Erlotinib Drug Information

Clinical Trials Safety 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. Safety evaluation of erlotinib tablet is based on more than 1200 cancer patients who received erlotinib tablet as monotherapy, more than 300 patients who received erlotinib tablet 100 or 150 mg plus gemcitabine, and 1228 patients who received erlotinib tablet concurrently with other chemotherapies. The most common adverse reactions with erlotinib tablet are rash and diarrhea usually with onset during the first month of treatment.

The incidences of rash and diarrhea from clinical studies of erlotinib tablet for the treatment of NSCLC and pancreatic cancer were 70% for rash and 42% for diarrhea. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer First-Line Treatment of Patients with EGFR Mutations The most frequent (≥ 30%) adverse reactions in erlotinib tablets-treated patients were diarrhea, asthenia, rash, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In erlotinib tablets-treated patients the median time to onset of rash was 15 days and the median time to onset of diarrhea was 32 days.

The most frequent Grade 3-4 adverse reactions in erlotinib tablets-treated patients were rash and diarrhea. Dose interruptions or reductions due to adverse reactions occurred in 37% of erlotinib tabletstreated patients, and 14.3% of erlotinib tablets-treated patients discontinued therapy due to adverse reactions. In erlotinib tablets-treated patients, the most frequently reported adverse reactions leading to dose modification were rash (13%), diarrhea (10%), and asthenia (3.6%). Common adverse reactions in Study 1,occurring in at least 10% of patients who received erlotinib tablets or chemotherapy and an increase in ≥ 5% in the erlotinib tablets-treated group, are graded by National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0 (NCI-CTCAE v3.0) Grade in Table 1. The median duration of erlotinib tablets treatment was 9.6 months in Study 1. Table 1: Adverse Reactions with an Incidence Rate ≥ 10% and an Increase of ≥ 5% in the erlotinib tablets-Treated Group (Study 1) Erlotinib Tablets N = 84 Chemotherapy † N = 83 Adverse Reaction All Grades % Grades 3-4 % All Grades % Grades 3-4 % Rash ‡ 85 14 5 0 Diarrhea 62 5 21 1 Cough 48 1 40 0 Dyspnea 45 8 30 4 Dry skin 21 1 2 0 Back pain 19 2 5 0 Chest pain 18 1 12 0 Conjunctivitis 18 0 0 0 Mucosal inflammation 18 1 6 0 Pruritus 16 0 1 0 Paronychia 14 0 0 0 Arthralgia 13 1 6 1 Musculoskeletal pain 11 1 1 0 † Platinum-based chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin with gemcitabine or docetaxel). ‡ Rash as a composite term includes rash, acne, folliculitis, erythema, acneiform dermatitis, dermatitis, palmarplantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, exfoliative rash, erythematous rash, rash pruritic, skin toxicity, eczema, follicular rash, skin ulcer.

Hepatic Toxicity: One erlotinib-treated patient experienced fatal hepatic failure and four additional patients experienced grade 3-4 liver test abnormalities in Study 1 . Maintenance Treatment Adverse reactions, regardless of causality, that occurred in at least 3% of patients treated with single-agent erlotinib tablets at 150 mg and at least 3% more often than in the placebo group in the randomized maintenance trial (Study 3) are summarized by NCI-CTCAE v3.0 Grade in Table 2. The most common adverse reactions in patients receiving single-agent erlotinib tablets 150 mg were rash and diarrhea. Grade 3-4 rash and diarrhea occurred in 9% and 2%, respectively, in erlotinib tablets-treated patients. Rash and diarrhea resulted in study discontinuation in 1% and 0.5% of erlotinib tablets-treated patients, respectively.

Dose reduction or interruption for rash and diarrhea was needed in 5% and 3% of patients, respectively. In erlotinib tablets-treated patients the median time to onset of rash was 10 days, and the median time to onset of diarrhea was 15 days. Table 2: NSCLC Maintenance Study: Adverse Reactions Occurring with an Incidence Rate ≥ 10% and an Increase of ≥ 5% in the Single-Agent Erlotinib Tablets Group compared to the Placebo Group (Study 3) Adverse Reaction ERLOTINIB TABLETS N = 433 PLACEBO N = 445 Any Grade % Grade 3% Grade 4% Any Grade % Grade 3% Grade 4% Rash † 60 9 0 9 0 0 Diarrhea 20 2 0 4 0 0 † Rash as a composite term includes: rash, acne, acneiform dermatitis, skin fissures, erythema, papular rash, rash generalized, pruritic rash, skin exfoliation, urticaria, dermatitis, eczema, exfoliative rash, exfoliative dermatitis, furuncle, macular rash, pustular rash, skin hyperpigmentation, skin reaction, skin ulcer.

