Gemcitabine Intravesical
FDA Drug Information • Also known as: Inlexzo
- Brand Names
- Inlexzo
- Drug Class
- Nucleoside Metabolic Inhibitor [EPC]
- Route
- INTRAVESICAL
- Dosage Form
- SYSTEM
- Product Type
- HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG
Description
11 DESCRIPTION INLEXZO contains gemcitabine hydrochloride, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor. Gemcitabine hydrochloride is 2'-deoxy-2',2'- difluorocytidine monohydrochloride (β-isomer) with a molecular formula of C9H11F2N3O4 ∙ HCl, and a molecular weight of 299.66. The structural formula is: INLEXZO is a sterile, non-resorbable intravesical system containing the equivalent of 225 mg gemcitabine (present as 256.3 mg of gemcitabine hydrochloride). Gemcitabine Intravesical System INLEXZO is a bi-oval-shaped tube containing an almost white to light pink-brown colored gemcitabine component at the center surrounded on each side by off white to light blue-colored osmotic components. The gemcitabine component contains 225 mg of gemcitabine and the following inactive ingredients: polyethylene glycol 8000 (8.0 mg), povidone K30 (13.4 mg), and urea (42.6 mg). The osmotic components contain the following inactive ingredients: FD&C Blue No.1 (0.0042 mg), polyethylene oxide 600,000 (72.0 mg), and urea (648.0 mg). The silicone tube contains two lumens, the larger one containing the drug components and silicone spacers, and the smaller one containing a superelastic nitinol wire in a predefined shape (wireform). Both lumens are capped with a silicone adhesive. The lumen containing the gemcitabine and osmotic components has a single delivery orifice. INLEXZO's coiled dimensions are approximately 5.5 cm wide × 4.5 cm high. Urinary Catheter and Stylet INLEXZO is co-packaged with a sterile urinary catheter and a sterile stylet, required for transurethral insertion into the bladder. The urinary catheter and stylet are made of thermoplastic elastomer and polyethene, and consist of the following components: A semi-transparent urinary catheter, with a rounded blunt distal tip that includes a coudé tip, a product exit port near the distal tip, and a lumen which extends from the exit port to an open proximal end. The outer diameter of the urinary catheter is 5.82 mm (17.5 Fr). Printed depth...
What Is Gemcitabine Intravesical Used For?
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE INLEXZO is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS), with or without papillary tumors. INLEXZO is a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor-containing intravesical system, indicated for the treatment of adult patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors. ( 1 )
Dosage and Administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION For Intravesical Administration Only Insert INLEXZO (225 mg of gemcitabine) into the bladder once every 3 weeks up to 6 months (8 doses), followed by once every 12 weeks (6 doses). ( 2.2 ) Insert into the bladder using the co-packaged urinary catheter and stylet only. ( 2.1 ) Remove INLEXZO after each 3-week indwelling period. ( 2.2 ) See Full Prescribing Information and Instructions for Use for insertion and removal procedures. ( 2.3 ) 2.1 Important Administration Instructions Administer INLEXZO intravesically only. Do NOT administer by any other route. INLEXZO is co-packaged with a urinary catheter and stylet used to insert INLEXZO through the urinary catheter into the bladder. Administer using the co-packaged urinary catheter and stylet only. INLEXZO should be inserted and removed by a trained healthcare provider. Healthcare providers should become thoroughly familiar with the insertion and removal instructions before attempting insertion or removal of INLEXZO. Prophylactic antibiotics may be used at the discretion of the treating healthcare provider with each INLEXZO insertion and removal. 2.2 Recommended Dosage Insert INLEXZO (225 mg of gemcitabine) into the bladder once every 3 weeks for up to 6 months (8 doses), followed by once every 12 weeks for up to 18 months (6 doses), or until persistent or recurrent NMIBC, disease progression, or unacceptable toxicity. Remove INLEXZO after each 3-week indwelling period. Missed Dose If a dose is missed, it should be administered as closely as possible to the original treatment schedule. 2.3 Preparation and Intravesical Administration See the Instructions for Use enclosed in the carton for complete information on preparation, intravesical administration, and removal of INLEXZO. INLEXZO is a hazardous drug. Follow applicable special handling and disposal procedures while handling INLEXZO and during the insertion and removal procedure. 1 Instruct patients to drink approximately 1500 mL of fluids per day during therapy with INLEXZO to ensure adequate urine production for drug release. Instruct patients not to empty the bladder immediately prior to the insertion procedure. Presence of urine in the bladder can facilitate deployment of INLEXZO. Patients can resume micturition after the insertion procedure. During indwelling period of approximately 3 weeks, advise patients to avoid urine contact with skin, to void urine sitting on a toilet, to wash hands with soap and water and to wash their genital area with water after each urination, and to flush the toilet after use.
