Lantus Drug Information

LANTUS is indicated to improve glycemic control in adult and pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus. Limitations of Use Not recommended for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Important Administration Instructions

Always check insulin labels before administration Visually inspect LANTUS vials and SoloStar prefilled pens for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration. Only use if the solution is clear and colorless with no visible particles. Administer LANTUS subcutaneously into the abdominal area, thigh, or deltoid, and rotate injection sites within the same region from one injection to the next to reduce the risk of lipodystrophy and localized cutaneous amyloidosis.

Do not inject into areas of lipodystrophy or localized cutaneous amyloidosis. During changes to a patient's insulin regimen, increase the frequency of blood glucose monitoring. Do not administer intravenously or via an insulin pump.

Do not dilute or mix LANTUS with any other insulin or solution. The LANTUS SoloStar prefilled pen dials in 1-unit increments. Use LANTUS SoloStar prefilled pen with caution in patients with visual impairment who may rely on audible clicks to dial their dose.

General Dosing Instructions Administer

LANTUS subcutaneously once daily at any time of day but at the same time every day. Individualize and adjust the dosage of LANTUS based on the patient's metabolic needs, blood glucose monitoring results and glycemic control goal. Dosage adjustments may be needed with changes in physical activity, changes in meal patterns (i.e., macronutrient content or timing of food intake), during acute illness, or changes in renal or hepatic function.

Dosage adjustments should only be made under medical supervision with appropriate glucose monitoring. In patients with type 1 diabetes, LANTUS must be used concomitantly with short-acting insulin.

Initiation of LANTUS Therapy Recommended Starting Dosage in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes The recommended starting dosage of LANTUS in patients with type 1 diabetes is approximately one-third of the total daily insulin requirements. Use short-acting, premeal insulin to satisfy the remainder of the daily insulin requirements. Recommended Starting Dosage in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes The recommended starting dosage of LANTUS in patients with type 2 diabetes who are not currently treated with insulin is 0.2 units/kg or up to 10 units once daily.

Switching to LANTUS from Other Insulin Therapies

Dosage adjustments are recommended to lower the risk of hypoglycemia when switching patients to LANTUS from other insulin therapies. When switching from: Once-daily TOUJEO (insulin glargine 300 units/mL) to once-daily LANTUS (100 units/mL), the recommended starting LANTUS dosage is 80% of the TOUJEO dosage that is being discontinued. Once-daily NPH insulin to once-daily LANTUS, the recommended starting LANTUS dosage is the same as the dosage of NPH that is being discontinued.

Twice-daily NPH insulin to once-daily LANTUS, the recommended starting LANTUS dosage is 80% of the total NPH dosage that is being discontinued.

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trial of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The data in Table 1 reflect the exposure of 2,327 patients with type 1 diabetes to LANTUS or NPH in Studies A, B, C, and D. The type 1 diabetes population had the following characteristics: Mean age was 39 years.

Fifty-four percent were male, 97% were Caucasian, 22% were Black or African American and 33% were Hispanic. The mean BMI was 25.1 kg/m 2. The data in Table 2 reflect the exposure of 1,563 patients with type 2 diabetes to LANTUS or NPH in Studies E, F, and G.

The type 2 diabetes population had the following characteristics: Mean age was 59 years. Fifty-eight percent were male, 87% were Caucasian, 8% were Black or African American and 9% were Hispanic. The mean BMI was 29.2 kg/m 2.

The frequencies of adverse reactions during LANTUS clinical studies in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus are listed in the tables below Tables Tables 5, 6, and 7 summarize the incidence of severe hypoglycemia in the LANTUS clinical studies. Severe symptomatic hypoglycemia was defined as an event with symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia requiring the assistance of another person and associated with either a blood glucose below 50 mg/dL (≤56 mg/dL in the 5-year study and ≤36 mg/dL in the ORIGIN study) or prompt recovery after oral carbohydrate, intravenous glucose, or glucagon administration. Percentages of LANTUS-treated adult patients who experienced severe symptomatic hypoglycemia in the LANTUS clinical studies were comparable to percentages of NPH-treated patients for all treatment regimens (see Tables 5 and 6 ).

In the pediatric clinical study, pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes had a higher incidence of severe symptomatic hypoglycemia in the two treatment groups compared to the adult studies with type 1 diabetes. Table 5: Severe Symptomatic Hypoglycemia in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Table 6: Severe Symptomatic Hypoglycemia in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Table 7 displays the proportion of patients who experienced severe symptomatic hypoglycemia in the LANTUS and Standard Care groups in the ORIGIN study. Table 7: Severe Symptomatic Hypoglycemia in the ORIGIN Study Peripheral Edema Some patients taking LANTUS have experienced sodium retention and edema, particularly if previously poor metabolic control was improved by intensified insulin therapy.

Lipodystrophy Administration of insulin subcutaneously, including LANTUS, has resulted in lipoatrophy (depression in the skin) or lipohypertrophy (enlargement or thickening of tissue) in some patients. Insulin Initiation and Intensification of Glucose Control Intensification or rapid improvement in glucose control has been associated with a transitory, reversible ophthalmologic refraction disorder, worsening of diabetic retinopathy, and acute painful peripheral neuropathy. However, long-term glycemic control decreases the risk of diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy.

