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW).

Diltiazem prolongs the sinus cycle length. It has no effect on the sinus node recovery time or on the sinoatrial conduction time in patients without SA nodal dysfunction. Diltiazem has no significant electrophysiologic effects on tissues in the heart that are fast sodium channel dependent, e.g., His-Purkinje tissue, atrial and ventricular muscle, and extranodal accessory pathways.

Like other calcium channel antagonists, because of its effect on vascular smooth muscle, diltiazem decreases total peripheral resistance resulting in a decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Hemodynamics

In patients with cardiovascular disease, diltiazem hydrochloride injection administered intravenously in single bolus doses, followed in some cases by a continuous infusion, reduced blood pressure, systemic vascular resistance, the rate-pressure product, and coronary vascular resistance and increased coronary blood flow. In a limited number of studies of patients with compromised myocardium (severe congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), administration of intravenous diltiazem produced no significant effect on contractility, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. The mean ejection fraction and cardiac output/index remained unchanged or increased. Maximal hemodynamic effects usually occurred within 2 to 5 minutes of an injection. However, in rare instances, worsening of congestive heart failure has been reported in patients with preexisting impaired ventricular function.

Pharmacodynamics

The prolongation of PR interval correlated significantly with plasma diltiazem concentration in normal volunteers using the Sigmoidal E_max model. Changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure did not correlate with diltiazem plasma concentrations in normal volunteers. Reduction in mean arterial pressure correlated linearly with diltiazem plasma concentration in a group of hypertensive patients.

In patients with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, a significant correlation was observed between the percent reduction in HR and plasma diltiazem concentration using the Sigmoidal E_max model. Based on this relationship, the mean plasma diltiazem concentration required to produce a 20% decrease in heart rate was determined to be 80 ng/mL. Mean plasma diltiazem concentrations of 130 ng/mL and 300 ng/mL were determined to produce reductions in heart rate of 30% and 40%.

Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism

Following a single intravenous injection in healthy male volunteers, diltiazem hydrochloride appears to obey linear pharmacokinetics over a dose range of 10.5 to 21 mg. The plasma elimination half-life is approximately 3.4 hours. The apparent volume of distribution of diltiazem hydrochloride is approximately 305 L. Diltiazem hydrochloride is extensively metabolized in the liver with a systemic clearance of approximately 65 L/h.

After constant rate intravenous infusion to healthy male volunteers, diltiazem exhibits nonlinear pharmacokinetics over an infusion range of 4.8 to 13.2 mg/h for 24 hours. Over this infusion range, as the dose is increased, systemic clearance decreases from 64 to 48 L/h while the plasma elimination half-life increases from 4.1 to 4.9 hours. The apparent volume of distribution remains unchanged (360 to 391 L). In patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, diltiazem systemic clearance has been found to be decreased compared to healthy volunteers. In patients administered bolus doses ranging from 2.5 mg to 38.5 mg, systemic clearance averaged 36 L/h. In patients administered continuous infusions at 10 mg/h or 15 mg/h for 24 hours, diltiazem systemic clearance averaged 42 L/h and 31 L/h, respectively.

Based on the results of pharmacokinetic studies in healthy volunteers administered different oral diltiazem hydrochloride formulations, constant rate intravenous infusions of diltiazem hydrochloride at 3, 5, 7, and 11 mg/h are predicted to produce steady-state plasma diltiazem concentrations equivalent to 120-, 180-, 240-, and 360-mg total daily oral doses of diltiazem hydrochloride tablets or diltiazem hydrochloride extended-release capsules.

After oral administration, diltiazem undergoes extensive metabolism in man by deacetylation, N-demethylation, and O-demethylation via cytochrome P-450 (oxidative metabolism) in addition to conjugation. Metabolites N-monodesmethyldiltiazem, desacetyldiltiazem, desacetyl-N-monodesmethyldiltiazem, desacetyl-O-desmethyldiltiazem, and desacetyl-N, O-desmethyldiltiazem have been identified in human urine. Following oral administration, 2% to 4% of the unchanged diltiazem appears in the urine. Drugs which induce or inhibit hepatic microsomal enzymes may alter diltiazem disposition.

Following single intravenous injection of diltiazem hydrochloride, however, plasma concentrations of N-monodesmethyldiltiazem and desacetyldiltiazem, two principal metabolites found in plasma after oral administration, are typically not detected. These metabolites are observed, however, following 24 hour constant rate intravenous infusion. Total radioactivity measurement following short IV administration in healthy volunteers suggests the presence of other unidentified metabolites which attain higher concentrations than those of diltiazem and are more slowly eliminated; half-life of total radioactivity is about 20 hours compared to 2 to 5 hours for diltiazem.

Diltiazem hydrochloride is 70% to 80% bound to plasma proteins. In vitro studies suggest alpha₁ –acid glycoprotein binds approximately 40% of the drug at clinically significant concentrations. Albumin appears to bind approximately 30% of the drug, while other constituents bind the remaining bound fraction. Competitive in vitro ligand binding studies have shown that diltiazem binding is not altered by therapeutic concentrations of digoxin, phenytoin, hydrochlorothiazide, indomethacin, phenylbutazone, propranolol, salicylic acid, tolbutamide, or warfarin.

Renal insufficiency, or even end-stage renal disease, does not appear to influence diltiazem disposition following oral administration. Liver cirrhosis was shown to reduce diltiazem’s apparent oral clearance and prolong its half-life.