Eplerenone

EPLERENONE- eplerenone tablet, coated
Westminster Pharmaceuticals, LLC

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE

1.1 Heart Failure Post-Myocardial Infarction

Eplerenone tablets are indicated to improve survival of stable patients with symptomatic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (≤40%) (HFrEF) after an acute myocardial infarction (MI).

1.2 Hypertension

Eplerenone tablets are indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular (CV ) events, primarily strokes and MI. These benefits have been seen in controlled trials of antihypertensive drugs from a wide variety of pharmacologic classes.

Control of high blood pressure should be part of comprehensive CV risk management, including, as appropriate, lipid control, diabetes management, antithrombotic therapy, smoking cessation, exercise, and limited sodium intake. Many patients will require more than one drug to achieve blood pressure goals. For specific advice on goals and management, see published guidelines, such as those of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program’s Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC).

Numerous antihypertensive drugs, from a variety of pharmacologic classes and with different mechanisms of action, have been shown in randomized controlled trials to reduce CV morbidity and mortality, and it can be concluded that it is blood pressure reduction, and not some other pharmacologic property of the drugs, that is largely responsible for those benefits. The largest and most consistent CV outcome benefit has been a reduction in the risk of stroke, but reductions in MI and CV mortality also have been seen regularly.

Elevated systolic or diastolic pressure causes increased CV risk, and the absolute risk increase per mmHg is greater at higher blood pressures, so that even modest reductions of severe hypertension can provide substantial benefit. Relative risk reduction from blood pressure reduction is similar across populations with varying absolute risk, so the absolute benefit is greater in patients who are at higher risk independent of their hypertension (for example, patients with diabetes or hyperlipidemia), and such patients would be expected to benefit from more aggressive treatment to a lower blood pressure goal.

Some antihypertensive drugs have smaller blood pressure effects (as monotherapy) in black patients, and many antihypertensive drugs have additional approved indications and effects (e.g., on angina, heart failure, or diabetic kidney disease). These considerations may guide selection of therapy.

Eplerenone tablets may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION

2.1 Heart Failure Post-Myocardial Infarction

Initiate treatment at 25 mg once daily and titrate to the recommended dose of 50 mg once daily, preferably within 4 weeks as tolerated by the patient.

Once treatment with eplerenone has begun, adjust the dose based on the serum potassium level as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Dose Adjustment in Heart Failure Post-MI

Serum Potassium (mEq/L)	Dose Adjustment
less than 5.0	25 mg every other day to 25 mg once daily
	25 mg once daily to 50 mg once daily
5.0 to 5.4	No adjustment
5.5 to 5.9	50 mg once daily to 25 mg once daily
	25 mg once daily to 25 mg every other day
	25 mg every other day to withhold
greater than or equal to 6.0	Withhold and restart at 25 mg every other day when potassium levels fall to less than 5.5 mEq/L

2.2 Hypertension

The recommended starting dose of eplerenone tablet is 50 mg administered once daily. The full therapeutic effect of eplerenone is apparent within 4 weeks. For patients with an inadequate blood pressure response to 50 mg once daily increase the dosage of eplerenone tablets to 50 mg twice daily. Higher dosages of eplerenone are not recommended because they have no greater effect on blood pressure than 100 mg and are associated with an increased risk of hyperkalemia [see CLINICAL STUDIES (14.2)].

2.3 Recommended Monitoring

Measure serum potassium before initiating eplerenone therapy, within the first week, and at one month after the start of treatment or dose adjustment. Assess serum potassium periodically thereafter.

Check serum potassium and serum creatinine within 3 to 7 days of a patient initiating a moderate CYP3A inhibitor ACE inhibitors, angiotensin-II blockers or non-steroidal-anti-inflammatories.