Weight Gain Weight gain has occurred with insulin including LANTUS and has been attributed to the anabolic effects of insulin and the decrease in glucosuria. Hypersensitivity Reactions Local Reactions Patients taking LANTUS experienced injection site reactions, including redness, pain, itching, urticaria, edema, and inflammation. In clinical studies in adult patients, there was a higher incidence of injection site pain in LANTUS-treated patients (2.7%) compared to NPH insulin-treated patients (0.7%).

The reports of pain at the injection site did not result in discontinuation of therapy. Systemic Reactions Severe, life-threatening, generalized allergy, including anaphylaxis, generalized skin reactions, angioedema, bronchospasm, hypotension, and shock have occurred with insulin, including LANTUS and may be life threatening.

Immunogenicity As with all therapeutic proteins, there is potential for immunogenicity. All insulin products can elicit the formation of insulin antibodies. The presence of such insulin antibodies may increase or decrease the efficacy of insulin and may require adjustment of the insulin dose.

In clinical studies of LANTUS, increases in titers of antibodies to insulin were observed in NPH insulin and LANTUS treatment groups with similar incidences.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of LANTUS. 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. Medication errors have been reported in which rapid-acting insulins and other insulins, have been accidentally administered instead of LANTUS Localized cutaneous amyloidosis at the injection site has occurred.

Hyperglycemia has been reported with repeated insulin injections into areas of localized cutaneous amyloidosis; hypoglycemia has been reported with a sudden change to an unaffected injection site.

Table 8 includes clinically significant drug interactions with LANTUS. Table 8: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with LANTUS Drugs that Affect Glucose Metabolism: Adjustment of insulin dosage may be needed. Antiadrenergic Drugs ( e.g., beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine ): Signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia may be reduced or absent.

Pregnancy Risk Summary Published studies with use of insulin glargine during pregnancy have not reported a clear association with insulin glargine and adverse developmental outcomes (see Data ). There are risks to the mother and fetus associated with poorly controlled diabetes in pregnancy (see Clinical Considerations ). Rats and rabbits were exposed to insulin glargine in animal reproduction studies during organogenesis, respectively 50 times and 10 times the human subcutaneous dosage of 0.2 units/kg/day.

Overall, the effects of insulin glargine did not generally differ from those observed with regular human insulin (see Data ). In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is respectively. The estimated background risk of miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown.

Clinical Considerations Disease-Associated Maternal and/or Embryo-fetal Risk Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia occur more frequently during pregnancy in patients with pre-gestational diabetes. Poorly controlled diabetes in pregnancy increases the maternal risk for diabetic ketoacidosis, preeclampsia, spontaneous abortions, preterm delivery, and delivery complications. Poorly controlled diabetes increases the fetal risk for major birth defects, stillbirth, and macrosomia-related morbidity.

Data Human Data Published data do not report a clear association with insulin glargine and major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes when insulin glargine is used during pregnancy. However, these studies cannot definitely establish the absence of any risk because of methodological limitations including small sample size and some lacking comparator groups. Animal Data Subcutaneous reproduction and teratology studies have been performed with insulin glargine and regular human insulin in rats and Himalayan rabbits.

Insulin glargine was given to female rats before mating, during mating, and throughout pregnancy at doses up to 0.36 mg/kg/day, which is approximately 50 times the recommended human subcutaneous starting dosage of 0.2 units/kg/day (0.007 mg/kg/day), on a mg/kg basis. In rabbits, doses of 0.072 mg/kg/day, which is approximately 10 times the recommended human subcutaneous starting dosage of 0.2 units/kg/day on a mg/kg basis, were administered during organogenesis. The effects of insulin glargine did not generally differ from those observed with regular human insulin in rats or rabbits.

However, in rabbits, five fetuses from two litters of the high-dose group exhibited dilation of the cerebral ventricles. Fertility and early embryonic development appeared normal.

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of LANTUS to improve glycemic control in pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus have been established. Use of LANTUS for this indication is supported by evidence from an adequate and well-controlled study (Study D) in 174 LANTUS-treated pediatric patients aged 6 to 15 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and from adequate and well-controlled studies of LANTUS in adults with diabetes mellitus. In the pediatric clinical study, pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes had a higher incidence of severe symptomatic hypoglycemia compared to the adults in studies with type 1 diabetes.

LANTUS is contraindicated: During episodes of hypoglycemia In patients with hypersensitivity to insulin glargine or any of the excipients in LANTUS During episodes of hypoglycemia Hypersensitivity to insulin glargine or any of the excipients in LANTUS

Excess insulin administration may cause hypoglycemia and hypokalemia. Mild episodes of hypoglycemia can usually be treated with oral carbohydrates. Lowering the insulin dosage, and adjustments in meal patterns or exercise may be needed.

More severe episodes of hypoglycemia with coma, seizure, or neurologic impairment may be treated with glucagon for emergency use or concentrated intravenous glucose. After apparent clinical recovery from hypoglycemia, continued observation and additional carbohydrate intake may be necessary to avoid recurrence of hypoglycemia. Hypokalemia must be corrected appropriately.