Varenicline tablets are indicated for use as an aid to smoking-cessation treatment. Varenicline tablets are a nicotinic receptor partial agonist indicated for use as an aid to smoking-cessation treatment. ( 1 and 2.1 )
Contraindications
Varenicline tablets are contraindicated in patients with a known history of serious hypersensitivity reactions or skin reactions to varenicline tablets. History of serious hypersensitivity or skin reactions to varenicline tablets. ( 4 )
Warnings and precautions
Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events: Postmarketing reports of serious or clinically significant neuropsychiatric adverse events have included changes in mood (including depression and mania), psychosis, hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, homicidal ideation, aggression, hostility, agitation, anxiety, and panic, as well as suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide. Observe patients attempting to quit smoking with varenicline tablets for the occurrence of such symptoms and instruct them to discontinue varenicline tablets and contact a healthcare provider if they experience such adverse events.
( 5.1 ) Seizures : New or worsening seizures have been observed in patients taking varenicline tablets. Varenicline tablets should be used cautiously in patients with a history of seizures or other factors that can lower the seizure threshold. ( 5.2 ) Interaction with Alcohol : Increased effects of alcohol have been reported. Instruct patients to reduce the amount of alcohol they consume until they know whether varenicline tablets affects them.
( 5.3 ) Accidental Injury : Accidental injuries (e.g., traffic accidents) have been reported. Instruct patients to use caution driving or operating machinery until they know how varenicline tablets may affect them. ( 5.4 ) Cardiovascular Events : Patients with underlying cardiovascular (CV) disease may be at increased risk of CV events; however, these concerns must be balanced with the health benefits of smoking cessation.
Instruct patients to notify their healthcare providers of new or worsening CV symptoms and to seek immediate medical attention if they experience signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke. ( 5.5 and 6.1 ) Somnambulism : Cases of somnambulism have been reported in patients taking varenicline. Some cases described harmful behavior to self, others, or property. Instruct patients to discontinue varenicline tablets and notify their healthcare provider if they experience somnambulism.
( 5.6 and 6.2 ) Angioedema and Hypersensitivity Reactions : Such reactions, including angioedema, infrequently life-threatening, have been reported. Instruct patients to discontinue varenicline tablets and immediately seek medical care if symptoms occur. ( 5.7 and 6.2 ) Serious Skin Reactions : Rare, potentially life-threatening skin reactions have been reported. Instruct patients to discontinue varenicline tablets and contact a healthcare provider immediately at first appearance of skin rash with mucosal lesions.
( 5.8 and 6.2 ) Nausea : Nausea is the most common adverse reaction (up to 30% incidence rate). Dose reduction may be helpful. ( 5.9 )
5.1Neuropsychiatric Adverse
Events including Suicidality Serious neuropsychiatric adverse events have been reported in patients being treated with varenicline tablets [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) ] . These postmarketing reports have included changes in mood (including depression and mania), psychosis, hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, homicidal ideation, aggression, hostility, agitation, anxiety, and panic, as well as suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide.
Some patients who stopped smoking may have been experiencing symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, including depressed mood. Depression, rarely including suicidal ideation, has been reported in smokers undergoing a smoking-cessation attempt without medication. However, some of these adverse events occurred in patients taking varenicline tablets who continued to smoke. Neuropsychiatric adverse events occurred in patients without and with pre-existing psychiatric disease; some patients experienced worsening of their psychiatric illnesses.
Some neuropsychiatric adverse events, including unusual and sometimes aggressive behavior directed to oneself or others, may have been worsened by concomitant use of alcohol [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) , Adverse Reactions (6.2) ]. Observe patients for the occurrence of neuropsychiatric adverse events. Advise patients and caregivers that the patient should stop taking varenicline tablets and contact a healthcare provider immediately if agitation, depressed mood, or changes in behavior or thinking that are not typical for the patient are observed, or if the patient develops suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior.
The healthcare provider should evaluate the severity of the symptoms and the extent to which the patient is benefiting from treatment, and consider options including dose reduction, continued treatment under closer monitoring, or discontinuing treatment. In many postmarketing cases, resolution of symptoms after discontinuation of varenicline tablets was reported. However, the symptoms persisted in some cases; therefore, ongoing monitoring and supportive care should be provided until symptoms resolve.
