ONUREG
RxNorm 2396764· AZACITIDINE· ORAL
Nucleoside Metabolic Inhibitor [EPC] · Celgene Corporation
Indications and usage
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE ONUREG is indicated for continued treatment of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia who achieved first complete remission (CR) or complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) following intensive induction chemotherapy and are not able to complete intensive curative therapy. ONUREG is a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor indicated for continued treatment of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia who achieved first complete remission (CR) or complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) following intensive induction chemotherapy and are not able to complete intensive curative therapy ( 1 ).
Dosage and administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION • Do not substitute ONUREG for intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine. The indications and dosing regimen for ONUREG differ from that of intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine ( 2.1 , 5.1 ). • Administer ONUREG 300 mg orally once daily on Days 1 through 14 of each 28-day cycle ( 2.2 ). • Administer an antiemetic before each dose for at least the first 2 cycles ( 2.2 ). 2.1 Important Administration Information Do not substitute ONUREG for intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine. The indications and dosing regimen for ONUREG differ from that of intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ]. 2.2 Recommended Dosage The recommended dosage of ONUREG is 300 mg orally once daily with or without food on Days 1 through 14 of each 28-day cycle. Continue ONUREG until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Administer an antiemetic 30 minutes prior to each dose of ONUREG for the first 2 cycles. Antiemetic prophylaxis may be omitted after 2 cycles if there has been no nausea and vomiting. If the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is less than 0.5 Gi/L on Day 1 of a cycle, do not administer ONUREG. Delay the start of the cycle until the ANC is 0.5 Gi/L or more. Instruct patients on the following: • Swallow tablets whole. Do not cut, crush, or chew the tablets. • Take a dose about the same time each day. • If a dose of ONUREG is missed, or not taken at the usual time, take the dose as soon as possible on the same day, and resume the normal schedule the following day. Do not take 2 doses on the same day. • If a dose is vomited, do not take another dose on the same day. Resume the normal schedule the following day. ONUREG is a hazardous drug. Follow applicable special handling and disposal procedures. 1 2.3 Monitoring and Dosage Modifications for Adverse Reactions Monitor complete blood count every other week for the first 2 cycles and prior to the start of each cycle thereafter. Increase monitoring to every other week for the 2 cycles after any dose reduction for myelosuppression. The recommended dosage modifications for adverse reactions are provided in Table 1. Table 1: Recommended Dosage Modifications for Adverse Reactions Adverse Reaction Severity Recommended Dosage Modification Myelosuppression [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Neutrophils less than 0.5 Gi/L on Cycle Day 1 • Interrupt treatment. Resume at the same dose once neutrophils return to 0.5 Gi/L or higher. Neutrophils less than 1 Gi/L with fever at anytime First Occurrence • Interrupt treatment. Resume at the same dose once neutrophils return to 1 Gi/L or higher. Occurrence in 2 Consecutive Cycles • Interrupt treatment. After neutrophils return to 1 Gi/L or higher, resume at reduced dose of 200 mg. • If a patient continues to experience febrile neutropenia after dose reduction, reduce the treatment duration by 7 days. • If febrile neutropenia reoccurs after dose and schedule reduction, discontinue ONUREG. Platelets less than 50 Gi/L with bleeding First Occurrence • Interrupt dose. Resume at the same dose once platelets return to 50 Gi/L or higher. Occurrence in 2 Consecutive Cycles • Interrupt dose. After platelets return to 50 Gi/L or higher, resume at reduced dose of 200 mg. • If a patient continues to experience thrombocytopenia with bleeding after dose reduction, reduce the treatment duration by 7 days. • If thrombocytopenia with bleeding reoccurs after dose and schedule reduction, discontinue ONUREG. Gastrointestinal Toxicity [see Adverse Reactions (6.1) ] Grade 3 or 4 Nausea or Vomiting • Interrupt dose. Resume at the same dose once toxicity has resolved to Grade 1 or lower. • If toxicity reoccurs, interrupt dose until resolved to Grade 1 or lower. Resume at reduced dose of 200 mg. • If a patient continues to experience the toxicity after dose reduction, reduce the treatment duration by 7 days. • If the toxicity continues or reoccurs after dose and schedule reduction, discontinue ONUREG. Grade 3 or 4 Diarr…
Warnings
