Aphexda Drug Information

APHEXDA is indicated in combination with filgrastim (G-CSF) to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells to the peripheral blood for collection and subsequent autologous transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma.

Important Dosing Information

Premedicate all patients before each dose of APHEXDA to reduce the risk of hypersensitivity and injection site reactions: Administer diphenhydramine (12.5 mg intravenously or 25 mg to 50 mg orally, or another H1-antihistamine), an H2 blocker (e.g., famotidine), and a leukotriene inhibitor (e.g., montelukast) approximately 30 to 60 minutes before injection of APHEXDA. The addition of an analgesic medication (e.g., acetaminophen) to the premedication regimen is recommended. Dosing is based on actual body weight.

A second dose of APHEXDA can be administered 10 to 14 hours before a third apheresis, if necessary.

Preparation and Administration

Use aseptic technique to prepare and administer APHEXDA: More than one vial may be needed for a full dose. Calculate the dose, the total volume of reconstituted APHEXDA solution required, and number of APHEXDA vials required based on patient's actual body weight. Remove the APHEXDA vial(s) from the refrigerator and allow to reach room temperature at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) for at least 30 minutes.

Alternatively, you can reconstitute each vial with 1 mL of Sterile Water for Injection, USP and 1 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP. Gently swirl and invert for up to 3 minutes slowly until completely dissolved. Inspect the reconstituted solution for discoloration and particulate matter.

The reconstituted solution should appear clear and colorless. Do not use if the reconstituted solution is discolored, is cloudy, or contains visible particulates. If needed, store the reconstituted APHEXDA solution refrigerated at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) or at room temperature at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) for up to 24 hours protected from light.

Withdraw the required injection volume of APHEXDA from the vial(s) into an appropriately sized syringe. Each injection volume should not exceed 2 mL. Divide doses requiring greater than 2 mL into multiple syringes to allow different injection sites.

Administration Administer subcutaneous injection into the abdomen, the back or side of the upper arms, or the thighs. Rotate injection sites. An injection should never be given into scar tissue or areas that are reddened, inflamed, or swollen.

If injecting into the abdomen, avoid a 5 cm diameter circle around the navel. If more than one injection is needed for a single dose of APHEXDA, the injection sites should be at least 2 cm apart from previous injection locations. Discard unused portion of the drug.

Monitor patients for one hour after administration.

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 APHEXDA was evaluated in the GENESIS study based on data from 92 patients with multiple myeloma who received at least one dose of APHEXDA 1.25 mg/kg subcutaneously and filgrastim and 42 patients who received placebo and filgrastim for mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells for collection and apheresis. The premedication regimen changed during the conduct of the trial as evidence of hypersensitivity reactions was noted.

Of the 92 patients who received at least one dose of APHEXDA, 14 patients received the triple-drug premedication regimen and 78 did not receive the triple-drug premedication regimen (either received no premedication or another premedication regimen). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 5.4% of patients receiving APHEXDA in combination with filgrastim. Serious adverse reactions included vomiting, injection site reaction, hypersensitivity reaction, injection site cellulitis, hypokalemia and hypoxia.

One patient did not receive the 5 th dose of filgrastim due to an elevated white blood cell count following administration of APHEXDA. The most common adverse reactions occurring in GENESIS (>20% and at least 2% higher than the filgrastim + placebo arm) were injection site reactions (pain, erythema and pruritus), pruritus, flushing, and back pain. Table 1 summarizes the common adverse reactions in GENESIS.

Table 1: Common Adverse Reactions in Patients with Multiple Myeloma During Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization and Apheresis in GENESIS Adverse reactions that occurred in ≥10% in APHEXDA-treated patients and ≥2% more than placebo-treated patients. 0 Clinically relevant adverse reactions that occurred in the APHEXDA arm only in <10% of patients include dermatitis exfoliative generalized, ear swelling, pyrexia, chills, dizziness, tremor and hypertension.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of APHEXDA. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure: General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions – injection site necrosis, injection site ulcer.

Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on its mechanism of action, APHEXDA can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. There are no available data with APHEXDA use in pregnant women informing the risk of embryo-fetal toxicity. Animal models link dysfunction in CXCR4/SDF-1 signaling to adverse outcomes in mammalian embryo-fetal development and suggest risks to normal placental development (see Data ).

No animal studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of motixafortide on reproduction and fetal development. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriages 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 respectively. Data Animal Data Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with motixafortide to evaluate its effect on reproduction and embryo-fetal development. Disruption of CXCR4/SDF-1 signaling in mice and other models caused increased embryo-fetal lethality, and impairment of vascularization, cardiac anomalies, reduced hematopoiesis, impaired bone marrow myelopoiesis, disorganized neural layers in cerebellum, and reduced neural innervation of limbs.

CXCR4/SDF-1 levels have been shown to play a key role in stimulating trophoblast proliferation and differentiation necessary for appropriate placental growth and function in humans.

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of APHEXDA have not been established in pediatric patients.

APHEXDA is contraindicated in patients with a history of serious hypersensitivity reactions to motixafortide. History of serious hypersensitivity reaction to APHEXDA.