Cleviprex Drug Information

Cleviprex is indicated for the reduction of blood pressure when oral therapy is not feasible or not desirable. Cleviprex is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker indicated for the reduction of blood pressure when oral therapy is not feasible or not desirable.

Clinical Trials Experience Cleviprex clinical development included 19 studies, with 99 healthy

subjects and 1307 hypertensive patients who received at least one dose of clevidipine (1406 total exposures). Clevidipine was evaluated in 15 studies in hypertensive patients: 1099 patients with perioperative hypertension, 126 with severe hypertension and 82 patients with essential hypertension. The desired therapeutic response was achieved at doses of 4-6 mg/hour. Cleviprex was infused for <24 hours in the majority of patients (n=1199); it was infused as a continuous infusion in an additional 93 patients for durations between 24 and 72 hours.

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. Perioperative Hypertension The placebo-controlled experience with Cleviprex in the perioperative setting was both small and brief (about 30 minutes). Table 2 shows treatment-emergent adverse reactions and the category of “any common adverse event” in ESCAPE-1 and ESCAPE-2 where the rate on Cleviprex exceeded the rate on placebo by at least 5% (common adverse reactions). Table 2. Common adverse reactions in placebo-controlled perioperative studies. ESCAPE-1 ESCAPE-2 CLV N=53(%) PBO N=51(%) CLV N=61(%) PBO N=49(%) Any common adverse event 27 (51%) 21 (41%) 32 (53%) 24 (49%) Acute renal failure 5 (9%) 1 (2%) -- -- Atrial fibrillation -- -- 13 (21%) 6 (12%) Nausea -- -- 13 (21%) 6 (12%) Three randomized, parallel, open-label studies called ECLIPSE, with longer exposure in cardiac surgery patients define the adverse reactions for patients with perioperative hypertension.

Each ECLIPSE study compared Cleviprex (n=752) to an active comparator: nitroglycerin (NTG, n=278), sodium nitroprusside (SNP, n=283), or nicardipine (NIC, n=193). The pooled mean maximum dose in these studies was 10 mg/hour and the mean duration of treatment was 8 hours. There were many adverse events associated with the operative procedure in the clinical studies of Cleviprex and relatively few plausibly related to the drugs used to lower blood pressure. Thus, the ability to differentiate the adverse event profile between treatments is limited.

The adverse events observed within one hour of the end of the infusion were similar in patients who received Cleviprex and in those who received comparator agents. There was no adverse reaction that was more than 2% more common on Cleviprex than on the average of all comparators. Serious Adverse Events and Discontinuation – Perioperative Hypertension Studies The incidence of adverse events leading to study drug discontinuation in patients with perioperative hypertension receiving Cleviprex was 5.9% versus 3.2% for all active comparators.

For patients receiving Cleviprex and all active comparators the incidence of serious adverse events within one hour of drug infusion discontinuation was similar. Severe Hypertension The adverse events for patients with severe hypertension are based on an uncontrolled study in patients with severe hypertension (VELOCITY, n=126). The common adverse reactions for Cleviprex in severe hypertension included headache (6.3%), nausea (4.8%), and vomiting (3.2%). The incidence of adverse events leading to study drug discontinuation for Cleviprex in severe hypertension was 4.8%. Less Common Adverse Reactions in Patients with Severe or Essential Hypertension Adverse reactions that were reported in <1% of patients with severe or essential hypertension included: Cardiac: myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest Nervous system: syncope Respiratory: dyspnea

Post-Marketing and Other Clinical Experience

Because adverse reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or to establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of Cleviprex: increased blood triglycerides, ileus, hypersensitivity, hypotension, nausea, decreased oxygen saturation (possible pulmonary shunting) and reflex tachycardia.

No clinical drug interaction studies were conducted. Clevidipine and its major dihydropyridine metabolite do not have the potential for blocking or inducing any CYP enzyme. At clinically relevant concentrations, clevidipine and its metabolites do not inhibit or induce any CYP450 enzymes.

The potential of clevidipine to interact with other drugs is low.

Pregnancy Pregnancy Category C There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of Cleviprex use in pregnant women. In animal studies, clevidipine caused increases in maternal and fetal mortality and length of gestation. Cleviprex should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

There was decreased fetal survival when pregnant rats and rabbits were treated with clevidipine during organogenesis at doses 0.7 times (on a body surface area basis) the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) in rats and 2 times the MRHD in rabbits. In pregnant rats dosed with clevidipine during late gestation and lactation, there were dose-related increases in maternal mortality, length of gestation and prolonged parturition at doses greater than or equal to 1/6 of the MRHD based on body surface area. When offspring of these dams were mated, they had a conception rate lower than that of controls.

Clevidipine has been shown to cross the placenta in rats .

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of Cleviprex in children under 18 years of age have not been established.

Known Allergy Cleviprex is contraindicated in patients with allergies to soybeans, soy

products, eggs, or egg products.

Defective Lipid Metabolism Cleviprex is contraindicated in patients with defective lipid metabolism

such as pathologic hyperlipemia, lipoid nephrosis, or acute pancreatitis if it is accompanied by hyperlipidemia.

Severe Aortic Stenosis Cleviprex is contraindicated in patients with severe aortic stenosis

because afterload reduction can be expected to reduce myocardial oxygen delivery.

There has been no experience of overdosage in human clinical trials. In clinical trials, doses of Cleviprex up to 106 mg/hour or 1153 mg maximum total dose were administered. The expected major effects of overdose would be hypotension and reflex tachycardia.

Discontinuation of Cleviprex leads to a reduction in antihypertensive effects within 5 to 15 minutes . In case of suspected overdosage, Cleviprex should be discontinued immediately and the patient’s blood pressure should be supported.