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS • Risks of Substitution with Other Azacitidine Products : Do not substitute ONUREG for intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine ( 2.1 , 5.1 ). • Myelosuppression : Monitor complete blood counts every other week for the first 2 cycles and prior to the start of each cycle thereafter. Increase monitoring to every other week for the 2 cycles after any dose reduction. Withhold and then resume at same or reduced dose or discontinue ONUREG based on severity ( 2.3 , 5.2 ). • Embryo-Fetal Toxicity : Can cause fetal harm. Advise patients of the potential risk to a fetus and use of effective contraception ( 5.4 , 8.1 , 8.3 ). 5.1 Risks of Substitution with Other Azacitidine Products Due to substantial differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] , the recommended dose and schedule for ONUREG are different from those for the intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine products. Treatment of patients using intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine at the recommended dosage of ONUREG may result in a fatal adverse reaction. Treatment of patients using ONUREG at the doses recommended for intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine may not be effective. Do not substitute ONUREG for intravenous or subcutaneous azacitidine [see Dosage and Administration (2.1) ] . 5.2 Myelosuppression New or worsening Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 49% and 22% of patients who received ONUREG, respectively. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 12% , and sepsis was reported in 6%, including 1 fatal case . A dose reduction was required for 7% and 2% of patients due to neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, respectively. Less than 1% of patients discontinued ONUREG due to either neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. Monitor complete blood counts and modify the dosage as recommended [see Dosage and Administration (2.2 , 2.3) ]. Provide standard supportive care, including hematopoietic growth factors, if myelosuppression occurs. 5.3 Increased Early Mortality in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes In AZA-MDS-003 (NCT01566695), 216 patients with red blood cell transfusion-dependent anemia and thrombocytopenia due to myelodysplastic syndromes were randomized to ONUREG or placebo. One-hundred and seven patients received a median of 5 cycles of ONUREG 300 mg daily for 21 days of a 28-day cycle. Enrollment was discontinued early due to a higher incidence of early fatal and/or serious adverse reactions in patients who received ONUREG compared with placebo. The most frequent fatal adverse reaction was sepsis. The safety and effectiveness of ONUREG for treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes have not been established. Treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes with ONUREG is not recommended outside of controlled trials. 5.4 Embryo-Fetal Toxicity Based on the mechanism of action and findings in animals, ONUREG can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Azacitidine administered to pregnant rats via a single intraperitoneal dose less than the recommended human daily dose of oral azacitidine on a mg/m 2 basis caused fetal death and anomalies. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with ONUREG and for at least 6 months after the last dose. Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with ONUREG and for at least 3 months after the last dose [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1 , 8.3) ] .
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS ONUREG is contraindicated in patients with known severe hypersensitivity to azacitidine or its components [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) , Description (11) ] . History of severe hypersensitivity to azacitidine or its components ( 4 ).
Pregnancy
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on its mechanism of action [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.1) ] and findings in animals, ONUREG can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. There are no available data on ONUREG use in pregnant women to evaluate for a drug-associated risk. Azacitidine was teratogenic and caused embryo-fetal lethality in animals at doses less than the recommended human daily dose of oral azacitidine on a mg/m 2 basis (see Data ) . Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to the fetus. The estimated background of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. Data Animal Data No reproductive or developmental toxicity studies have been conducted with oral azacitidine. Early embryotoxicity studies in mice revealed a 44% frequency of intrauterine embryonal death (increased resorption) after a single intraperitoneal injection of 6 mg/m 2 azacitidine (at doses less than the recommended human daily dose of oral azacitidine on a mg/m 2 basis) on gestation Day 10. Developmental abnormalities in the brain have been detected in mice given azacitidine on or before gestation Day 15 at doses of approximately 3 to 12 mg/m 2 (at doses less than the recommended human daily dose on a mg/m 2 basis). In rats, azacitidine was clearly embryotoxic when given an intraperitoneal injection on gestation Days 4 to 8 (postimplantation) at a dose of 6 mg/m 2 (at doses less than the recommended human daily dose on a mg/m 2 basis), although treatment in the preimplantation period (on gestation Days 1 to 3) had no adverse effect on the embryos. Azacitidine caused multiple fetal abnormalities in rats after a single intraperitoneal dose of 3 to 12 mg/m 2 (at doses less than the recommended human daily dose on a mg/m 2 basis) given on gestation Days 9, 10, 11, or 12. In this study, azacitidine caused fetal death when administered at 3 to 12 mg/m 2 on gestation Days 9 and 10; average live animals per litter was reduced to 9% of control at the highest dose on gestation Day 9. Fetal anomalies included: CNS anomalies (exencephaly/encephalocele), limb anomalies (micromelia, club foot, syndactyly, oligodactyly), and others (micrognathia, gastroschisis, edema, and rib abnormalities).
