Aloprim
Generic name: allopurinol · Brand names: Aloprim
Information sourced from FDA Structured Product Labeling, updated February 18, 2022.
What is it used for?
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE ALOPRIM is indicated for the management of adult and pediatric patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumor malignancies who are receiving cancer therapy which causes elevations of serum and urinary uric acid levels and who cannot tolerate oral therapy. ALOPRIM is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor indicated for the management of adult and pediatric patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumor malignancies who are receiving cancer therapy which causes elevations of serum and urinary uric acid levels and who cannot tolerate oral therapy.
How to take it
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION • Recommended Dosage Adult Patients 200 mg/m 2 /day to 400 mg/m 2 /day Maximum 600 mg/day Pediatric Patients Starting Dose 200 mg/m 2 /day Maximum 400 mg/day • Recommended Dosage in Adult Patients with Renal Impairment ( 2.2 , 5.2 , 8.6 ) Creatinine Clearance Recommended Daily Dose 10 to 20 mL/min 200 mg/day Less than 10 mL/min 100 mg/day On dialysis 50 mg every 12 hours, or 100 mg every 24 hours
Recommended Dosage Initiate
therapy with ALOPRIM 24 to 48 hours before the start of chemotherapy known to cause tumor cell lysis. Additionally, administer fluids sufficient to yield a daily urinary output of at least two liters in adults with a neutral or, preferably, slightly alkaline urine. The recommended daily dose of ALOPRIM is shown in Table 1.
Administer the daily dose as single infusion or in equally divided infusions at 6-, 8-, or 12-hour intervals at a rate appropriate for the volume of infusate. Table 1: Recommended Daily Dose of ALOPRIM Adult Patients 200 mg/m 2 /day to 400 mg/m 2 /day intravenously Maximum 600 mg/day Pediatric Patients Starting Dose 200 mg/m 2 /day intravenously Maximum 400 mg/day The dosage of ALOPRIM to lower serum uric acid to normal or near-normal varies with the severity of the disease. Monitor serum uric acid levels at least daily and administer ALOPRIM at a dose and frequency to maintain the serum uric acid within the normal range.
Discontinue ALOPRIM when the patient is able to take oral therapy or when the risk of tumor lysis has abated.
Dosage Modifications in Patients with Renal Impairment
Reduce the dose of ALOPRIM in patients with impaired renal function . The recommended dosage reductions of ALOPRIM in adult patients with renal impairment are shown in Table 2. Table 2: Recommended Daily Dose of ALOPRIM in Adult Patients with Renal Impairment Creatinine Clearance Recommended Daily Dose 10 to 20 mL/min 200 mg/day Less than 10 mL/min 100 mg/day On dialysis 50 mg every 12 hours, or 100 mg every 24 hours Treatment with ALOPRIM has not been studied in pediatric patients with severe renal impairment or on dialysis. For pediatric patients with severe renal impairment or on dialysis, consider the risks and potential benefits before initiating treatment with ALOPRIM .
Preparation Instructions Reconstitue and
further dilute ALOPRIM prior to intravenous infusion. Reconstitution • Reconstitute each vial of ALOPRIM with 25 mL of Sterile Water for Injection, USP to obtain a concentration of 20 mg/mL of allopurinol. • Inspect the reconstituted solution for discoloration and particulate matter. The reconstituted solution should appear as a clear, almost colorless solution with no more than a slight opalescence.
Do not use if the reconstituted solution contains particulate matter or discoloration is present. Dilution • Dilute with 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose for Injection, USP to obtain a final concentration of less than 6 mg/mL. • Inspect the diluted solution for particulate matter or discoloration and discard if present. • If not used immediately, the diluted ALOPRIM solution can be stored at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) for up to 10 hours after initial reconstitution. The storage includes time for infusion.
Do not refrigerate the reconstituted and/or diluted product. • If stored, the administration should be completed within 10 hours after reconstitution. • Discard unused portion.
Administration Instructions Do
not mix ALOPRIM with or administer it through the same intravenous port as agents which are incompatible in solution with ALOPRIM. The following table lists drugs that are known to be physically incompatible in solution with ALOPRIM. Table 3: Drugs That Are Physically Incompatible in Solution with ALOPRIM Amikacin sulfate Hydroxyzine HCl Amphotericin B Idarubicin HCl Carmustine Imipenem-cilastatin sodium Cefotaxime sodium Mechlorethamine HCl Chlorpromazine HCl Meperidine HCl Cimetidine HCl Metoclopramide HCl Clindamycin phosphate Methylprednisolone sodium succinate Cytarabine Minocycline HCl Dacarbazine Nalbuphine HCl Daunorubicin HCl Ondansetron HCl Diphenhydramine HCl Prochlorperazine edisylate Doxorubicin HCl Promethazine HCl Doxycycline hyclate Sodium bicarbonate Droperidol Streptozocin Floxuridine Tobramycin sulfate Gentamicin sulfate Vinorelbine tartrate Haloperidol lactate
Warnings
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS • Skin Rash and Hypersensitivity: Discontinue ALOPRIM at the first appearance of skin rash or other signs which may indicate a hypersensitivity reaction. Allopurinol has been associated with serious and sometimes fatal dermatologic reactions. • Renal Function Impairment: Patients with decreased renal function require lower doses of allopurinol. • Hepatotoxicity: If signs and symptoms of hepatotoxicity develop, liver function evaluation should be performed. • Myelosuppression: Bone marrow suppression has been reported with allopurinol. • Drowsiness: Drowsiness has been reported in patients taking ALOPRIM.
