ELIGARD ® is indicated for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. ELIGARD ® is a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist indicated for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer ( 1 )
Contraindications
Hypersensitivity ELIGARD ® is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to GnRH, GnRH agonist analogs or any of the components of ELIGARD ® . Anaphylactic reactions to synthetic GnRH or GnRH agonist analogs have been reported in the literature. Known hypersensitivity to GnRH, GnRH agonist analogs or any of the components of ELIGARD ® ( 4.1 )
Warnings and precautions
Tumor Flare: Transient increase in serum levels of testosterone during treatment may result in worsening of symptoms or onset of new signs and symptoms during the first few weeks of treatment, including bone pain, neuropathy, hematuria, bladder outlet obstruction, ureteral obstruction, or spinal cord compression. Monitor patients at risk closely and manage as appropriate. ( 5.1 , 5.2 ) Hyperglycemia and diabetes: Hyperglycemia and an increased risk of developing diabetes have been reported in men receiving GnRH analogs.
Monitor blood glucose level and manage according to current clinical practice. ( 5.3 ) Cardiovascular diseases: Increased risk of myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death and stroke has been reported in men. Monitor for cardiovascular disease and manage according to current clinical practice. ( 5.4 ) Effect on QT/QTc Interval: Androgen deprivation therapy may prolong the QT interval. Consider risks and benefits. ( 5.5 ) Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: May cause fetal harm.
(5.6, 8.1) Convulsions have been observed in patients with or without a history of predisposing factors. Manage convulsions according to the current clinical practice. (5.7)
5.1Tumor Flare
ELIGARD ® 7.5 mg 22.5 mg 30 mg, like other GnRH agonists, causes a transient increase in serum concentrations of testosterone during the first week of treatment. ELIGARD ® 45 mg causes a transient increase in serum concentrations of testosterone during the first two weeks of treatment. Patients may experience worsening of symptoms or onset of new signs and symptoms during the first few weeks of treatment, including bone pain, neuropathy, hematuria, or bladder outlet obstruction.
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Cases of ureteral obstruction and/or spinal cord compression, which may contribute to paralysis with or without fatal complications, have been observed in the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer using GnRH agonists. Patients with metastatic vertebral lesions and/or with urinary tract obstruction should be closely observed during the first few weeks of therapy. If spinal cord compression or ureteral obstruction develops, standard treatment of these complications should be instituted.
5.2Laboratory Tests Response to
ELIGARD ® should be monitored by periodic measurement of serum concentrations of testosterone and prostate specific antigen. In the majority of patients, testosterone levels increased above Baseline during the first week, declining thereafter to Baseline levels or below by the end of the second or third week. Castrate levels were generally reached within two to four weeks. Castrate testosterone levels were maintained for the duration of the treatment with ELIGARD ® 7.5 mg.
No increases to above the castrate level occurred in any of the patients. Castrate levels were generally maintained for the duration of treatment with ELIGARD ® 22.5 mg. Once castrate levels were achieved with ELIGARD ® 30 mg, most (86/89) patients remained suppressed throughout the study. Once castrate levels were achieved with ELIGARD ® 45 mg, only one patient (< 1%) experienced a breakthrough, with testosterone levels > 50 ng/dL.
Results of testosterone determinations are dependent on assay methodology. It is advisable to be aware of the type and precision of the assay methodology to make appropriate clinical and therapeutic decisions. Drug/Laboratory Test Interactions: Therapy with leuprolide acetate results in suppression of the pituitary-gonadal system. Results of diagnostic tests of pituitary gonadotropic and gonadal functions conducted during and after leuprolide therapy may be affected.
5.3 Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Hyperglycemia and an increased risk of developing diabetes have been reported in men receiving GnRH agonists. Hyperglycemia may represent development of diabetes mellitus or worsening of glycemic control in patients with diabetes. Monitor blood glucose and/or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) periodically in patients receiving a GnRH agonist and manage with current practice for treatment of hyperglycemia or diabetes.
5.4Cardiovascular Diseases
Increased risk of developing myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death and stroke has been reported in association with use of GnRH agonists in men. The risk appears low based on the reported odds ratios, and should be evaluated carefully along with cardiovascular risk factors when determining a treatment for patients with prostate cancer. Patients receiving a GnRH agonist should be monitored for symptoms and signs suggestive of development of cardiovascular disease and be managed according to current clinical practice.
5.5Effect on QT/QTc Interval
Androgen deprivation therapy may prolong the QT/QTc interval. Providers should consider whether the benefits of androgen deprivation therapy outweigh the potential risks in patients with congenital long QT syndrome, congestive heart failure, frequent electrolyte abnormalities, and in patients taking drugs known to prolong the QT interval. Electrolyte abnormalities should be corrected. Consider periodic monitoring of electrocardiograms and electrolytes.
