Ezetimibe Drug Information

Recommended Dosing

The usual dosage range is 10 mg/10 mg/day to 10 mg/40 mg/day. The recommended usual starting dose is 10 mg/10 mg/day or 10 mg/20 mg/day. Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be taken as a single daily dose in the evening, with or without food.

Patients who require a larger reduction in LDL-C (greater than 55%) may be started at 10 mg/40 mg/day in the absence of moderate to severe renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ). After initiation or titration of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets, lipid levels may be analyzed after 2 or more weeks and dosage adjusted, if needed.

Restricted Dosing for 10 mg/80 mg Due to the increased risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, particularly during the first year of treatment, use of the 10 mg/80 mg dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be restricted to patients who have been taking ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets 10 mg/80 mg chronically (e.g., for 12 months or more) without evidence of muscle toxicity. Patients who are currently tolerating the 10 mg/80 mg dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets who need to be initiated on an interacting drug that is contraindicated or is associated with a dose cap for simvastatin should be switched to an alternative statin or statin-based regimen with less potential for the drug-drug interaction. Due to the increased risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, associated with the 10 mg/80 mg dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets, patients unable to achieve their LDL-C goal utilizing the 10 mg/40 mg dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should not be titrated to the 10 mg/80 mg dose, but should be placed on alternative LDL-C-lowering treatment(s) that provides greater LDL-C lowering.

Coadministration with Other Drugs

Patients taking Verapamil, Diltiazem, or Dronedarone • The dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should not exceed 10 mg/10 mg/day. Patients taking Amiodarone, Amlodipine or Ranolazine • The dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should not exceed 10 mg/20 mg/day. Patients taking Bile Acid Sequestrants • Dosing of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should occur either greater than or equal to 2 hours before or greater than or equal to 4 hours after administration of a bile acid sequestrant.

Patients with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

The recommended dosage for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets 10 mg/40 mg/day in the evening. Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be used as an adjunct to other lipid-lowering treatments (e.g., LDL apheresis) in these patients or if such treatments are unavailable. Simvastatin exposure is approximately doubled with concomitant use of lomitapide; therefore, the dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be reduced by 50% if initiating lomitapide.

Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablet dosage should not exceed 10 mg/20 mg/day (or 10 mg/40 mg/day for patients who have previously taken simvastatin 80 mg/day chronically, e.g., for 12 months or more, without evidence of muscle toxicity) while taking lomitapide.

Patients with Renal Impairment/Chronic Kidney Disease

In patients with mild renal impairment (estimated GFR greater than or equal to 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ), no dosage adjustment is necessary. In patients with chronic kidney disease and estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2, the dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets is 10 mg/20 mg/day in the evening. In such patients, higher doses should be used with caution and close monitoring.

Geriatric Patients

No dosage adjustment is necessary in geriatric patients.

Clinical Trials Experience Ezetimibe and Simvastatin Tablets

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. Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets have been evaluated for safety in more than 10,189 patients in clinical trials. Table 2 summarizes the frequency of clinical adverse reactions reported in ≥ 2% of patients treated with ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets (n = 1,420) and at an incidence greater than placebo, regardless of causality assessment, from four placebo-controlled trials.

Includes two placebo-controlled combination studies in which the active ingredients equivalent to ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets were coadministered and two placebo-controlled studies in which ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets were administered. 2. All doses. The proportion of patients who permanently discontinued study treatment as a result of either an adverse event or abnormal safety blood result was 10.4% vs. 9.8% among patients allocated to ezetimibe and simvastatin and placebo, respectively.

Comparing those allocated to ezetimibe and simvastatin vs. placebo, the incidence of myopathy (defined as unexplained muscle weakness or pain with a serum CK > 10 times ULN) was 0.2% vs. 0.1% and the incidence of rhabdomyolysis (defined as myopathy with a CK > 40 times ULN) was 0.09% vs. 0.02%, respectively. Consecutive elevations of transaminases (> 3 X ULN) occurred in 0.7% vs. 0.6%, respectively. Patients were asked about the occurrence of unexplained muscle pain or weakness at each study visit: 21.5% vs. 20.9% patients ever reported muscle symptoms in the ezetimibe and simvastatin and placebo groups, respectively.

Cancer was diagnosed during the trial in 9.4% vs. 9.5% of patients assigned to ezetimibe and simvastatin and placebo, respectively. Ezetimibe Other adverse reactions reported with ezetimibe in placebo-controlled studies, regardless of causality assessment: Musculoskeletal system disorders: arthralgia; Infections and infestations: sinusitis; Body as a whole – general disorders: fatigue. Simvastatin In a clinical trial in which 12,064 patients with a history of myocardial infarction were treated with simvastatin (mean follow-up 6.7 years), the incidence of myopathy (defined as unexplained muscle weakness or pain with a serum creatine kinase > 10 times upper limit of normal ) in patients on 80 mg/day was approximately 0.9% compared with 0.02% for patients on 20 mg/day.