Liver test abnormalities including ALT elevations were observed at Grade 2 or greater severity in 3% of erlotinib tablets-treated patients and 1% of placebo-treated patients. Grade 2 and above bilirubin elevations were observed in 5% of erlotinib tablets patients and in < 1% in the placebo group . Second/Third Line Treatment Adverse reactions, regardless of causality, that occurred in at least 10% of patients treated with single-agent erlotinib tablets at 150 mg and at least 5% more often than in the placebo group in the randomized trial of patients with NSCLC are summarized by NCI-CTC v2.0 Grade in Table 3. The most common adverse reactions in this patient population were rash and diarrhea. Grade 3-4 rash and diarrhea occurred in 9% and 6%, respectively, in erlotinib tablets -treated patients.

Rash and diarrhea each resulted in study discontinuation in 1% of erlotinib tablets -treated patients. Six percent and 1% of patients needed dose reduction for rash and diarrhea, respectively. The median time to onset of rash was 8 days, and the median time to onset of diarrhea was 12 days.

Table 3: NSCLC 2 nd /3 rd Line Study: Adverse Reactions Occurring with an Incidence Rate ≥ 10% and an Increase of ≥ 5% in the Single-Agent Erlotinib Tablets Group Compared to the Placebo Group (Study 4) Adverse Reaction ERLOTINIB TABLETS 150 mg N = 485 PLACEBO N = 242 Any Grade % Grade 3% Grade 4% Any Grade % Grade 3% Grade 4% Rash † 75 8 < 1 17 0 0 Diarrhea 54 6 < 1 18 < 1 0 Anorexia 52 8 1 38 5 < 1 Fatigue 52 14 4 45 16 4 Dyspnea 41 17 1 35 15 11 Nausea 33 3 1 24 2 0 Infection 24 4 0 15 2 0 Stomatitis 17 < 1 0 3 0 0 Pruritus 13 < 1 0 5 0 0 Dry skin 12 0 0 4 0 0 Conjunctivitis 12 < 1 0 2 < 1 0 Keratoconjunctivitis sicca 12 0 0 3 0 0 † Rash as a composite term includes: rash, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, acne, skin disorder, pigmentation disorder, erythema, skin ulcer, exfoliative dermatitis, papular rash, skin desquamation. Liver function test abnormalities were observed in patients receiving single-agent erlotinib tablet 150 mg. These elevations were mainly transient or associated with liver metastases.

Grade 2 ALT elevations occurred in 4% and< 1% of erlotinib tablets and placebo treated patients, respectively. Grade 3 (>5.0–20.0 x ULN) elevations were not observed in erlotinib tablets-treated patients. Erlotinib tablets dosing should be interrupted or discontinued if changes in liver function are severe.

Pancreatic Cancer - erlotinib tablets Administered Concurrently with Gemcitabine This was a randomized, double–blind, placebo-controlled study of erlotinib tablets (150 mg or 100 mg daily) or placebo plus gemcitabine (1000 mg/m 2 by intravenous infusion) in patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer (Study 5). The safety population comprised 282 patients in the erlotinib group (259 in the 100 mg cohort and 23 in the 150 mg cohort) and 280 patients in the placebo group (256 in the 100 mg cohort and 24 in the 150 mg cohort). Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 10% of patients treated with erlotinib tablet 100 mg plus gemcitabine in the randomized trial of patients with pancreatic cancer (Study 5) were graded according to NCI-CTC v2.0 in Table 4. The most common adverse reactions in pancreatic cancer patients receiving erlotinib tablet 100 mg plus gemcitabine were fatigue, rash, nausea, anorexia and diarrhea. In the erlotinib tablets plus gemcitabine arm, Grade 3-4 rash and diarrhea were each reported in 5% of patients. The median time to onset of rash and diarrhea was 10 days and 15 days, respectively.