Skin Rash and Hypersensitivity Serious and
sometimes fatal dermatologic reactions, including toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) have been reported in patients taking allopurinol . These reactions occur in approximately 5 in 10,000 (0.05%) patients taking allopurinol. Other serious hypersensitivity reactions that have been reported include exfoliative, urticarial and purpuric lesions; generalized vasculitis; and irreversible hepatotoxicity. Discontinue ALOPRIM at the first appearance of skin rash or other signs which may indicate a hypersensitivity reaction.
The HLA-B*58:01 allele is a genetic marker for severe skin reactions indicative of hypersensitivity to allopurinol. Patients who carry the HLA-B*58:01 allele are at a higher risk of allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome (AHS), but hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in patients who do not carry this allele. The frequency of this allele is higher in individuals of African, Asian (e.g., Han Chinese, Korean, Thai), and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ancestry . The use of ALOPRIM is not recommended in HLA-B*58:01 positive patients unless the benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
Prior to starting ALOPRIM, consider testing for the HLA-B*58:01 allele in genetically at-risk populations. Screening is generally not recommended in patients from populations in which the prevalence of HLA-B*58:01 is low, or in current allopurinol users, as the risk of SJS/TEN/DRESS is largely confined to the first few months of therapy, regardless of HLA-B*58:01 status. Hypersensitivity reactions to ALOPRIM may be increased in patients with decreased renal function receiving thiazide diuretics and ALOPRIM concurrently.
In addition, concomitant use of the following drugs may increase the risk of skin rash, which may be severe: bendamustine, thiazide diuretics, ampicillin and amoxicillin . Patients should stop ALOPRIM and seek medical attention if they develop a rash.
Renal Function Impairment Treatment with
ALOPRIM may result in renal impairment due to formation of xanthine calculi or due to precipitation of urates in patients receiving concomitant uricosuric agents. Patients with pre-existing renal disease, including renal impairment or history of kidney stones, may be at increased risk for worsening renal impairment due to xanthine calculi or precipitation of urates while receiving treatment with ALOPRIM. Monitor serum creatinine at least daily during the early stages of allopurinol administration. Maintain fluid intake sufficient to yield a urinary output of at least 2 liters per day in adults.
In patients with severely impaired renal function or increase in uric acid concentration associated with decreased urate clearance, reduce the dosage of ALOPRIM .
Hepatotoxicity Cases of
reversible clinical hepatotoxicity have been noted in patients taking oral allopurinol. In some patients, asymptomatic rises in serum alkaline phosphatase or serum transaminase have been observed. If anorexia, weight loss, or pruritus develop in patients on allopurinol, evaluate liver enzymes.
In patients with pre-existing liver disease, monitor liver enzymes periodically during the early stages of therapy. Discontinue ALOPRIM in patients with elevated liver enzymes.
Myelosuppression Myelosuppression,
manifested by anemia, leukopenia or thrombocytopenia, has been reported in patients receiving allopurinol . The cytopenias have occurred from as early as 6 weeks to as late as 6 years after the initiation of allopurinol therapy. Discontinue use of ALOPRIM in patients with unexplained cytopenias. Concomitant use with allopurinol with cytotoxic drugs associated with myelosuppression may increase the risk of myelosuppression.
Monitor blood counts more frequently . Concomitant use with allopurinol increases the exposure of either mercaptopurine or azathioprine which may increase the risk of myelosuppression. Reduce the dosage of mercaptopurine or azathioprine as recommended in the respective prescribing information when used concomitantly with ALOPRIM. .
Drowsiness Drowsiness
has been reported in patients taking ALOPRIM . Advise patients to avoid operation of automobiles or other dangerous machinery and activities made hazardous by decreased alertness when starting ALOPRIM or increasing the dose until they know how the drug affects them. Advise patients that the central nervous system depressant effects of ALOPRIM may be additive to those of alcohol and other CNS depressants.