The incidence of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, was highest during the first year and then notably decreased during the subsequent years of treatment. In this trial, patients were carefully monitored and some interacting medicinal products were excluded. Other adverse reactions reported with simvastatin in placebo-controlled clinical studies, regardless of causality assessment: Cardiac disorders: atrial fibrillation; Ear and labyrinth disorders: vertigo; Gastrointestinal disorders: abdominal pain, constipation, dyspepsia, flatulence, gastritis; Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders: eczema, rash; Endocrine disorders: diabetes mellitus; Infections and infestations: bronchitis, sinusitis, urinary tract infections; Body as a whole – general disorders: asthenia, edema/swelling; Psychiatric disorders: insomnia.

Laboratory Tests Marked persistent increases of hepatic serum transaminases have been noted. Elevated alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase have been reported. About 5% of patients taking simvastatin had elevations of CK levels of 3 or more times the normal value on one or more occasions.

This was attributable to the noncardiac fraction of CK.

Postmarketing Experience Because the below reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is generally not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The following adverse reactions have been reported in postmarketing experience for ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets or ezetimibe or simvastatin: pruritus; alopecia; erythema multiforme; a variety of skin changes (e.g., nodules, discoloration, dryness of skin/mucous membranes, changes to hair/nails); dizziness; muscle cramps; myalgia; arthralgia; pancreatitis; paresthesia; peripheral neuropathy; vomiting; nausea; anemia; erectile dysfunction; interstitial lung disease; myopathy/rhabdomyolysis; hepatitis/jaundice; fatal and non-fatal hepatic failure; depression; cholelithiasis; cholecystitis; thrombocytopenia; elevations in liver transaminases; elevated creatine phosphokinase. There have been rare reports of immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy associated with statin use.

Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, angioedema, rash, and urticaria have been reported. In addition, an apparent hypersensitivity syndrome has been reported rarely that has included one or more of the following features: anaphylaxis, angioedema, lupus erythematous-like syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, dermatomyositis, vasculitis, purpura, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, hemolytic anemia, positive ANA, ESR increase, eosinophilia, arthritis, arthralgia, urticaria, asthenia, photosensitivity, fever, chills, flushing, malaise, dyspnea, toxic epidermal necrolysis, erythema multiforme, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome. There have been rare postmarketing reports of cognitive impairment (e.g., memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment, confusion) associated with statin use.

These cognitive issues have been reported for all statins. The reports are generally nonserious, and reversible upon statin discontinuation, with variable times to symptom onset (1 day to years) and symptom resolution (median of 3 weeks).

Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors, Cyclosporine, or Danazol Strong

• CYP3A4 inhibitors: The risk of myopathy is increased by reducing the elimination of the simvastatin component of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets. Hence when ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets are used with an inhibitor of CYP3A4 (e.g., as listed below), elevated plasma levels of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory activity increases the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis, particularly with higher doses of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets. Concomitant use of drugs labeled as having a strong inhibitory effect on CYP3A4 is contraindicated. If treatment with itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin or telithromycin is unavoidable, therapy with ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets must be suspended during the course of treatment.
• Cyclosporine or Danazol: The risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis is increased by concomitant administration of cyclosporine or danazol. Therefore, concomitant use of these drugs is contraindicated.

Lipid-Lowering Drugs That Can Cause Myopathy When Given Alone Gemfibrozil: Contraindicated with ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets. Fenofibrates (e.g., fenofibrate and fenofibric acid): Caution should be used when prescribing with ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets.

Amiodarone, Dronedarone, Ranolazine, or Calcium Channel Blockers The risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, is increased by concomitant administration of amiodarone, dronedarone, ranolazine, or calcium channel blockers such as verapamil, diltiazem or amlodipine.

Niacin Cases of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis have been observed with simvastatin coadministered with lipid-modifying doses (≥ 1 g/day niacin) of niacin-containing products. The risk of myopathy is greater in Chinese patients. In a clinical trial (median follow-up 3.9 years) involving patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease and with well-controlled LDL-C levels on simvastatin 40 mg/day with or without ezetimibe 10 mg/day, there was no incremental benefit on cardiovascular outcomes with the addition of lipid-modifying doses (≥1 g/day) of niacin.

Coadministration of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets with lipid-modifying doses (≥1g/day) of niacin is not recommended in Chinese patients. It is unknown if this risk applies to other Asian patients.

Cholestyramine

Concomitant cholestyramine administration decreased the mean AUC of total ezetimibe approximately 55%. The incremental LDL-C reduction due to adding ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets to cholestyramine may be reduced by this interaction.