Rash and diarrhea each resulted in dose reductions in 2% of patients, and resulted in study discontinuation in up to 1% of patients receiving erlotinib tablet plus gemcitabine. Severe adverse reactions (≥ Grade 3 NCI-CTC) in the erlotinib tablet plus gemcitabine group with incidences < 5% included syncope, arrhythmias, ileus, pancreatitis, hemolytic anemia including microangiopathic hemolytic anemia with thrombocytopenia, myocardial infarction/ischemia, cerebrovascular accidents including cerebral hemorrhage, and renal insufficiency. The 150 mg cohort was associated with a higher rate of certain class-specific adverse reactions including rash and required more frequent dose reduction or interruption.

Table 4: Adverse Reactions Occurring with an Incidence Rate ≥ 10% and an Increase of ≥ 5% in erlotinib tablets-Treated Pancreatic Cancer Patients: 100 mg Cohort (Study 5) Adverse Reaction Erlotinib + Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 IV N = 259 Placebo + Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 IV N = 256 Any Grade% Grade3% Grade4% Any Grade% Grade3% Grade4% Rash † 70 5 0 30 1 0 Diarrhea 48 5 < 1 36 2 0 Decreased weight 39 2 0 29 < 1 0 Infection * 39 13 3 30 9 2 Pyrexia 36 3 0 30 4 0 Stomatitis 22 < 1 0 12 0 0 Depression 19 2 0 14 < 1 0 Cough 16 0 0 11 0 0 Headache 15 < 1 0 10 0 0 * Infections as a composite term include infections with unspecified pathogens as well as bacterial (including chlamydial, rickettsial, mycobacterial and mycoplasmal), parasitic (including helminthic, ectoparasitic and protozoal), viral and fungal infectious disorders. † Rash as a composite term includes: rash, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, pigmentation disorder, acneiform dermatitis, folliculitis, photosensitivity reaction, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, urticaria, erythematous rash, skin disorder, skin ulcer. Ten patients (4%) in the erlotinib/gemcitabine group and three patients (1%) in the placebo/gemcitabine group developed deep venous thrombosis. The overall incidence of grade 3 or 4 thrombotic events, including deep venous thrombosis was 11% for Erlotinib tablets plus gemcitabine and 9% for placebo plus gemcitabine.

The incidences of liver test abnormalities (≥ Grade 2) in Study 5 are provided in Table 5. Table 5: Liver Test Abnormalities in Pancreatic Cancer Patients: 100 mg Cohort (Study 5) E rlotinib + Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 IV N = 259 Placebo + Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 IV N = 256 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Bilirubin 17% 10% < 1% 11% 10% 3% ALT 31% 13% < 1% 22% 9% 0% AST 24% 10% < 1% 19% 9% 0% NSCLC and Pancreatic Indications: Selected Low Frequency Adverse Reactions Gastrointestinal Disorders Cases of gastrointestinal bleeding (including fatalities) have been reported, some associated with concomitant warfarin or NSAID administration . These adverse reactions were reported as peptic ulcer bleeding (gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers), hematemesis, hematochezia, melena and hemorrhage from possible colitis.

Post-Marketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of erlotinib tablets. 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. Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, in combination with statin therapy.

Eye Disorders: ocular inflammation including uveitis.

CYP3A4 Inhibitors Co-administration of erlotinib tablets with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor or a combined CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 inhibitor increased erlotinib exposure. Erlotinib is metabolized primarily by CYP3A4 and to a lesser extent by CYP1A2. Increased erlotinib exposure may increase the risk of exposure-related toxicity . Avoid co-administering erlotinib tablets with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., boceprevir, clarithromycin, conivaptan, indinavir, itraconazole, ketoconazole, lopinavir/ritonavir, nefazodone, nelfinavir, posaconazole, ritonavir, saquinavir, telithromycin, voriconazole, grapefruit or grapefruit juice) or a combined CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 inhibitor (e.g., ciprofloxacin). Reduce the erlotinib tablets dosage when co-administering with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor or a combined CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 inhibitor if co-administration is unavoidable . CYP3A4 Inducers Pre-treatment with a CYP3A4 inducer prior to erlotinib tablets decreased erlotinib exposure . Increase the erlotinib tablets dosage if co-administration with CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampin, rifabutin, rifapentine, phenobarbital and St. John's wort) is unavoidable.

