Uvadex

UVADEX ® (methoxsalen) Sterile Solution is indicated for extracorporeal administration with the THERAKOS ® CELLEX ® Photopheresis System in the palliative treatment of the skin manifestations of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) that is unresponsive to other forms of treatment.

UVADEX ® (methoxsalen) Sterile Solution is contraindicated in patients exhibiting idiosyncratic or hypersensitivity reactions to methoxsalen, other psoralen compounds or any of the excipients. Patients possessing a specific history of a light sensitive disease state should not initiate methoxsalen therapy. Diseases associated with photosensitivity include lupus erythematosus, porphyria cutanea tarda, erythropoietic protoporphyria, variegate porphyria, xeroderma pigmentosum and albinism.

UVADEX ® Sterile Solution is contraindicated in patients with aphakia, because of the significantly increased risk of retinal damage due to the absence of lenses. Patients should not receive UVADEX ® if they have any contraindications to the photopheresis procedure.

Concomitant Therapy Patients who are receiving concomitant therapy (either topically or systemically) with known photosensitizing agents such as anthralin, coal tar or coal tar derivatives, griseofulvin, phenothiazines, nalidixic acid, halogenated salicylanilides (bacteriostatic soaps), sulfonamides, tetracyclines, thiazides, and certain organic staining dyes such as methylene blue, toluidine blue, rose bengal and methyl orange may be at greater risk for photosensitivity reactions with UVADEX ® .

Carcinogenicity, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility Oral administration of methoxsalen followed by cutaneous UVA exposure (PUVA therapy) is carcinogenic. In a prospective study of 1380 patients given PUVA therapy for psoriasis, 237 patients developed 1422 cutaneous squamous cell cancers. This observed incidence of cutaneous carcinoma is 17.6 times that expected for the general population. Previous cutaneous exposure to tar and UVB treatment, ionizing radiation or arsenic increased the risk of developing skin carcinomas after PUVA therapy.

Because the dose of methoxsalen with UVADEX ® therapy is about 200 times less than with PUVA and the skin is not exposed to high cumulative doses of UVA light, the risk of developing skin cancer following UVADEX ® therapy may be lower. Methoxsalen was carcinogenic in male rats that were given the drug by oral gavage five days per week for 103 weeks at doses of 37.5 and 75 mg/kg. The 37.5 mg/kg dose is about 1900 times greater than a single human methoxsalen dose during extracorporeal photopheresis treatment on a body surface area basis.