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Chantix
SIDE EFFECTS
During the premarketing development of CHANTIX, over 4500 individuals were exposed to CHANTIX, with over 450 treated for at least 24 weeks and approximately 100 for a year. Most study participants were treated for 12 weeks or less.
In Phase 2 and 3 placebo-controlled studies, the treatment discontinuation rate due to adverse events in patients dosed with 1 mg BID was 12% for CHANTIX compared to 10% for placebo in studies of three months' treatment. In this group, the discontinuation rates for the most common adverse events in CHANTIX treated patients were as follows: nausea (3% vs. 0.5% for placebo), headache (0.6% vs. 0.9% for placebo), insomnia (1.2% vs. 1.1% for placebo), and abnormal dreams (0.3% vs. 0.2% for placebo).
Adverse Events were categorized using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA, Version 7.1).
The most common adverse events associated with CHANTIX (>5% and twice the rate seen in placebo-treated patients) were nausea, sleep disturbance, constipation, flatulence, and vomiting.
Smoking cessation, with or without treatment, is associated with nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
The most common adverse event associated with CHANTIX treatment is nausea. For patients treated to the maximum recommended dose of 1 mg BID following initial dosage titration, the incidence of nausea was 30% compared with 10% in patients taking a comparable placebo regimen. In patients taking CHANTIX 0.5 mg BID following initial titration, the incidence was 16% compared with 11% for placebo. Nausea was generally described as mild or moderate and often transient; however, for some subjects, it was persistent throughout the treatment period.
Table 3 shows the adverse events for CHANTIX and placebo in the 12 week fixed dose studies with titration in the first week (Studies 2 (titrated arm only), 4, and 5). MedDRA High Level Group Terms (HLGT) reported in ≥ 5% of patients in the CHANTIX 1 mg BID dose group, and more commonly than in the placebo group, are listed, along with subordinate Preferred Terms (PT) reported in ≥ 1% of CHANTIX patients (and at least 0.5% more frequent than placebo). Closely related Preferred Terms such as 'Insomnia', 'Initial insomnia', 'Middle insomnia', 'Early morning awakening' were grouped, but individual patients reporting two or more grouped events are only counted once.
Table 3: Common Treatment Emergent AEs (%) in the Fixed-Dose, Placebo-Controlled Studies (≥ 1% in the 1 mg BID CHANTIX Group, and 1 mg BID CHANTIX at least 0.5% more than Placebo)
|
SYSTEM ORGAN
CLASS
High Level Group Term
Preferred Term |
CHANTIX
0.5 mg BID
N=129 |
CHANTIX
1 mg BID
N=821 |
Placebo
N=805 |
|
GI Signs and Symptoms | |||
|
Nausea |
16 |
30 |
10 |
|
5 |
7 |
5 | |
|
Flatulence |
9 |
6 |
3 |
|
5 |
5 |
3 | |
|
Vomiting |
1 |
5 |
2 |
|
GI Motility/Defecation Conditions | |||
|
Constipation |
5 |
8 |
3 |
|
Gastroesophageal
reflux disease |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Salivary
Gland Conditions | |||
|
4 |
6 |
4 | |
|
PSYCHIATRIC
DISORDERS | |||
|
Sleep Disorder/Disturbances | |||
|
Insomnia ** |
19 |
18 |
13 |
|
Abnormal dreams |
9 |
13 |
5 |
|
Sleep disorder |
2 |
5 |
3 |
|
Nightmare |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
NERVOUS SYSTEM | |||
|
Headaches | |||
|
Headache |
19 |
15 |
13 |
|
Neurological
Disorders NEC | |||
|
Dysgeusia |
8 |
5 |
4 |
|
3 |
3 |
2 | |
|
2 |
1 |
0 | |
|
GENERAL DISORDERS | |||
|
General Disorders NEC | |||
|
Fatigue/Malaise/Asthenia |
4 |
7 |
6 |
|
RESPIR/THORACIC/MEDIAST | |||
|
Respiratory
Disorders NEC | |||
|
0 |
1 |
0 | |
|
2 |
1 |
1 | |
|
Upper Respiratory Tract Disorder |
7 |
5 |
4 |
|
SKIN/SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE | |||
|
1 |
3 |
2 | |
|
Pruritis |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Appetite/General Nutrit. Disorders | |||
|
Increased appetite |
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
Decreased appetite/Anorexia |
1 |
2 |
1 |
* Includes PTs Abdominal
(pain,
pain upper, pain lower, discomfort, tenderness, distension) and Stomach
discomfort
** Includes PTs Insomnia/Initial insomnia/Middle insomnia/Early
morning awakening
The overall pattern, and the frequency of adverse events during the longer-term trials was very similar to that described in Table 3, though several of the most common events were reported by a greater proportion of patients. Nausea, for instance, was reported in 40% of patients treated with CHANTIX 1 mg BID in a one-year study, compared to 8% of placebo-treated patients.
Following is a list of treatment-emergent adverse events reported by patients treated with CHANTIX during all clinical trials. The listing does not include those events already listed in the previous tables or elsewhere in labeling, those events for which a drug cause was remote, those events which were so general as to be uninformative, and those events reported only once which did not have a substantial probability of being acutely life-threatening.
BLOOD AND
LYMPHATIC
SYSTEM DISORDERS. Infrequent: Anemia, Lymphadenopathy.
Rare: Leukocytosis,
Thrombocytopenia, Splenomegaly.
CARDIAC
DISORDERS. Infrequent: Angina
pectoris, Arrhythmia,
Bradycardia,
Ventricular
extrasystoles, Myocardial
infarction, Palpitations,
Tachycardia.