The neuropsychiatric safety of varenicline tablets was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, active and placebo-controlled study that included patients without a history of psychiatric disorder (non-psychiatric cohort, N=3912) and patients with a history of psychiatric disorder (psychiatric cohort, N=4003). In the non-psychiatric cohort, varenicline tablets was not associated with an increased incidence of clinically significant neuropsychiatric adverse events in a composite endpoint comprising anxiety, depression, feeling abnormal, hostility, agitation, aggression, delusions, hallucinations, homicidal ideation, mania, panic, and irritability.
In the psychiatric cohort, there were more events reported in each treatment group compared to the non-psychiatric cohort, and the incidence of events in the composite endpoint was higher for each of the active treatments compared to placebo: Risk Differences (RDs) (95%CI) vs. placebo were 2.7% (-0.05, 5.4) for varenicline, 2.2% (-0.5, 4.9) for bupropion, and 0.4% (-2.2, 3.0) for transdermal nicotine. In the non-psychiatric cohort, neuropsychiatric adverse events of a serious nature were reported in 0.1% of varenicline-treated patients and 0.4% of placebo-treated patients.
In the psychiatric cohort, neuropsychiatric events of a serious nature were reported in 0.6% of varenicline-treated patients, with 0.5% involving psychiatric hospitalization. In placebo-treated patients, serious neuropsychiatric events occurred in 0.6%, with 0.2% requiring psychiatric hospitalization [see Clinical Studies (14.10) ] .
5.2Seizures
During clinical trials and the postmarketing experience, there have been reports of seizures in patients treated with varenicline tablets. Some patients had no history of seizures, whereas others had a history of seizure disorder that was remote or well-controlled. In most cases, the seizure occurred within the first month of therapy. Weigh this potential risk against the potential benefits before prescribing varenicline tablets in patients with a history of seizures or other factors that can lower the seizure threshold.
Advise patients to discontinue varenicline tablets and contact a healthcare provider immediately if they experience a seizure while on treatment [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) ].
5.3Interaction with Alcohol
There have been postmarketing reports of patients experiencing increased intoxicating effects of alcohol while taking varenicline tablets. Some cases described unusual and sometimes aggressive behavior, and were often accompanied by amnesia for the events. Advise patients to reduce the amount of alcohol they consume while taking varenicline tablets until they know whether varenicline tablets affects their tolerance for alcohol [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) ].
5.4Accidental Injury
There have been postmarketing reports of traffic accidents, near-miss incidents in traffic, or other accidental injuries in patients taking varenicline tablets. In some cases, the patients reported somnolence, dizziness, loss of consciousness or difficulty concentrating that resulted in impairment, or concern about potential impairment, in driving or operating machiner
Our copy of this section ends here. The full text is in the official label at the FDA. Open Drugs@FDA
Interactions
Based on varenicline characteristics and clinical experience to date, varenicline tablets has no clinically meaningful pharmacokinetic drug interactions [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. Other Smoking-Cessation Therapies: Safety and efficacy in combination with other smoking-cessation therapies has not been established. Coadministration of varenicline and transdermal nicotine resulted in a high rate of discontinuation due to adverse events.
( 7.1 ) Effect of Smoking Cessation on Other Drugs: Pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of certain drugs (e.g., theophylline, warfarin, insulin) may be altered, necessitating dose adjustment. ( 7.2 )
7.1Use with Other Drugs for Smoking Cessation Safety
and efficacy of varenicline tablets in combination with other smoking cessation therapies have not been studied. Bupropion Varenicline (1 mg twice daily) did not alter the steady-state pharmacokinetics of bupropion (150 mg twice daily) in 46 smokers. The safety of the combination of bupropion and varenicline has not been established. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) Although co-administration of varenicline (1 mg twice daily) and transdermal nicotine (21 mg/day) for up to 12 days did not affect nicotine pharmacokinetics, the incidence of nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, dyspepsia, and fatigue was greater for the combination than for NRT alone.
In this study, eight of twenty-two (36%) patients treated with the combination of varenicline and NRT prematurely discontinued treatment due to adverse events, compared to 1 of 17 (6%) of patients treated with NRT and placebo.
7.2Effect of Smoking Cessation on Other Drugs
Physiological changes resulting from smoking cessation, with or without treatment with varenicline tablets, may alter the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of certain drugs (e.g., theophylline, warfarin, insulin) for which dosage adjustment may be necessary.