2.4 Dose Modifications for Use with Moderate CYP3A Inhibitors

In post-MI HFrEF patients receiving a moderate CYP3A inhibitor (e.g., erythromycin, saquinavir, verapamil, and fluconazole), do not exceed 25 mg once daily. In patients with hypertension receiving a moderate CYP3A inhibitor, initiate at 25 mg once daily. For inadequate blood pressure response, dosing may be increased to a maximum of 25 mg twice daily [see DRUG INTERACTIONS (7.1)].

3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS

• 25 mg tablets: beige, round, biconvex film-coated tablets debossed with “25” on one side.
• 50 mg tablets: beige, round, biconvex film-coated tablets debossed with “50” on one side.

4 CONTRAINDICATIONS

For all patients:

Eplerenone is contraindicated in all patients with:

• serum potassium greater than 5.5 mEq/L at initiation,
• creatinine clearance less than or equal to 30 mL/min, or
• concomitant administration of strong CYP3A inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, nefazodone, troleandomycin, clarithromycin, ritonavir, and nelfinavir) [see DRUG INTERACTIONS (7.1), CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY (12.3)],

For Patients Treated for Hypertension

Eplerenone is contraindicated for the treatment of hypertension in patients with:

• type 2 diabetes with microalbuminuria,
• serum creatinine greater than 2.0 mg/dL in males or greater than 1.8 mg/dL in females,
• creatinine clearance less than 50 mL/min, or
• concomitant administration of potassium supplements or potassium-sparing diuretics (e.g., amiloride, spironolactone, or triamterene) [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS (5.1), ADVERSE REACTIONS (6.2), DRUG INTERACTIONS (7), and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY (12.3)].

5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

5.1 Hyperkalemia

The risk of hyperkalemia is higher in patients with impaired renal function, proteinuria, diabetes and those concomitantly treated with ACEs, ARBs, NSAIDs and moderate CYP3A inhibitors. Minimize the risk of hyperkalemia with proper patient selection and monitoring [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION (2.1), CONTRAINDICATIONS (4), ADVERSE REACTIONS (6.2), and DRUG INTERACTIONS (7)]. Monitor patients for the development of hyperkalemia until the effect of eplerenone is established. Patients who develop hyperkalemia (5.5 mEq/L to 5.9 mEq/L) may continue eplerenone therapy with proper dose adjustment. Dose reduction decreases potassium levels. Patients on moderate CYP3A inhibitors that cannot be avoided should have their dose of eplerenone reduced. [see DRUG INTERACTIONS (7.2)].

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS

The following adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the labeling:

• Hyperkalemia [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS (5.1)]

6.1 Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

Heart Failure Post-Myocardial Infarction

In EPHESUS, safety was evaluated in 3,307 patients treated with eplerenone and 3,301 placebo-treated patients. The overall incidence of adverse events reported with eplerenone (78.9%) was similar to placebo (79.5%). Adverse events occurred at a similar rate regardless of age, gender, or race. Patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event at similar rates in either treatment group (4.4% eplerenone vs. 4.3% placebo), with the most common reasons for discontinuation being hyperkalemia, MI, and abnormal renal function.

Adverse reactions that occurred more frequently in patients treated with eplerenone than placebo were hyperkalemia (3.4% vs. 2.0%) and increased creatinine (2.4% vs. 1.5%). Discontinuations due to hyperkalemia or abnormal renal function were less than 1.0% in both groups.

Hypertension

Eplerenone has been evaluated for safety in 3,091 patients treated for hypertension. A total of 690 patients were treated for over 6 months and 106 patients were treated for over 1 year.

In placebo-controlled studies, the overall rates of adverse events were 47% with eplerenone and 45% with placebo. Adverse events occurred at a similar rate regardless of age, gender, or race. Therapy was discontinued due to an adverse event in 3% of patients treated with eplerenone and 3% of patients given placebo. The most common reasons for discontinuation of eplerenone were headache, dizziness, angina pectoris/MI, and increased GGT.

Gynecomastia and abnormal vaginal bleeding were reported with eplerenone but not with placebo. The rates increased with increasing duration of therapy.