Octreotide Acetate (Page 3 of 5)

Pregnancy

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of octreotide use in pregnant women. Reproduction studies have been performed in rats and rabbits at doses up to 16 times the highest recommended human dose based on body surface area and revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus due to octreotide. However, because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, this drug should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.

In postmarketing data, a limited number of exposed pregnancies have been reported in patients with acromegaly. Most women were exposed to octreotide during the first trimester of pregnancy at doses ranging from 100 to 300 mcg/day of octreotide acetate injection or 20 to 30 mg once a month of octreotide acetate for injectable suspension, however some women elected to continue octreotide therapy throughout pregnancy. In cases with a known outcome, no congenital malformations were reported.

Nursing Mothers

It is not known whether octreotide is excreted into human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when octreotide acetate injection is administered to a nursing woman.

Pediatric Use

Safety and efficacy of octreotide acetate injection in the pediatric population have not been demonstrated.

No formal controlled clinical trials have been performed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of octreotide acetate injection in pediatric patients under age 6 years. In postmarketing reports, serious adverse events, including hypoxia, necrotizing enterocolitis, and death, have been reported with octreotide acetate injection use in children, most notably in children under 2 years of age. The relationship of these events to octreotide has not been established as the majority of these pediatric patients had serious underlying co-morbid conditions.

The efficacy and safety of octreotide acetate injection using the octreotide acetate for injectable suspension formulation was examined in a single randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6 month pharmacokinetics study in 60 pediatric patients age 6 to 17 years with hypothalamic obesity resulting from cranial insult. The mean octreotide concentration after 6 doses of 40 mg octreotide acetate for injectable suspension administered by intramuscular (IM) injection every 4 weeks was approximately 3 ng/mL. Steady-state concentrations were achieved after 3 injections of a 40-mg dose. Mean BMI increased 0.1 kg/m² in octreotide acetate for injectable suspension-treated subjects compared to 0 kg/m² in saline control-treated subjects. Efficacy was not demonstrated. Diarrhea occurred in 11 of 30 (37%) patients treated with octreotide acetate for injectable suspension. No unexpected adverse events were observed. However, with octreotide acetate for injectable suspension at 40 mg once a month, the incidence of new cholelithiasis in this pediatric population (33%) was higher than that seen in other adult indications such as acromegaly (22%) or malignant carcinoid syndrome (24%), where octreotide acetate for injectable suspension was 10 to 30 mg once a month.

Geriatric Use

Clinical studies of octreotide acetate injection did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients. In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

Gallbladder Abnormalities

Gallbladder abnormalities, especially stones and/or biliary sludge, frequently develop in patients on chronic octreotide acetate injection therapy (see WARNINGS).

Cardiac

In acromegalics, sinus bradycardia (< 50 bpm) developed in 25%; conduction abnormalities occurred in 10% and arrhythmias developed in 9% of patients during octreotide acetate injection therapy (see PRECAUTIONS, General).

Gastrointestinal

Diarrhea, loose stools, nausea, and abdominal discomfort were each seen in 34% to 61% of acromegalic patients in U.S. studies although only 2.6% of the patients discontinued therapy due to these symptoms. These symptoms were seen in 5% to 10% of patients with other disorders.

The frequency of these symptoms was not dose related, but diarrhea and abdominal discomfort generally resolved more quickly in patients treated with 300 mcg/day than in those treated with 750 mcg/day. Vomiting, flatulence, abnormal stools, abdominal distention, and constipation were each seen in less than 10% of patients.

In rare instances, gastrointestinal side effects may resemble acute intestinal obstruction, with progressive abdominal distension, severe epigastric pain, abdominal tenderness, and guarding.

Hypoglycemia/Hyperglycemia

Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia occurred in 3% and 16% of acromegalic patients, respectively, but only in about 1.5% of other patients. Symptoms of hypoglycemia were noted in approximately 2% of patients.

Hypothyroidism

In acromegalics, biochemical hypothyroidism alone occurred in 12% while goiter occurred in 6% during octreotide acetate injection therapy (see PRECAUTIONS, General). In patients without acromegaly, hypothyroidism has only been reported in several isolated patients and goiter has not been reported.

Other Adverse Events

Pain on injection was reported in 7.7%, headache in 6% and dizziness in 5%. Pancreatitis was also observed (see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS).

Other Adverse Events 1% to 4%

Other events (relationship to drug not established), each observed in 1% to 4% of patients, included fatigue, weakness, pruritus, joint pain, backache, urinary tract infection, cold symptoms, flu symptoms, injection site hematoma, bruise, edema, flushing, blurred vision, pollakiuria, fat malabsorption, hair loss, visual disturbance and depression.

Other Adverse Events Less Than 1%

Events reported in less than 1% of patients and for which relationship to octreotide acetate injection is not established are listed:

Gastrointestinal (GI): hepatitis, jaundice, increase in liver enzymes, GI bleeding, hemorrhoids, appendicitis, gastric/peptic ulcer, gallbladder polyp;

Integumentary: rash, cellulitis, petechiae, urticaria, basal cell carcinoma;

Musculoskeletal: arthritis, joint effusion, muscle pain, Raynaud’s phenomenon;

Cardiovascular: chest pain, shortness of breath, thrombophlebitis, ischemia, congestive heart failure, hypertension, hypertensive reaction, palpitations, orthostatic BP decrease, tachycardia;

CNS: anxiety, libido decrease, syncope, tremor, seizure, vertigo, Bell’s Palsy, paranoia, pituitary apoplexy, increased intraocular pressure, amnesia, hearing loss, neuritis;

Respiratory: pneumonia, pulmonary nodule, status asthmaticus;

Endocrine: galactorrhea, hypoadrenalism, diabetes insipidus, gynecomastia, amenorrhea, polymenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, vaginitis;

Urogenital: nephrolithiasis, hematuria;

Hematologic: anemia, iron deficiency, epistaxis;

Miscellaneous: otitis, allergic reaction, increased CK, weight loss.

Evaluation of 20 patients treated for at least 6 months has failed to demonstrate titers of antibodies exceeding background levels. However, antibody titers to octreotide acetate were subsequently reported in 3 patients and resulted in prolonged duration of drug action in 2 patients. Anaphylactoid reactions, including anaphylactic shock, have been reported in several patients receiving octreotide acetate injection.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during the postapproval use of octreotide acetate injection. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

Hepatobiliary: cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholangitis and pancreatitis, which have sometimes required cholecystectomy

Gastrointestinal: intestinal obstruction

Hematologic: thrombocytopenia