Itraconazole

INDICATIONS AND USAGE Itraconazole oral solution is indicated for the treatment of oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY : Special Populations, WARNINGS , and ADVERSE REACTIONS : Postmarketing Experience for more information.)

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Treatment of Oropharyngeal and Esophageal Candidiasis: The solution should be vigorously swished in the mouth (10 mL at a time) for several seconds and swallowed. The recommended dosage of itraconazole oral solution for oropharyngeal candidiasis is 200 mg (20 mL) daily for 1 to 2 weeks. Clinical signs and symptoms of oropharyngeal candidiasis generally resolve within several days. For patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis unresponsive/refractory to treatment with fluconazole tablets, the recommended dose is 100 mg (10 mL) b.i.d. For patients responding to therapy, clinical response will be seen in 2 to 4 weeks. Patients may be expected to relapse shortly after discontinuing therapy. Limited data on the safety of long-term use (>6 months) of itraconazole oral solution are available at this time. The recommended dosage of itraconazole oral solution for esophageal candidiasis is 100 mg (10 mL) daily for a minimum treatment of three weeks. Treatment should continue for 2 weeks following resolution of symptoms. Doses up to 200 mg (20 mL) per day may be used based on medical judgment of the patient’s response to therapy. Itraconazole oral solution and itraconazole capsules should not be used interchangeably. Patients should be instructed to take itraconazole oral solution without food, if possible. Only itraconazole oral solution has been demonstrated effective for oral and/or esophageal candidiasis. Use in Patients with Renal Impairment: Limited data are available on the use of oral itraconazole in patients with renal impairment. Caution should be exercised when this drug is administered in this patient population. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY : Special Populations and PRECAUTIONS .) Use in Patients with Hepatic Impairment: Limited data are available on the use of oral itraconazole in patients with hepatic impairment. Caution should be exercised when this drug is administered in this patient population. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY : Special Populations, WARNINGS , and PRECAUTIONS .)

WARNINGS Hepatic Effects: Itraconazole has been associated with rare cases of serious hepatotoxicity, including liver failure and death. Some of these cases had neither pre-existing liver disease nor a serious underlying medical condition, and some of these cases developed within the first week of treatment. If clinical signs or symptoms develop that are consistent with liver disease, treatment should be discontinued and liver function testing performed. Continued itraconazole use or reinstitution of treatment with itraconazole is strongly discouraged unless there is a serious or life-threatening situation where the expected benefit exceeds the risk. (See PRECAUTIONS : Information for Patients and ADVERSE REACTIONS .) Cardiac Dysrhythmias: Life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias and/or sudden death have occurred in patients using drugs such as cisapride, pimozide, methadone, or quinidine concomitantly with itraconazole and/or other CYP3A4 inhibitors. Concomitant administration of these drugs with itraconazole oral solution is contraindicated. (See BOXED WARNING , CONTRAINDICATIONS , and PRECAUTIONS : Drug Interactions.) Cardiac Disease: Itraconazole oral solution should not be used in patients with evidence of ventricular dysfunction unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk. For patients with risk factors for congestive heart failure, physicians should carefully review the risks and benefits of itraconazole therapy. These risk factors include cardiac disease such as ischemic and valvular disease; significant pulmonary disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and renal failure and other edematous disorders. Such patients should be informed of the signs and symptoms of CHF, should be treated with caution, and should be monitored for signs and symptoms of CHF during treatment. If signs or symptoms of CHF appear during administration of itraconazole oral solution, monitor carefully and consider other treatment alternatives which may include discontinuation of itraconazole oral solution administration. Itraconazole has been shown to have a negative inotropic effect. When itraconazole was administered intravenously to anesthetized dogs, a dose-related negative inotropic effect was documented. In a healthy volunteer study of itraconazole intravenous infusion, transient, asymptomatic decreases in left ventricular ejection fraction were observed using gated SPECT imaging; these resolved before the next infusion, 12 hours later. Itraconazole oral solution has been associated with reports of congestive heart failure. In postmarketing experience, heart failure was more frequently reported in patients receiving a total daily dose of 400 mg although there were also cases reported among those receiving lower total daily doses. Calcium channel blockers can have negative inotropic effects which may be additive to those of itraconazole. In addition, itraconazole can inhibit the metabolism of calcium channel blockers. Therefore, caution should be used when co-administering itraconazole and calcium channel blockers due to an increased risk of CHF. Concomitant administration of itraconazole and felodipine or nisoldipine is contraindicated. Cases of CHF, peripheral edema, and pulmonary edema have been reported in the postmarketing period among patients being treated for onychomycosis and/or systemic fungal infections. (See CONTRAINDICATIONS , CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY : Special Populations, PRECAUTIONS : Drug Interactions, and ADVERSE REACTIONS : Postmarketing Experience for more information.) Pseudoaldosteronism: Pseudoaldosteronism, manifested by the onset of hypertension or worsening of hypertension, and abnormal laboratory findings (hypokalemia, low serum renin and aldosterone, and elevated 11­-deoxycortisol), has been reported with itraconazole use in the postmarketing setting. Monitor blood pressure and potassium levels and manage as necessary. Management of pseudoaldosteronism may include discontinuation of itraconazole, substit…

