Norepinephrine Drug Information

Norepinephrine bitartrate injection is indicated to raise blood pressure in adult patients with severe, acute hypotension. Norepinephrine bitartrate injection is a catecholamine indicated for restoration of blood pressure in adult patients with acute hypotensive states.

Important Dosage and

Administration Instructions Correct Hypovolemia Address hypovolemia before initiation of norepinephrine bitartrate injection therapy. If the patient does not respond to therapy, suspect occult hypovolemia . Administration Dilute norepinephrine bitartrate injection prior to use . Infuse norepinephrine bitartrate injection into a large vein. Avoid infusions into the veins of the leg in the elderly or in patients with occlusive vascular disease of the legs.

Avoid using a catheter-tie-in technique. Discontinuation When discontinuing the infusion, reduce the flow rate gradually. Avoid abrupt withdrawal.

Dosage After an initial dosage of 8 to 12 mcg per minute

via intravenous infusion, assess patient response and adjust dosage to maintain desired hemodynamic effect. Monitor blood pressure every two minutes until the desired hemodynamic effect is achieved, and then monitor blood pressure every five minutes for the duration of the infusion. Typical maintenance intravenous dosage is 2 to 4 mcg per minute.

Preparation of Diluted Solution Visually inspect norepinephrine bitartrate injection for particulate matter

and discoloration prior to administration (the solution is colorless). Do not use the solution if its color is pinkish or darker than slightly yellow or if it contains a precipitate. Add the content of one norepinephrine bitartrate injection vial (4 mg in 4 mL) to 1,000 mL of 5% Dextrose Injection, USP or Sodium Chloride Injection solutions that contain 5% dextrose to produce a 4 mcg per mL dilution. Dextrose reduces loss of potency due to oxidation.

Administration in saline solution alone is not recommended. Use higher concentration solutions in patients requiring fluid restriction. Prior to use, store the diluted norepinephrine bitartrate injection solution for up to 24 hours at room temperature and protect from light.

Drug Incompatibilities

Avoid contact with iron salts, alkalis, or oxidizing agents. Whole blood or plasma, if indicated to increase blood volume, should be administered separately.

• The following adverse reactions are described in greater detail in other sections: Tissue Ischemia Hypotension Cardiac Arrhythmias The most common adverse reactions are hypertension and bradycardia.
• The following adverse reactions can occur: Nervous system disorders: Anxiety, headache Respiratory disorders: Respiratory difficulty, pulmonary edema Most common adverse reactions are ischemic injury, bradycardia, anxiety, transient headache, respiratory difficulty, and extravasation necrosis at injection site. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Biocon Pharma Inc., at 1-866-924-6266 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

MAO-Inhibiting Drugs Co-administration of norepinephrine bitartrate with monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors or

other drugs with MAO-inhibiting properties (e.g., linezolid) can cause severe, prolonged hypertension. If administration of norepinephrine bitartrate cannot be avoided in patients who recently have received any of these drugs and in whom, after discontinuation, MAO activity has not yet sufficiently recovered, monitor for hypertension.

Tricyclic Antidepressants Co-administration of norepinephrine bitartrate with tricyclic antidepressants (including amitriptyline, nortriptyline

protriptyline, clomipramine, desipramine, imipramine) can cause severe, prolonged hypertension. If administration of norepinephrine bitartrate cannot be avoided in these patients, monitor for hypertension.

Antidiabetics Norepinephrine bitartrate can decrease insulin sensitivity and raise blood glucose.

Monitor glucose and consider dosage adjustment of antidiabetic drugs.

Halogenated Anesthetics

Concomitant use of norepinephrine bitartrate with halogenated anesthetics (e.g., cyclopropane, desflurane, enflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane) may lead to ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Monitor cardiac rhythm in patients receiving concomitant halogenated anesthetics.

Pregnancy Risk Summary Limited published data consisting of a small number of case reports and multiple small trials involving the use of norepinephrine in pregnant women at the time of delivery have not identified an increased risk of major birth defects, miscarriage or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. There are risks to the mother and fetus from hypotension associated with septic shock, myocardial infarction and stroke which are medical emergencies in pregnancy and can be fatal if left untreated. ( see Clinical Considerations ). In animal reproduction studies, using high doses of intravenous norepinephrine resulted in lowered maternal placental blood flow. Clinical relevance to changes in the human fetus is unknown since the average maintenance dose is ten times lower ( see Data ). Increased fetal reabsorptions were observed in pregnant hamsters after receiving daily injections at approximately 2 times the maximum recommended dose on a mg/m 3 basis for four days during organogenesis ( see Data ). The estimated background risk for major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown.

All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in the clinically recognized pregnancies is 2 to 4% and 15 to 20%, respectively. Clinical Considerations Disease-associated maternal and/or embryo/fetal risk Hypotension associated with septic shock, myocardial infarction, and stroke are medical emergencies in pregnancy which can be fatal if left untreated.

Delaying treatment in pregnant women with hypotension associated with septic shock, myocardial infarction and stroke may increase the risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Life-sustaining therapy for the pregnant woman should not be withheld due to potential concerns regarding the effects of norepinephrine on the fetus. Data Animal Data A study in pregnant sheep receiving high doses of intravenous norepinephrine (40 mcg/min, at approximately 10 times the average maintenance dose of 2 to 4 mcg/min in human, on a mg/kg basis) exhibited a significant decrease in maternal placental blood flow.

Decreases in fetal oxygenation, urine and lung liquid flow were also observed. Norepinephrine administration to pregnant rats on Gestation Day 16 or 17 resulted in cataract production in rat fetuses. In hamsters, an increased number of resorptions (29.1% in study group vs. 3.4% in control group), fetal microscopic liver abnormalities and delayed skeletal ossification were observed at approximately 2 times the maximum recommended intramuscular or subcutaneous dose (on a mg/m 2 basis at a maternal subcutaneous dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day from Gestation Day 7 to 10).

Pediatric Use Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.

Overdosage with norepinephrine bitartrate may result in headache, severe hypertension, reflex bradycardia, marked increase in peripheral resistance, and decreased cardiac output. In case of overdosage, discontinue norepinephrine bitartrate until the condition of the patient stabilizes.