Side Effects (Adverse Reactions)
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common (>15%) adverse reactions, including laboratory abnormalities, are urinary frequency, urinary tract infection, dysuria, micturition urgency, decreased hemoglobin, increased lipase, urinary tract pain, decreased lymphocytes, hematuria, increased creatinine, increased potassium, increased AST, decreased sodium, bladder irritation, and increased ALT. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Janssen Biotech, Inc. at 1-800-526-7736 (1-800-JANSSEN) or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience 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 INLEXZO monotherapy was evaluated in Cohort 2 of SunRISe-1, a multi-center, open-label study in 85 adult patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with CIS, with or without papillary tumors [see Clinical Studies (14.1) ]. Patients received INLEXZO (225 mg of gemcitabine) inserted into the bladder every 3 weeks for 6 months, followed by once every 12 weeks for up to 18 months, or until unacceptable toxicity, disease persistence, recurrence, or progression [see Dosage and Administration (2.2) ] . The median number of doses of INLEXZO administered to patients was 9 (range: 1 to 14) doses. The median duration of exposure to INLEXZO was 41 weeks (range: 1 to 108 weeks). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 24% of patients receiving INLEXZO. Serious adverse reactions that occurred in >2% of patients included urinary tract infection, hematuria, pneumonia, and urinary tract pain. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.2% of patients who received INLEXZO, including cognitive disorder. Permanent discontinuation of INLEXZO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 7% of patients. Adverse reactions which resulted in permanent discontinuation of INLEXZO in >1% of patients included bladder irritation, urinary frequency, cognitive disorder, hydronephrosis, and urinary tract disorder. Dosage interruptions of INLEXZO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 41% of patients. Adverse reactions which required dosage interruption in >3% of patients included urinary tract infection, urinary tract pain, hematuria, urinary frequency, micturition urgency, dysuria, and genital pain. The most common (>15%) adverse reactions, including laboratory abnormalities, were urinary frequency, urinary tract infection, dysuria, micturition urgency, decreased hemoglobin, increased lipase, urinary tract pain, decreased lymphocytes, hematuria, increased creatinine, increased potassium, increased AST, decreased sodium, bladder irritation, and increased ALT. Table 1 summarizes the adverse reactions in SunRISe-1. Table 1: Adverse Reactions Occurring in >15% of Patients in SunRISe-1 Adverse Reaction INLEXZO N=85 All Grades % Grade 3 or 4 % Urinary frequency 48 0 Urinary tract infection Includes other related terms 44 6 Dysuria 42 0 Micturition urgency 34 0 Urinary tract pain 26 7 Hematuria 24 2.4 Bladder irritation 16 0 Other clinically significant adverse reactions (<15%) included fatigue (14%), genital pain (12%), diarrhea (11%), urinary incontinence (9%), urinary retention (7%), and nocturia (4.7%). Table 2: Select Laboratory Abnormalities (>15%) That Worsened from Baseline in Patients Who Received INLEXZO in SunRISe-1 Laboratory Abnormality INLEXZO The denominator used to calculate the rate varied from 82 to 83 based on the number of patients with a baseline value and at least one post-treatment value. All Grades (%) Grade 3 or 4 (%) Hematology Decreased Hemoglobin 31 1.2 Decreased Lymphocytes 24 4.8 Chemistry Increased Lipase 28 12 Increased Creatinine 24 0 Increased Potassium 22 1.2 Increased AST 17 1.2 Decreased Sodium 16 4.8 Increased ALT 16 1.2
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS INLEXZO is contraindicated in patients with: Perforation of the bladder [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . Prior hypersensitivity reactions to gemcitabine or any component of the product. Perforation of the bladder ( 4 , 5.1 ) Prior hypersensitivity reaction to gemcitabine or any component of the product ( 4 )
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on animal data and its mechanism of action, INLEXZO can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman if systemic exposure occurs [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.1) ] . There are no available data on the use of INLEXZO in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk. In animal reproduction studies, systemic administration of gemcitabine was teratogenic, embryotoxic, and fetotoxic in mice and rabbits (see Data ) . Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriages in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2 to 4% and 15 to 20%, respectively. Data Animal Data Gemcitabine is embryotoxic in mice. Daily systemic dosing of gemcitabine to pregnant mice increased the incidence of fetal malformation (cleft palate, incomplete ossification) at doses of 1.5 mg/kg/day. Gemcitabine was embryotoxic and fetotoxic in rabbits. Daily systemic dosing of gemcitabine to pregnant rabbits resulted in fetotoxicity (decreased fetal viability, reduced litter sizes, and developmental delays) and increased the incidence of fetal malformations (fused pulmonary artery, absence of gall bladder) at doses of 0.1 mg/kg/day.
How Supplied
16 HOW SUPPLIED/STORAGE AND HANDLING How Supplied INLEXZO (gemcitabine intravesical system) contains 225 mg gemcitabine. INLEXZO (NDC# 57894-225-01) is available in a carton containing: One sterile single-dose of INLEXZO in two clear laminate sleeves and packaged in an inner pouch. The inner pouch and a desiccant are packaged in an outer foil pouch. The outside surfaces of the inner and outer pouches are not sterile. One sterile urinary catheter and one sterile stylet packaged together in a pouch. Storage Store in the original carton at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F); with excursions permitted between 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature] . Handling INLEXZO is a hazardous drug. Follow applicable special handling and disposal procedures. 1
About This Information
This drug information is sourced from FDA-approved labeling via the openFDA database. It is intended for educational and reference purposes only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about medication. Drug information may be updated by the FDA; check with your pharmacist for the most current information.
What are side effects?
Side effects are unwanted reactions that can occur when taking a medication. They range from mild (headache, nausea) to severe (allergic reactions, organ damage). Not everyone experiences side effects, and severity varies. Report any concerning side effects to your doctor.
What are drug interactions?
Drug interactions occur when a medication is affected by another drug, food, or supplement. Interactions can make medications less effective or cause dangerous side effects. Always tell your doctor about all medications and supplements you take.