CONTRAINDICATIONS Congestive Heart Failure: Itraconazole oral solution should not be administered to patients with evidence of ventricular dysfunction such as congestive heart failure (CHF) or a history of CHF except for the treatment of life-threatening or other serious infections. (See BOXED WARNING , WARNINGS , PRECAUTIONS : Drug Interactions-Calcium Channel Blockers, ADVERSE REACTIONS : Postmarketing Experience, and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY : Special Populations.) Drug Interactions: Coadministration of a number of CYP3A4 substrates are contraindicated with itraconazole. Some examples of drugs for which plasma concentrations increase are: methadone, disopyramide, dofetilide, dronedarone, quinidine, isavuconazole, ergot alkaloids (such as dihydroergotamine, ergometrine (ergonovine), ergotamine, methylergometrine (methylergonovine)), irinotecan, lurasidone, oral midazolam, pimozide, triazolam, felodipine, nisoldipine, ivabradine, ranolazine, eplerenone, cisapride, naloxegol, lomitapide, lovastatin, simvastatin, avanafil, ticagrelor, finerenone, voclosporin. In addition, coadministration with colchicine, fesoterodine, and solifenacin is contraindicated in subjects with varying degrees of renal or hepatic impairment, and coadministration with eliglustat is contraindicated in subjects that are poor or intermediate metabolizers of CYP2D6 and in subjects taking strong or moderate CYP2D6 inhibitors. (See PRECAUTIONS : Drug Interactions Section for specific examples.) This increase in drug concentrations caused by coadministration with itraconazole may increase or prolong both the pharmacologic effects and/or adverse reactions to these drugs. For example, increased plasma concentrations of some of these drugs can lead to QT prolongation and ventricular tachyarrhythmias including occurrences of torsade de pointes, a potentially fatal arrhythmia. Some specific examples are listed in PRECAUTIONS : Drug Interactions. Coadministration with venetoclax is contraindicated in patients with CLL/SLL during the dose initiation and ramp-up phase of venetoclax due to the potential for an increased risk of tumor lysis syndrome. Itraconazole is contraindicated for patients who have shown hypersensitivity to itraconazole. There is limited information regarding cross-hypersensitivity between itraconazole and other azole antifungal agents. Caution should be used when prescribing itraconazole to patients with hypersensitivity to other azoles.

ADVERSE REACTIONS 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 clinical practice. Itraconazole has been associated with rare cases of serious hepatotoxicity, including liver failure and death. Some of these cases had neither pre-existing liver disease nor a serious underlying medical condition. If clinical signs or symptoms develop that are consistent with liver disease, treatment should be discontinued and liver function testing performed. The risks and benefits of itraconazole use should be reassessed. (See WARNINGS : Hepatic Effects and PRECAUTIONS : Hepatotoxicity and Information for Patients.) Adverse Events Reported in Oropharyngeal or Esophageal Candidiasis Trials U.S. adverse experience data are derived from 350 immunocompromised patients (332 HIV seropositive/AIDS) treated for oropharyngeal or esophageal candidiasis. Table 3 below lists adverse events reported by at least 2% of patients treated with itraconazole oral solution in U.S. clinical trials. Data on patients receiving comparator agents in these trials are included for comparison. Table 3: Summary of Adverse Events Reported by ≥2% of Itraconazole Treated Patients in U.S. Clinical Trials (Total) Body System/ Adverse Event Itraconazole Total (n = 350*) % All controlled studies (n = 272) % Fluconazole (n = 125 † ) % Clotrimazole (n = 81 ‡ ) % Gastrointestinal disorders Nausea Diarrhea Vomiting Abdominal pain Constipation 11 11 7 6 2 10 10 6 4 2 11 10 8 7 1 5 4 1 7 0 Body as a whole Fever Chest pain Pain Fatigue 7 3 2 2 6 3 2 1 8 2 4 2 5 0 0 0 Respiratory disorders Coughing Dyspnea Pneumonia Sinusitis Sputum increased 4 2 2 2 2 4 3 2 2 3 10 5 0 4 3 0 1 0 0 1 Skin and appendages disorders Rash Increased sweating Skin disorder unspecified 4 3 2 5 4 2 4 6 2 6 1 1 Central/peripheral nervous system Headache Dizziness 4 2 4 2 6 4 6 1 Resistance mechanism disorders Pneumocystis carinii infection 2 2 2 0 Psychiatric disorders Depression 2 1 0 1 * Of the 350 patients, 209 were treated for oropharyngeal candidiasis in controlled studies, 63 were treated for esophageal candidiasis in controlled studies and 78 were treated for oropharyngeal candidiasis in an open study. † Of the 125 patients, 62 were treated for oropharyngeal candidiasis and 63 were treated for esophageal candidiasis. ‡ All 81 patients were treated for oropharyngeal candidiasis. Adverse events reported by less than 2% of patients in U.S. clinical trials with itraconazole included: adrenal insufficiency, asthenia, back pain, dehydration, dyspepsia, dysphagia, flatulence, gynecomastia, hematuria, hemorrhoids, hot flushes, implantation complication, infection unspecified, injury, insomnia, male breast pain, myalgia, pharyngitis, pruritus, rhinitis, rigors, stomatitis ulcerative, taste perversion, tinnitus, upper respiratory tract infection, vision abnormal, and weight decrease. Edema, hypokalemia and menstrual disorders have been reported in clinical trials with itraconazole capsules. Adverse Events Reported from Other Clinical Trials A comparative clinical trial in patients who received intravenous itraconazole followed by itraconazole oral solution or received Amphotericin B reported the following adverse events in the itraconazole intravenous/itraconazole oral solution treatment arm which are not listed above in the subsection “Adverse Events Reported in Oropharyngeal or Esophageal Candidiasis Trials” or listed below as postmarketing reports of adverse drug reactions: serum creatinine increased, blood urea nitrogen increased, renal function abnormal, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia, hypotension, tachycardia and pulmonary infiltration. In addition, the following adverse drug reactions were reported in patients who participated in itraconazole oral solution clinical trials: Cardiac Disorders…