Digoxin

In one study, concomitant administration of digoxin with simvastatin resulted in a slight elevation in plasma digoxin concentrations. Patients taking digoxin should be monitored appropriately when ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets are initiated.

Fenofibrates (e.g., fenofibrate and fenofibric acid) The safety and effectiveness of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets administered with fibrates have not been established. Because it is known that the risk of myopathy during treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors is increased with concurrent administration of fenofibrates, ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be administered with caution when used concomitantly with a fenofibrate. Fenofibrates may increase cholesterol excretion into the bile, leading to cholelithiasis.

In a preclinical study in dogs, ezetimibe increased cholesterol in the gallbladder bile. If cholelithiasis is suspected in a patient receiving ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets and a fenofibrate, gallbladder studies are indicated and alternative lipid-lowering therapy should be considered.

Coumarin Anticoagulants Simvastatin 20 to 40 mg/day modestly potentiated the effect of coumarin anticoagulants: the prothrombin time, reported as International Normalized Ratio (INR), increased from a baseline of 1.7 to 1.8 and from 2.6 to 3.4 in a normal volunteer study and in a hypercholesterolemic patient study, respectively. With other statins, clinically evident bleeding and/or increased prothrombin time has been reported in a few patients taking coumarin anticoagulants concomitantly. In such patients, prothrombin time should be determined before starting ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets and frequently enough during early therapy to ensure that no significant alteration of prothrombin time occurs.

Once a stable prothrombin time has been documented, prothrombin times can be monitored at the intervals usually recommended for patients on coumarin anticoagulants. If the dose of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets is changed or discontinued, the same procedure should be repeated. Simvastatin therapy has not been associated with bleeding or with changes in prothrombin time in patients not taking anticoagulants.

Concomitant administration of ezetimibe (10 mg once daily) had no significant effect on bioavailability of warfarin and prothrombin time in a study of twelve healthy adult males. There have been postmarketing reports of increased INR in patients who had ezetimibe added to warfarin. Most of these patients were also on other medications.

The effect of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets on the prothrombin time has not been studied.

Colchicine Cases of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, have been reported with simvastatin coadministered with colchicine, and caution should be exercised when prescribing ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets with colchicine.

Daptomycin Cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported with ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets administered with daptomycin. Both ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets and daptomycin can cause myopathy and rhabdomyolysis when given alone and the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis may be increased by coadministration. Temporarily suspend ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets in patients taking daptomycin

Pregnancy Terotogenic Effects Pregnancy Category X. Ezetimibe and Simvastatin Tablets Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets are contraindicated in women who are or may become pregnant. Lipid-lowering drugs offer no benefit during pregnancy, because cholesterol and cholesterol derivatives are needed for normal fetal development.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic process, and discontinuation of lipid-lowering drugs during pregnancy should have little impact on long-term outcomes of primary hypercholesterolemia therapy. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablet use during pregnancy; however, there are rare reports of congenital anomalies in infants exposed to statins in utero. Animal reproduction studies of simvastatin in rats and rabbits showed no evidence of teratogenicity.

Serum cholesterol and triglycerides increase during normal pregnancy, and cholesterol or cholesterol derivatives are essential for fetal development. Because statins, such as simvastatin, decrease cholesterol synthesis and possibly the synthesis of other biologically active substances derived from cholesterol, ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. If ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets are used during pregnancy or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus.

Women of childbearing potential, who require ezetimibe and simvastatin tablet treatment for a lipid disorder, should be advised to use effective contraception. For women trying to conceive, discontinuation of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be considered. If pregnancy occurs, ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be immediately discontinued.

Ezetimibe In oral (gavage) embryo-fetal development studies of ezetimibe conducted in rats and rabbits during organogenesis, there was no evidence of embryolethal effects at the doses tested (250, 500, 1000 mg/kg/day). In rats, increased incidences of common fetal skeletal findings (extra pair of thoracic ribs, unossified cervical vertebral centra, shortened ribs) were observed at 1000 mg/kg/day (~ 10 times the human exposure at 10 mg daily based on AUC 0-24hr for total ezetimibe). In rabbits treated with ezetimibe, an increased incidence of extra thoracic ribs was observed at 1000 mg/kg/day (150 times the human exposure at 10 mg daily based on AUC 0-24hr for total ezetimibe).

Ezetimibe crossed the placenta when pregnant rats and rabbits were given multiple oral doses. Multiple-dose studies of ezetimibe coadministered with statins in rats and rabbits during organogenesis result in higher ezetimibe and statin exposures. Reproductive findings occur at lower doses in coadministration therapy compared to monotherapy.