Who should not take it
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS ALOPRIM is contraindicated in patients with a history of severe reaction to any formulation of allopurinol. Known hypersensitivity to allopurinol.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on
findings in animals, ALOPRIM may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Adverse developmental outcomes have been described in exposed animals . Allopurinol and its metabolite oxypurinol have been shown to cross the placenta following administration of maternal allopurinol. Available limited published data on allopurinol use in pregnant women do not demonstrate a clear pattern or increase in frequency of adverse developmental outcomes.
Among approximately 50 pregnancies described in published literature, 2 infants with major congenital malformations have been reported with following maternal allopurinol exposure. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes.
The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. Data Animal Data There was no evidence of fetotoxicity or teratogenicity in rats or rabbits treated during the period of organogenesis with oral allopurinol at doses up to 200 mg/kg/day and up to 100 mg/kg/day, respectively (about three times the human dose on a mg/m 2 basis).
However, there is a published report in pregnant mice that single intraperitoneal doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg (about 1/3 or 3/4 the human dose on a mg/m 2 basis) of allopurinol on gestation days 10 or 13 produced significant increases in fetal deaths and teratogenic effects (cleft palate, harelip, and digital defects). It is uncertain whether these findings represented a fetal effect or an effect secondary to maternal toxicity. In another published study with no reported maternal toxicity, allopurinol administered orally at 15 or 45 mg/kg to pregnant rats during organogenesis caused embryonic resorptions, growth retardation, decreased fetal weight, and skeletal, liver, kidney, and brain abnormalities.
In rats, maternal treatment with allopurinol in normoxic pregnancy has been shown to increase the cardiac protein levels of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2 (SERCA2a) in the adult male offspring. The mechanism underlying this effect is not understood. However, this effect was not matched by an increase in left ventricular end diastolic pressure or sympathetic dominance in hearts of adult male offspring of normoxic pregnancy treated with allopurinol.
Side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: • Skin Rash and Hypersensitivity • Renal Function Impairment • Hepatoxicity • Myelosuppression • Drowsiness Most common adverse reactions (incidence > 1%) are skin rash, nausea, vomiting, and renal failure/insufficiency. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Mylan at 1-877-446-3679 (1-877-4-INFO-RX) or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
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 ALOPRIM was evaluated in an uncontrolled compassionate use study of 1,378 patients with advanced malignancies requiring treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy and in patients with other serious conditions. Adverse reactions were reported in 9% (125/1378) of the patients treated with ALOPRIM. The most common adverse reaction was skin rash.
Two patients experience serious adverse reactions (decreased renal function and generalized seizure) and one patient experienced severe diarrhea. Approximately 1.1% of patients experienced allergic adverse reactions (including rash, eosinophilia, local injection site reaction). A listing of the adverse reactions reported from clinical trials follows: Incidence Greater Than 1%: Cutaneous/Dermatologic: rash (1.5%) Genitourinary: renal failure/insufficiency (1.2%) Gastrointestinal: nausea (1.3%), vomiting (1.2%) Incidence Less Than 1%: Body as a Whole: fever, pain, chills, alopecia, infection, sepsis, enlarged abdomen, mucositis/pharyngitis, blast crisis, cellulitis, hypervolemia Cardiovascular: heart failure, cardiorespiratory arrest, hypertension, pulmonary embolus, hypotension, decreased venous pressure, flushing, headache, stroke, septic shock, cardiovascular disorder, ECG abnormality, hemorrhage, bradycardia, thrombophlebitis, ventricular fibrillation Cutaneous/Dermatologic: urticaria, pruritus, local injection site reaction Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, gastrointestinal bleeding, hyperbilirubinemia, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, intestinal obstruction, jaundice, flatulence, constipation, liver failure, proctitis Genitourinary: hematuria, increased creatinine, oliguria, kidney function abnormality, urinary tract infection Hematologic: leukopenia, marrow aplasia, thrombocytopenia, eosinophilia, neutropenia, anemia, pancytopenia, ecchymosis, bone marrow suppression, disseminated intravascular coagulation Metabolic: hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypokalemia, hyperuricemia, electrolyte abnormality, hypercalcemia, hyperglycemia, hypernatremia, hyponatremia, metabolic acidosis, edema, glycosuria, hyperkalemia, lactic acidosis, water intoxication, hypomagnesemia Neurologic: seizure, status epilepticus, myoclonus, twitching, agitation, mental status changes, cerebral infarction, coma, dystonia, paralysis, tremor Pulmonary: respiratory failure/insufficiency, ARDS, increased respiration rate, apnea Musculoskeletal: arthralgia Other: hypotonia, diaphoresis, tumor lysis syndrome
All information on this site is provided “as-is” for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. You should consult with a medical professional if you have any questions about your health. Source: FDA Structured Product Labeling.