Adverse reactions
The following serious adverse reactions were reported in postmarketing experience and are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the labeling: Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events including Suicidality [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Seizures [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Interaction with Alcohol [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Accidental Injury [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Cardiovascular Events [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Somnambulism [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Angioedema and Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Serious Skin Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] In the placebo-controlled premarketing studies, the most common adverse events associated with varenicline tablets (>5% and twice the rate seen in placebo-treated patients) were nausea, abnormal (vivid, unusual, or strange) dreams, constipation, flatulence, and vomiting.
The treatment discontinuation rate due to adverse events in patients dosed with 1 mg twice daily was 12% for varenicline tablets, compared to 10% for placebo in studies of three months’ treatment. In this group, the discontinuation rates that are higher than placebo for the most common adverse events in varenicline-treated patients were as follows: nausea (3% vs. 0.5% for placebo), insomnia (1.2% vs. 1.1% for placebo), and abnormal dreams (0.3% vs. 0.2% for placebo).
Smoking cessation, with or without treatment, is associated with nicotine withdrawal symptoms and has also been associated with the exacerbation of underlying psychiatric illness. Most common adverse reactions (>5% and twice the rate seen in placebo-treated patients) were nausea, abnormal (e.g., vivid, unusual, or strange) dreams, constipation, flatulence, and vomiting. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Umedica Laboratories at 1-855-288-5777 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
6.1Clinical Trials Experience
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, the adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical studies 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. During the premarketing development of varenicline tablets, over 4500 subjects were exposed to varenicline tablets, 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. The most common adverse event associated with varenicline tablets treatment is nausea, occurring in 30% of patients treated at the recommended dose, compared with 10% in patients taking a comparable placebo regimen [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ]. Table 1 shows the adverse events for varenicline tablets and placebo in the 12-week fixed dose premarketing studies with titration in the first week [Studies 2 (titrated arm only), 4, and 5].
Adverse events were categorized using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA, Version 7.1). MedDRA High Level Group Terms (HLGT) reported in ≥5% of patients in the varenicline tablets 1 mg twice daily dose group, and more commonly than in the placebo group, are listed, along with subordinate Preferred Terms (PT) reported in ≥1% of varenicline tablets 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 1. Common Treatment Emergent AEs (%) in the Fixed-Dose, Placebo Controlled Studies (HLGTs ≥ 5% of Patients in the 1 mg BID Varenicline tablets Group and More Commonly than Placebo and PT ≥1% in the 1 mg BID Varenicline tablets Group, and 1 mg BID Varenicline tablets at Least 0.5% More than Placebo) SYSTEM ORGAN CLASS High Level Group Term Preferred Term Varenicline tablets 0.5 mg BID N=129 Varenicline tablets 1 mg BID N=821 Placebo N=805 GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) GI Signs and Symptoms Nausea 16 30 10 Abdominal Pain * 5 7 5 Flatulence 9 6 3 Dyspepsia 5 5 3 Vomiting 1 5 2 GI Motility/Defecation Conditions Constipation 5 8 3 Gastroesophageal reflux disease 1 1 0 Salivary Gland Conditions Dry mouth 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 Somnolence 3 3 2 Lethargy 2 1 0 GENERAL DISORDERS General Disorders NEC Fatigue/Malaise/Asthenia 4 7 6 RESPIR/THORACIC/MEDIAST Respiratory Disorders NEC Rhinorrhea 0 1 0 Dyspnea 2 1 1 Upper Respiratory Tract Disorder 7 5 4 SKIN/SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE Epidermal and Dermal Conditions Rash 1 3 2 Pruritis 0 1 1 METABOLISM and NUTRITION Appetite/General Nutrition 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 Abdominal (pain, pain upper, pain lower, discomfort, tenderness, distension) and Stomach discomfort The overall pattern and frequency of adverse events during the longer-term premarketing trials was similar to those described in Table 1, though several of the most common events were reported by a greater proportion of patients with long-term use (e.g., nausea was reported in 40% of patients treated with varenicline tablets 1 mg twice daily 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 varenicline tablets during all premarketing clinical trials and updated based on pooled data from 18 placebo-controlled pre- and postmarketing studies, including approximately 5,000 patients treated with varenicline tablets. Adverse events were categorized using MedDRA, Version 16.0. 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.
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