Tetracycline Hydrochloride
TETRACYCLINE HYDROCHLORIDE- tetracycline hydrochloride capsule
Liberty Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
For Oral Use
Rx only
To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of tetracycline hydrochloride and other antibacterial drugs, tetracycline hydrochloride should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.
DESCRIPTION
Tetracycline is a yellow, odorless, crystalline powder. Tetracycline is stable in air but exposure to strong sunlight causes it to darken. Its potency is affected in solutions of pH below 2 and is rapidly destroyed by alkali hydroxide solutions. Tetracycline is very slightly soluble in water, freely soluble in dilute acid and in alkali hydroxide solutions, sparingly soluble in alcohol, and practically insoluble in chloroform and in ether. The chemical name for tetracycline hydrochloride is 4-(Dimethylamino)-1,4,4a,5,5a,6,11,12a-octahydro-3,6,10,12,-12a-pentahydroxy-6-methyl-1,11-dioxo-2-naphthacenecar-boxamide monohydrochloride. Its structural formula is as follows:
C22 H24 N2 08 •HCI M.W. 480.90
Each capsule, for oral administration, contains 250 mg or 500 mg tetracycline hydrochloride, and has the following inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, D&C Yellow #10, gelatin, pregelatinized starch, propylene glycol, shellac glaze (modified), stearic acid, and titanium dioxide. The 250 mg capsules also contain black iron oxide, FD&C Blue #1 Aluminum Lake, FD&C Blue #2 Aluminum Lake, FD&C Red #40 Aluminum Lake, and FD&C Yellow #6. The 500 mg capsules also contain ammonium hydroxide, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Red #40, and simethicone.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
Tetracyclines are readily absorbed and are bound to plasma proteins in varying degrees. They are concentrated by the liver in the bile and excreted in the urine and feces at high concentrations in a biologically active form.
Microbiology
Tetracyclines are primarily bacteriostatic and exert their antimicrobial effect by the inhibition of protein synthesis. Tetracycline is active against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. The drugs in the tetracycline class have closely similar antimicrobial spectra, and cross-resistance among them is common. While in vitro studies have demonstrated the susceptibility of most strains of the following microorganisms, clinical efficacy for infections other than those included in the INDICATIONS AND USAGE section has not been documented.
Gram-negative Bacteria
Neisseria gonorrhea
Haemophilus ducreyi
Haemophilus influenzae
Yersinia pestis (formerly Pasteurella pestis)
Francisella tularensis (formerly Pasteurella tularensis)
Vibrio cholera (formerly Vibrio comma)
Bartonella bacilliformis
Brucella species
Because many strains of the following groups of gram-negative microorganisms have been shown to be resistant to tetracyclines, culture and susceptibility testing are recommended:
Escherichia coli
Klebsiella species
Enterobacter aerogenes
Shigella species
Acinetobacter species (formerly Mima species and Herellea species)
Bacteroides species
Gram-positive Bacteria
Because many strains of the following groups of gram-positive microorganisms have been shown to be resistant to tetracycline, culture and susceptibility testing are recommended. Up to 44 percent of strains of Streptococcus pyogenes and 74 percent of Streptococcus faecalis have been found to be resistant to tetracycline drugs. Therefore, tetracyclines should not be used for streptococcal disease unless the organisms have been demonstrated to be susceptible.
Streptococcus pyogenes
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Enterococcus group (Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus faecium)
Alpha-hemolytic Streptococci (viridans group)
Other microorganisms
Chlamydia psittaci
Chlamydia trachomatis
Ureaplasma urealyticum
Borrelia recurrentis
Treponema pallidum
Treponema pertenue
Clostridia species
Fusobacterium fusiforme
Actinomyces species
Bacillus anthraxis
Propionibacterium acnes
Entamoeba species
Balantidium coli
Susceptibility Testing
A tetracycline disk may be used to determine microbial susceptibility to drugs in the tetracycline class. If the Kirby-Bauer method of disk susceptibility testing is used, a 30 mcg tetracycline disk should give a zone of at least 19 mm when tested against a tetracycline susceptible bacterial strain. Microorganisms may be considered susceptible if the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) is not more than 4 mcg/mL and intermediate if the MIC is 4 to 12.5 mcg/mL.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of tetracycline hydrochloride and other antibacterial drugs, tetracycline hydrochloride should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria. When culture and susceptibility information are available, they should be considered in selecting or modifying antibacterial therapy. In the absence of such data, local epidemiology and susceptibility patterns may contribute to the empiric selection of therapy.
Tetracycline is indicated in the treatment of infections caused by susceptible strains of the designated organisms in the conditions listed below:
- Upper respiratory tract infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes , Streptococcus pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae. Note: Tetracycline should not be used for streptococcal disease unless the organism has been demonstrated to be susceptible.
- Lower respiratory tract infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes , Streptococcus pneumoniae , Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Eaton agent, and Klebsiella sp.)
- Skin and soft tissue infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes , Staphylococcus aureaus. (Tetracyclines are not the drugs of choice in the treatment of any type of staphylococcal infections.)
- Infections caused by rickettsia including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, typhus group infections, Q fever, rickettsialpox.
- Psittacosis or ornithosis caused by Chlamydia Psittaci.
- Infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis such as uncomplicated urethral, endocervical or rectal infections, inclusion conjunctivitis, trachoma, and lymphogranuloma venereum.
- Granuloma inquinale caused by Calymmatobacterium granulomatis.
- Relapsing fever caused by Borrelia sp.
- Bartonellosis caused by Bartonella bacilliformis.
- Chancroid caused by Hemophilus ducreyi.
- Tularemia caused by Francisella tularensis.
- Plaque caused by Yersinia pestis.
- Cholera caused by Vibrio cholerae.
- Brucellosis caused by Brucella species (tetracycline may be used in conjunction with an aminoglycoside).
- Infections due to Campylobacter fetus.
- As adjunctive therapy in intestinal amebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica.
- Urinary tract infections caused by susceptible strains of Escherichia coli , Klebsiella , etc.
- Other infections caused by susceptible gram-negative organisms such as E. coli , Enterobacter aerogenes, Shigella sp., Acinetobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., and Bacteroides sp.
- In severe acne, adjunctive therapy with tetracycline may be useful.
When penicillin is contraindicated, tetracyclines are alternative drugs in the treatment of the following infections:
- Syphilis and yaws caused by Treponema pallidum and pertenue , respectively,
- Vincent’s infection caused by Fusobacterium fusiforme ,
- Infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae ,
- Anthrax caused by Bacillus anthracis ,
- Infections due to Listeria monocytogenes ,
- Actinomycosis caused by Actinomyces species,
- Infections due to Clostridium species.
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