CYP1A2 Inducers and Cigarette Smoking Cigarette smoking decreased erlotinib exposure. Avoid smoking tobacco (CYP1A2 inducer) and avoid concomitant use of erlotinib tablets with moderate CYP1A2 inducers (e.g., teriflunomide, rifampin, or phenytoin). Increase the erlotinib tablets dosage in patients that smoke tobacco or when co-administration with moderate CYP1A2 inducers is unavoidable . Drugs the Increase Gastric pH Co-administration of erlotinib tablets with proton pump inhibitors (e.g., omeprazole) and H-2 receptor antagonists (e.g., ranitidine) decreased erlotinib exposure . For proton pump inhibitors, avoid concomitant use if possible. For H-2 receptor antagonists and antacids, modify the dosing schedule.

Increasing the dose of erlotinib when co-administered with gastric PH elevating agents is not likely to compensate for the loss of exposure. Anticoagulants Interaction with coumarin-derived anticoagulants, including warfarin, leading to increased International Normalized Ratio (INR) and bleeding adverse reactions, which in some cases were fatal, have been reported in patients receiving erlotinib tablets. Regularly monitor prothrombin time or INR in patients taking coumarin-derived anticoagulants.

Dose modifications of erlotinib tablets are not recommended . CYP3A4 inhibitors or a combined CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 inhibitor increase erlotinib plasma concentrations. Avoid concomitant use. If not possible, reduce erlotinib dose.

CYP3A4 inducers decrease erlotinib plasma concentrations. Avoid concomitant use. If not possible, increase erlotinib dose.

Cigarette smoking and CYP1A2 inducers decrease erlotinib plasma concentrations. Avoid concomitant use. If not possible, increase erlotinib dose.

Drugs that increase gastric pH decrease erlotinib plasma concentrations. For proton pump inhibitors avoid concomitant use if possible. For H-2 receptor antagonists, take erlotinib 10 hours after H-2 receptor antagonist dosing.

For use with antacids, separate dosing by several hours.

Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on animal data and its mechanism of action, erlotinib tablets can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Limited available data on use of erlotinib tablets in pregnant women are not sufficient to inform a risk of major birth defects or miscarriage. When given during organogenesis, erlotinib administration resulted in embryo-fetal lethality and abortion in rabbits at exposures approximately 3 times the exposure at the recommended human daily dose of 150 mg.

Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively. Data Animal Data Erlotinib has been shown to cause maternal toxicity resulting in embryo-fetal lethality and abortion in rabbits when given during the period of organogenesis at doses that result in plasma drug concentrations approximately 3 times those achieved at the recommended dose in humans (AUCs at 150 mg daily dose). During the same period, there was no increase in the incidence of embryo-fetal lethality or abortion in rabbits or rats at doses resulting in exposures approximately equal to those in humans at the recommended daily dose.

In an independent fertility study female rats treated with 30 mg/m 2 /day or 60 mg/m 2 /day (0.3 or 0.7 times the recommended daily dose, on a mg/m 2 basis) of erlotinib had an increase in early resorptions that resulted in a decrease in the number of live fetuses. No teratogenic effects were observed in rabbits or rats dosed with erlotinib during organogenesis at doses up to 600 mg/m 2 /day in the rabbit (3 times the plasma drug concentration seen in humans at 150 mg/day) and up to 60 mg/m 2 /day in the rat (0.7 times the recommended dose of 150 mg/day on a mg/m 2 basis).

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of erlotinib tablets in pediatric patients have not been established. In an open-label, multicenter trial, 25 pediatric patients (median age 14 years, range 3-20 years) with recurrent or refractory ependymoma were randomized (1:1) to erlotinib tablets or etoposide. Thirteen patients received erlotinib tablets at a dose of 85 mg/m 2 /day orally until disease progression, death, patient request, investigator decision to discontinue study drug, or intolerable toxicity.

Four patients randomized to etoposide also received erlotinib tablets following disease progression. The trial was terminated prematurely for lack of efficacy; there were no objective responses observed in these 17 erlotinib tablets -treated patients. No new adverse events were identified in the pediatric population.

Based on the population pharmacokinetics analysis conducted in 105 pediatric patients (2 to 21 years old) with cancer, the geometric mean estimates of CL/F/BSA (apparent clearance normalized to body surface area) were comparable across the three age groups: 2-6 years (n = 29), 7-16 years (n = 59), and 17-21 years (n = 17).

Withhold erlotinib tablets in patients with an overdose or suspected overdose and institute symptomatic treatment.