However, in studies with another structurally-related statin, skeletal malformations were observed in rats and mice. There are rare reports of congenital anomalies following intrauterine exposure to statins. In a review 1 of approximately 100 prospectively followed pregnancies in women exposed to simvastatin or another structurally-related statin, the incidences of congenital anomalies, spontaneous abortions and fetal deaths/stillbirths did not exceed what would be expected in the general population.

The number of cases is adequate only to exclude a 3 to 4 fold increase in congenital anomalies over the background incidence. In 89% of the prospectively followed pregnancies, drug treatment was initiated prior to pregnancy and was discontinued at some point in the first trimester when pregnancy was identified. 1 Manson, J.M., Freyssinges, C., Ducrocq, M.B., Stephenson, W.P., Postmarketing Surveillance of Lovastatin and Simvastatin Exposure During Pregnancy, Reproductive Toxicology, 10:439-446, 1996.

Pediatric Use The effects of ezetimibe coadministered with simvastatin (n = 126) compared to simvastatin monotherapy (n = 122) have been evaluated in adolescent boys and girls with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH). The results of the study at Week 6 are summarized in Table 3. Results at Week 33 were consistent with those at Week 6.

Table 3: Mean Percent Difference at Week 6 Between the Pooled Ezetimibe Coadministered with Simvastatin Group and the Pooled Simvastatin Monotherapy Group in Adolescent Patients with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia Total-C LDL-C Apo B Non-HDL-C TG 1 HDL-C Mean percent difference between treatment groups Confidence Interval For triglycerides, median % change from baseline. During the trial, hepatic transaminase elevations (two consecutive measurements for ALT and/or AST ≥ 3 X ULN) occurred in four (3%) individuals in the ezetimibe coadministered with simvastatin group and in two (2%) individuals in the simvastatin monotherapy group. Elevations of CPK (≥ 10 X ULN) occurred in two (2%) individuals in the ezetimibe coadministered with simvastatin group and in zero individuals in the simvastatin monotherapy group.

In this limited controlled study, there was no significant effect on growth or sexual maturation in the adolescent boys or girls, or on menstrual cycle length in girls. Coadministration of ezetimibe with simvastatin at doses greater than 40 mg/day has not been studied in adolescents. Also, ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets have not been studied in patients younger than 10 years of age or in pre-menarchal girls.

Ezetimibe Based on total ezetimibe (ezetimibe + ezetimibe-glucuronide) there are no pharmacokinetic differences between adolescents and adults. Pharmacokinetic data in the pediatric population < 10 years of age are not available. Simvastatin The pharmacokinetics of simvastatin has not been studied in the pediatric population.

• Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets are contraindicated in the following conditions:
• Concomitant administration of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, HIV protease inhibitors, boceprevir, telaprevir, erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, nefazodone, and cobicistat-containing products).
• Concomitant administration of gemfibrozil, cyclosporine, or danazol.
• Hypersensitivity to any component of this medication.
• Active liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations in hepatic transaminase levels.
• Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. Serum cholesterol and triglycerides increase during normal pregnancy, and cholesterol or cholesterol derivatives are essential for fetal development. Because HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), such as simvastatin, decrease cholesterol synthesis and possibly the synthesis of other biologically active substances derived from cholesterol, ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Atherosclerosis is a chronic process and the discontinuation of lipid-lowering drugs during pregnancy should have little impact on the outcome of long-term therapy of primary hypercholesterolemia. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of ezetimibe and simvastatin tablet use during pregnancy; however, in rare reports congenital anomalies were observed following intrauterine exposure to statins. In rat and rabbit animal reproduction studies, simvastatin revealed no evidence of teratogenicity. Ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be administered to women of childbearing age only when such patients are highly unlikely to conceive. If the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets should be discontinued immediately and the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus.
• Nursing mothers. It is not known whether simvastatin is excreted into human milk; however, a small amount of another drug in this class does pass into breast milk. Because statins have the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, women who require ezetimibe and simvastatin tablet treatment should not breastfeed their infants.
• Concomitant administration of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors.
• Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant
• Nursing mothers

Ezetimibe and Simvastatin Tablets No specific treatment of overdosage with ezetimibe and simvastatin tablets can be recommended. In the event of an overdose, symptomatic and supportive measures should be employed. A few cases of overdosage have been reported; most have not been associated with adverse experiences.

Reported adverse experiences have not been serious. Simvastatin Significant lethality was observed in mice after a single oral dose of 9 g/m 2. No evidence of lethality was observed in rats or dogs treated with doses of 30 and 100 g/m 2, respectively.

No specific diagnostic signs were observed in rodents. At these doses the only signs seen in dogs were emesis and mucoid stools. A few cases of overdosage with simvastatin have been reported; the maximum dose taken was 3.6 g.

All patients recovered without sequelae. The dialyzability of simvastatin and its metabolites in man is not known at present.