Rare: Atrial
fibrillation, Cardiac flutter, Coronary
artery disease, Cor
pulmonale, Acute
coronary syndrome.
EAR AND LABYRINTH
DISORDERS. Infrequent: Tinnitus,
Vertigo.
Rare: Deafness,
Meniere's disease.
ENDOCRINE
DISORDERS. Infrequent: Thyroid
gland disorders.
EYE
DISORDERS. Infrequent: Conjunctivitis,
Dry
eye, Eye irritation, Vision
blurred, Visual disturbance, Eye pain. Rare: Acquired night
blindness, Blindness
transient, Cataract
subcapsular, Ocular vascular
disorder, Photophobia,
Vitreous
floaters.
GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS Frequent: Diarrhea,
Gingivitis.
Infrequent: Dysphagia,
Enterocolitis, Eructation,
Gastritis,
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage,
Mouth
ulceration,
Esophagitis.
Rare: Gastric
ulcer, Intestinal
obstruction, Pancreatitis
acute.
GENERAL DISORDERS AND ADMINISTRATION SITE CONDITIONS. Frequent:
Chest pain,
Influenza
like illness, Edema,
Thirst. Infrequent: Chest
discomfort, Chills, Pyrexia.
HEPATOBILIARY
DISORDERS. Infrequent: Gall bladder
disorder.
IMMUNE
SYSTEM DISORDERS. Infrequent: Hypersensitivity. Rare:
Drug hypersensitivity.
INVESTIGATIONS. Frequent: Liver
function test abnormal, Weight increased. Infrequent: Electrocardiogram
abnormal, Muscle enzyme
increased, Urine analysis
abnormal.
METABOLISM AND NUTRITION DISORDERS. Infrequent: Diabetes
mellitus, Hyperlipidemia,
Hypokalemia.
Rare: Hyperkalemia,
Hypoglycemia.
MUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE
TISSUE DISORDERS. Frequent: Arthralgia,
Back
pain, Muscle
cramp, Musculoskeletal pain, Myalgia.
Infrequent: Arthritis,
Osteoporosis.
Rare: Myositis.
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS. Frequent: Disturbance in attention,
Dizziness,
Sensory
disturbance. Infrequent: Amnesia, Migraine,
Parosmia, Psychomotor hyperactivity,
Restless
legs syndrome, Syncope, Tremor.
Rare: Balance disorder, Cerebrovascular
accident, Convulsion, Dysarthria,
Facial palsy,
Mental impairment, Multiple
sclerosis, Nystagmus,
Psychomotor skills impaired, Transient
ischemic attack, Visual
field defect.
PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. Frequent: Anxiety, Depression,
Emotional disorder, Irritability, Restlessness. Infrequent:
Aggression, Agitation, Disorientation, Dissociation,
Libido
decreased, Mood swings, Thinking abnormal. Rare: Bradyphrenia,
Euphoric mood, Hallucination,
Psychotic disorder, Suicidal
ideation.
RENAL AND
URINARY
DISORDERS. Frequent: Polyuria.
Infrequent: Nephrolithiasis,
Nocturia,
Urine abnormality, Urethral syndrome. Rare: Renal failure acute,
Urinary retention.
REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM AND BREAST
DISORDERS. Frequent: Menstrual
disorder. Infrequent: Erectile
dysfunction. Rare: Sexual dysfunction.
RESPIRATORY, THORACIC
AND MEDIASTINAL DISORDERS. Frequent: Epistaxis,
Respiratory disorders. Infrequent: Asthma.
Rare: Pleurisy,
Pulmonary
embolism.
SKIN AND SUBCUTANEOUS
TISSUE DISORDERS. Frequent: Hyperhidrosis.
Infrequent: Acne, Dermatitis,
Dry
skin, Eczema, Erythema,
Psoriasis,
Urticaria.
Rare: Photosensitivity
reaction.
VASCULAR DISORDERS. Frequent: Hot flush, Hypertension. Infrequent: Hypotension, Peripheral ischemia, Thrombosis.
DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE
Controlled Substance Class
Varenicline is not a controlled substance.
Humans: Fewer than 1 out of 1000 patients reported euphoria in clinical trials with CHANTIX. At higher doses (greater than 2 mg), CHANTIX produced more frequent reports of gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea and vomiting. There is no evidence of dose-escalation to maintain therapeutic effects in clinical studies, which suggests that tolerance does not develop. Abrupt discontinuation of CHANTIX was associated with an increase in irritability and sleep disturbances in up to 3% of patients. This suggests that, in some patients, varenicline may produce mild physical dependence which is not associated with addiction.
In a human laboratory abuse liability study, a single oral dose of 1 mg varenicline did not produce any significant positive or negative subjective responses in smokers. In nonsmokers, 1 mg varenicline produced an increase in some positive subjective effects, but this was accompanied by an increase in negative adverse effects, especially nausea. A single oral dose of 3 mg varenicline uniformly produced unpleasant subjective responses in both smokers and non-smokers.
Animals: Studies in rodents have shown that varenicline produces behavioral responses similar to those produced by nicotine. In rats trained to discriminate nicotine from saline, varenicline produced full generalization to the nicotine cue. In self-administration studies, the degree to which varenicline substitutes for nicotine is dependent upon the requirement of the task. Rats trained to self-administer nicotine under easy conditions continued to self-administer varenicline to a degree comparable to that of nicotine, however in a more demanding task, rats self-administered varenicline to a lesser extent than nicotine. Varenicline pretreatment also reduced nicotine selfadministration.
DRUG INTERACTIONS
Based on varenicline characteristics and clinical experience to date, CHANTIX has no clinically meaningful pharmacokinetic drug interactions (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Drug- Drug Interactions).
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