5.6Embryo-Fetal Toxicity Based
on findings in animal studies and mechanism of action, leuprolide acetate may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. In animal developmental and reproductive studies, major fetal abnormalities were observed after administration of leuprolide acetate throughout gestation in rats. Advise pregnant patients and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to the fetus [see Use in Specific Populations ( 8.1 ), Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.1 )] .
5.7Convulsions
Postmarketing reports of convulsions have been observed in patients on leuprolide acetate therapy. These included patients with a history of seizures, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disorders, central nervous system anomalies or tumors, and in patients on concomitant medications that have been associated with convulsions such as bupropion and SSRIs. Convulsions have also been reported in patients in the absence of any of the conditions mentioned above.
Patients receiving a GnRH agonist who experience convulsion should be managed according to current clinical practice.
Interactions
No pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction studies were conducted with ELIGARD ® .
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
8.1Pregnancy Risk Summary Based
on findings in animal studies and mechanism of action, ELIGARD ® may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.1 )] . There are no available data in pregnant women to inform the drug-associated risk. Expected hormonal changes that occur with ELIGARD ® treatment increase the risk for pregnancy loss. In animal developmental and reproductive studies, major fetal abnormalities were observed after administration of leuprolide acetate throughout gestation in rats.
Advise pregnant patients and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to the fetus (see Data) . Animal Data In animal developmental and reproductive studies, major fetal abnormalities were observed after administration of leuprolide acetate throughout gestation. There were increased fetal mortality and decreased fetal weights in rats and rabbits. The effects of fetal mortality are expected consequences of the alterations in hormonal levels brought about by this drug.
Adverse reactions
Most common adverse reactions in clinical studies (incidence ≥ 5%): Malaise, fatigue, hot flashes/sweats, and testicular atrophy. ( 6.1 ) As with other GnRH agonists, other adverse reactions, including decreased bone density and rare cases of pituitary apoplexy have been reported. ( 6.1 , 6.2 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Tolmar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-888-354-4273 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
6.1Clinical Trial Experience
The safety of all ELIGARD ® formulations was evaluated in clinical trials involving patients with advanced prostate cancer. In addition, the safety of ELIGARD ® 7.5 mg was evaluated in 8 surgically castrated males (Table 5). ELIGARD ® , like other GnRH analogs, caused a transient increase in serum testosterone concentrations during the first one to two weeks of treatment. Therefore, potential exacerbations of signs and symptoms of the disease during the first weeks of treatment are of concern in patients with vertebral metastases and/or urinary obstruction or hematuria.
If these conditions are aggravated, it may lead to neurological problems such as weakness and/or paresthesia of the lower limbs or worsening of urinary symptoms [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS ( 5.2 )] . During the clinical trials, injection sites were closely monitored. Refer to Table 4 for a summary of reported injection site events. Table 4. Reported Injection Site Adverse Events ELIGARD ® 7.5 mg 22.5 mg 30 mg 45 mg Study number AGL9904 AGL9909 AGL0001 AGL0205 Number of patients 120 117 90 111 Treatment 1 injection every month up to 6 months 1 injection every 3 months up to 6 months 1 injection every 4 months up to 8 months 1 injection every 6 months up to 12 months Number of injections 716 230 175 217 Transient burning/ stinging 248 (34.6%) injections; 84% reported as mild 50 (21.7%) injections; 86% reported as mild 35 (20%) injections; 100% reported as mild 35 (16%) injections; 91.4% reported as mild 3 Pain (generally brief and mild) 4.3% of injections (18.3% of patients) 3.5% of injections (6.0% of patients) 2.3% of injections 2 (3.3% of patients) 4.6% of injections 4 Erythema (generally brief and mild) 2.6% of injections (12.5% of patients) 0.9% of injections 1 (1.7% of patients) 1.1% of injections (2.2% of patients) - Bruising (mild) 2.5% of injections (11.7% of patients) 1.7% of injections (3.4% of patients) - 2.3% of injections 5 Pruritus 1.4% of injections (9.2% of patients) 0.4% of injections (0.9% of patients) - - Induration 0.4% of injections (2.5% of patients) - - - Ulceration 0.1% of injections (> 0.8% of patients) - - - Erythema was reported following 2 injections of ELIGARD ® 22.5 mg.
One report characterized the erythema as mild and it resolved within 7 days. The other report characterized the erythema as moderate and it resolved within 15 days. Neither patient experienced erythema at multiple injection times. A single event reported as moderate pain resolved within two minutes and all 3 mild pain events resolved within several days following injection of ELIGARD ® 30 mg. Following injection of ELIGARD ® 30 mg, three of the 35 burning/stinging events were reported as moderate.
Transient pain was reported as mild in intensity in nine of ten (90%) events and moderate in intensity in one of ten (10%) events following injection of ELIGARD ® 45 mg. Mild bruising was reported following 5 (2.3%) study injections and moderate bruising was reported following 2 (<1%) study injections of ELIGARD ® 45 mg. These localized adverse events were non-recurrent over time. No patient discontinued therapy due to an injection site adverse event.