Adverse events
Most frequently reported events (FDA FAERS). Report frequency does not imply causation.
- death3,320
- febrile neutropenia2,893
- acute myeloid leukaemia2,166
- pneumonia1,964
- off label use1,938
- neutropenia1,850
- pyrexia1,608
- thrombocytopenia1,507
- myelosuppression1,467
- anaemia1,318
- sepsis1,230
- platelet count decreased1,210
- drug ineffective1,177
- infection1,084
- pancytopenia1,020
- nausea996
Adverse reactions (label)
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: • Myelosuppression [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] The most common adverse reactions (≥ 10%) are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue/asthenia, constipation, upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, abdominal pain, arthralgia, decreased appetite, febrile neutropenia, dizziness, skin infection, and pain in extremity. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Bristol-Myers Squibb Company at 1-800-721-5072 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 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 the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Acute Myeloid Leukemia The safety of ONUREG was evaluated in QUAZAR [see Clinical Studies (14) ] . Patients received ONUREG 300 mg (N=236) or placebo (N=233) orally once daily on Days 1 through 14 of each 28-day cycle. Among patients who received ONUREG, 71% were exposed for 6 months or longer, and 49% were exposed for greater than one year. The median duration of exposure to ONUREG was 11.6 months (range: 0.5 to 74.3 months) and the median number of cycles was 12 (range: 1 to 82 cycles). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 15% of patients who received ONUREG. Serious adverse reactions in ≥ 2% of patients who received ONUREG were pneumonia (8%) and febrile neutropenia (7%). One fatal adverse reaction (sepsis) occurred in a patient who received ONUREG. Permanent discontinuation of ONUREG due to an adverse reaction occurred in 8% of patients. Adverse reactions which resulted in permanent discontinuation of ONUREG in > 1% of patients included nausea (2.1%), diarrhea (1.7%), and vomiting (1.3%). Interruptions of ONUREG due to an adverse reaction occurred in 35% of patients. Adverse reactions which required an interruption of ONUREG in > 5% of patients included neutropenia (20%), thrombocytopenia (8%), and nausea (6%). Dose reductions of ONUREG due to an adverse reaction occurred in 14% of patients. Adverse reactions which required a dose reduction in > 1% of patients included neutropenia (6%), diarrhea (3.4%), thrombocytopenia (1.7%), and nausea (1.7%). The most common (≥ 10%) adverse reactions were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue/asthenia, constipation, upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, abdominal pain, arthralgia, decreased appetite, febrile neutropenia, dizziness, skin infection, and pain in extremity. Table 2 summarizes the adverse reactions in QUAZAR. Table 2: Adverse Reactions (≥ 5%) in Patients with AML Who Received ONUREG with a Difference Between Arms of > 2% Compared to Placebo in QUAZAR Adverse Reaction ONUREG (N=236) Placebo (N=233) All Grades (%) Grade 3 or 4 (%) All Grades (%) Grade 3 or 4 (%) a Grouped term includes abdominal pain, abdominal pain upper, abdominal discomfort, and gastrointestinal pain. b Grouped term includes fatigue and asthenia. c Broad scope term includes acute sinusitis, adenoviral upper respiratory infection, chronic tonsillitis, influenza, nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, sinusitis fungal, tonsillitis, tracheitis, upper respiratory tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection bacterial, viral pharyngitis, viral rhinitis, viral upper respiratory tract infection. d Broad scope term includes influenza, pneumonia, respiratory tract infection, respiratory tract infection viral, bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, lung infection, Staphylococcal infection, atypical pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infection, lung abscess, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, pneumonia bacterial, pneumonia fungal, Pseudomonas infection, hemoptysis, productive cough, pleural effusion, atelectasis, pleuritic pain, rales, Enterobacter test positive, and Hemophilus test positive. Gastrointestinal disorders Nausea 65 3 24…
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