Approved Drug Label (PDF)
4
Contraindications
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
Doxercalciferol
Injection is contraindicated in patients with:
5
Warnings and Precautions
5.1 Hypercalcemia
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
…
When initiating Doxercalciferol Injection or adjusting Doxercalciferol Injection dose, measure serum
calcium weekly. Once a maintenance dose has been
established, measure serum calcium monthly for
3 months and then every 3 months. If hypercalcemia occurs,
reduce the dose or discontinue Doxercalciferol Injection until
serum calcium is normal.
Inform patients
about the symptoms of elevated
calcium (feeling tired, difficulty thinking
clearly, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, constipation,
increased thirst, increased urination and weight loss) and instruct them to report new or worsening symptoms when
they occur.
5.3 Serious Hypersensitivity Reactions
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
Serious
hypersensitivity reactions, including fatal outcome, have
been reported post marketing in patients on hemodialysis following administration of
Doxercalciferol Injection. Hypersensitivity reactions include anaphylaxis with symptoms
of angioedema (involving face, lips, tongue and airways), hypotension, unresponsiveness,
chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and cardiopulmonary arrest. These reactions may occur separately or together.
Monitor
patients receiving Doxercalciferol Injection upon initiation of treatment for hypersensitivity reactions. Should a hypersensitivity
reaction occur, discontinue Doxercalciferol Injection, monitor and treat if indicated.
6
Adverse Reactions
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
The following adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in another section of the label:
6.1 Clinical Trials Experience
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
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.
The safety of Doxercalciferol Injection has
been established from adequate and
well-controlled studies of doxercalciferol
capsules and from studies of
another doxercalciferol injection product (doxercalciferol injection). Below is a display of the adverse
reactions of doxercalciferol capsules and doxercalciferol
injection from these studies.
Doxercalciferol
capsules for oral use were evaluated in two placebo-controlled, double-blind studies in patients with CKD on hemodialysis. Patients were
treated with doxercalciferol
capsules (n=61) or placebo (n=61). After randomization to two groups,
eligible patients underwent an 8-week washout period during which no
vitamin D derivatives were
administered to either group. Subsequently,
all patients received doxercalciferol capsules in an open-label fashion for 16 weeks followed by a
double-blind period of 8 weeks during which patients received either
doxercalciferol capsules or placebo. Adverse
reactions occurring in the doxercalciferol capsules groups at a frequency of 2% or greater, and more frequently than in the placebo group are presented in Table
1.
Table 1: Adverse Reactions
Occurring in greater than or equal to 2% of Doxercalciferol Capsules-Treated Patients with CKD on Dialysis and Greater than Placebo in Two Double-Blind
Clinical Studies
…
Doxercalciferol injection was studied in 70 patients with CKD on hemodialysis in two 12-week, open-label, single-arm, multi-center studies. The incidence of hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia
increased during therapy with doxercalciferol injection. Patients with
higher pre-treatment serum levels of calcium (>10.5 mg/dL) or phosphorus (>6.9 mg/dL) were more likely to experience hypercalcemia or hyperphosphatemia.
There was no placebo group included in the studies of doxercalciferol injection. Adverse reactions in patients with CKD on hemodialysis receiving
Doxercalciferol Injection are expected to be similar to those reported in placebo-controlled
studies of doxercalciferol capsules
presented in Table 1.
6.2 Postmarketing Experience
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
The following adverse reactions have been identified
during postapproval use of
Doxercalciferol Injection. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily
from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to
estimate their frequency or to
establish a causal relationship to drug
exposure.
Hypersensitivity reactions,
including fatal outcome, have been reported in patients on hemodialysis following administration of Doxercalciferol Injection.
Hypersensitivity reactions include anaphylaxis with symptoms
of angioedema
(involving face, lips, tongue and airways), hypotension,
unresponsiveness, chest discomfort, shortness
of breath, cardiopulmonary arrest,
pruritus, and skin burning
sensation.
7
Drug Interactions
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
Table 2 includes
clinically significant drug
interactions with doxercalciferol.
Table 2: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with Doxercalciferol
8
Use in Specific Populations
8.1 Pregnancy
(additions/revisions
are underlined)
Risk Summary
The limited
available
data with Doxercalciferol Injection in pregnant women are insufficient to identify a drug-associated
risk for major birth defects, miscarriage or adverse maternal or fetal
outcomes. There are risks to the
mother and fetus associated with chronic kidney disease in pregnancy. In reproduction studies in rats and rabbits
administered doxercalciferol during organogenesis at up to 20 mcg/kg/day and 0.1 mcg/kg/day,
respectively (approximately 25 times
(rats) and less than (rabbits) the maximum recommended human oral dose of 60 mcg/week based
on mcg/m2 body surface area), no
adverse developmental effects
were observed.
The
estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the
indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated
background risk of major birth defects
and miscarriage in clinically recognized
pregnancies is 2%-4% and 15%-20%, respectively.
Clinical Considerations
Disease-associated maternal and/or embryo/fetal risk
Chronic
kidney disease in pregnancy increases the risk for maternal hypertension and preeclampsia, miscarriage, preterm delivery polyhydramnios,
still birth, and low-birth-weight infants.
Data
Animal
Data
There
were no adverse effects on fetal development when doxercalciferol was administered at
doses up to 20 mcg/kg/day in pregnant rats or doses up to 0.1 mcg/kg/day in pregnant rabbits
during the period of organogenesis.