The following possibly or probably related systemic adverse events occurred during clinical trials with ELIGARD ® , and were reported in > 2% of patients (Table 5). Often, causality is difficult to assess in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Reactions considered not drug-related are excluded. Table 5. Summary of Possible or Probably Related Systemic Adverse Events Reported by > 2% of Patients Treated with ELIGARD ® ELIGARD ® 7.5 mg 7.5 mg 22.5 mg 30 mg 45 mg Study number AGL9904 AGL9802 AGL9909 AGL0001 AGL0205 Number of patients 120 8 117 90 111 Treatment 1 injection every month up to 6 months 1 injection (surgically castrated patients) 1 injection every 3 months up to 6 months 1 injection every 4 months up to 8 months 1 injection every 6 months up to 12 months Body system Adverse event Number (percent) Body as a whole Malaise and fatigue 21 (17.5%) - 7 (6.0%) 12 (13.3%) 13 (11.7%) Weakness - - - - 4 (3.6%) Nervous system Dizziness 4 (3.3%) - - 4 (4.4%) - Vascular Hot flashes/sweats 68 (56.7%) * 2 (25.0%)* 66 (56.4%) * 66 (73.3%) * 64 (57.7%) * Renal/urinary Urinary frequency - - 3 (2.6%) 2 (2.2%) - Nocturia - - - 2 (2.2%) - Gastrointestinal Nausea - - 4 (3.4%) 2 (2.2%) - Gastroenteritis/colitis 3 (2.5%) - - - - Skin Pruritus - - 3 (2.6%) - - Clamminess - - - 4 (4.4%) * - Night sweats - - - 3 (3.3%) * 3 (2.7%) * Alopecia - - - 2 (2.2%) - Musculoskeletal Arthralgia - - 4 (3.4%) - - Myalgia - - - 2 (2.2%) 5 (4.5%) Pain in limb - - - - 3 (2.7%) Reproductive Testicular atrophy 6 (5.0%) - - 4 (4.4%) * 8 (7.2%) * Gynecomastia - - - 2 (2.2%) * 4 (3.6%) * Testicular pain - - - 2 (2.2%) - Psychiatric Decreased libido - - - 3 (3.3%) * - *Expected pharmacological consequences of testosterone suppression.
In the patient populations studied with ELIGARD ® 7.5 mg, a total of 86 hot flashes/sweats adverse events were reported in 70 patients. Of these, 71 events (83%) were mild; 14 (16%) were moderate; 1 (1%) was severe. In the patient population studied with ELIGARD ® 22.5 mg, a total of 84 hot flashes/sweats adverse events were reported in 66 patients. Of these, 73 events (87%) were mild; 11 (13%) were moderate; none were severe.
In the patient population studied with ELIGARD ® 30 mg, a total of 75 hot flash adverse events were reported in 66 patients. Of these, 57 events (76%) were mild; 16 (21%) were moderate; 2 (3%) were severe. In the patient population studied with ELIGARD ® 45 mg, a total of 89 hot flash adverse events were reported in 64 patients. Of these, 62 events (70%) were mild; 27 (30%) were moderate; none were severe. In addition, the following possibly or probably related systemic adverse events were reported by < 2% of the patients treated with ELIGARD ® in these clinical studies.
Body system Adverse event General Sweating, insomnia, syncope, rigors, weakness, lethargy Gastrointestinal Flatulence, constipation, dyspepsia Hematologic Decreased red blood cell count, hematocrit and hemoglobin Metabolic Weight gain Musculoskeletal Tremor, backache, joint pain, muscle atrophy, limb pain Nervous Disturbance of smell and taste, depression, vertigo Psychiatric Insomnia, depression, loss of libido* Renal/urinary Difficulties with urination, pain on urination, scanty urination, bladder spasm, blood in urine, urinary retention, urinary urgency, incontinence, nocturia, nocturia aggravated Reproductive/ Urogenital Testicular soreness/pain, impotence*, decreased libido*, gynecomastia*, breast soreness/tenderness*, testicular atrophy*, erectile dysfunction, penile disorder*, reduced penis size Skin Alopecia, clamminess, night sweats*, sweating increased* Vascular Hypertension, hypotension * Expected pharmacological consequences of testosterone suppression.
Changes in Bone Density: Decreased bone density has been reported in the medical literature in men who have had orchiectomy or who have been treated with a GnRH agonist analog. It can be anticipated that long periods of medical castration in men will have effects on bone density.
6.2Postmarketing Experience
Pituitary apoplexy-During post-marketing surveillance, rare cases of pituitary apoplexy (a clinical syndrome secondary to infarction of the pituitary gland) have been reported after the administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. In a majority of these cases, a pituitary adenoma was diagnosed with a
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Composition
Active ingredients
LEUPROLIDE ACETATE 30MG
Strengths and forms
The FDA lists each strength of a product separately; these pages share one label.
Prognia shows this product information for reference and learning. It is not treatment advice and can lag behind the official text. Always check the current product information and local protocols before prescribing.
