Qnasl Drug Information

Treatment of Nasal Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis

QNASL ® Nasal Aerosol is indicated for the treatment of the nasal symptoms associated with seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis in patients 4 years of age and older.

Allergic Rhinitis Adults and Adolescents (12 Years of Age and Older)

The recommended dose of QNASL Nasal Aerosol is 320 mcg per day administered as 2 actuations in each nostril (QNASL 80 mcg Nasal Aerosol) once daily (maximum total daily dose of 4 actuations per day). Children (4 to 11 Years of Age) : The recommended dose of QNASL Nasal Aerosol is 80 mcg per day administered as 1 actuation in each nostril (QNASL 40 mcg Nasal Aerosol) once daily (maximum total daily dose of 2 actuations per day).

Clinical Trials 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 with rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adults and Adolescents 12 Years of Age and Older : The safety data described below for adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older with seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis are based on 4 placebo-controlled clinical trials of 2 to 6 weeks duration evaluating doses of beclomethasone nasal aerosol from 80 to 320 mcg once daily. These short-term trials included a total of 1394 patients with either seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis.

Of these, 575 (378 female and 197 male) received at least one dose of QNASL Nasal Aerosol, 320 mcg once daily and 578 (360 female and 218 male) received placebo. Patient ages ranged from 12 to 82 years and the racial distribution of patients was 81% white, 16% black, and 4% other. Short-Term (2–6 Weeks) Trials : Less than 2% of patients in the clinical trials discontinued treatment because of adverse reactions with the rate of withdrawal among patients who received QNASL Nasal Aerosol similar to or lower than the rate among patients who received placebo.

Table 1 displays the common adverse reactions (≥ 1% and greater than placebo-treated patients). Table 1. Adverse Events With ³ 1% Incidence and Greater than Placebo in QNASL Nasal Aerosol-Treated Adult and Adolescent Patients with Seasonal or Perennial Allergic Rhinitis in Controlled Clinical Trials of 2 to 6 Weeks Duration (Safety Population) Adult and Adolescent Patients 12 Years of Age and Older QNASL Nasal Aerosol 320 mcg (N=575) n (%) Placebo (N=578) n (%) Nasal Discomfort 30 28 Epistaxis 11 7 Headache 13 9 Nasal ulcerations occurred in 2 patients treated with placebo and in 1 patient treated with QNASL Nasal Aerosol. There were no differences in the incidence of adverse reactions based on gender or race. Clinical trials did not have sufficient numbers of patients aged 65 years and older to determine whether they respond differently than younger patients.

Long-Term 52-Week Safety Trial : In a 52-week placebo-controlled long-term safety trial in patients with PAR, 415 patients (128 males and 287 females, aged 12 to 74 years) were treated with QNASL Nasal Aerosol at a dose of 320 mcg once daily and 111 patients (44 males and 67 females, aged 12 to 67 years) were treated with placebo. Of the 415 patients treated with QNASL Nasal Aerosol, 219 patients were treated for 52 weeks and 196 patients were treated for 30 weeks. While most adverse events were similar in type and rate between the treatment groups, epistaxis occurred more frequently in patients who received QNASL Nasal Aerosol (45 out of 415, 11%) than in patients who received placebo (2 out of 111, 2%). Epistaxis also tended to be more severe in patients treated with QNASL Nasal Aerosol.

In 45 reports of epistaxis in patients who received QNASL Nasal Aerosol, 27, 13, and 5 cases were of mild, moderate, and severe intensity, respectively, while the reports of epistaxis in patients who received placebo were of mild and moderate intensity. Seventeen patients treated with QNASL Nasal Aerosol experienced adverse reactions that led to withdrawal from the trial compared to 3 patients treated with placebo. There were 4 nasal erosions and 1 nasal septum ulceration which occurred in patients who received QNASL Nasal Aerosol, and no erosions or ulcerations noted in patients who received placebo.

No patient experienced a nasal septum perforation during the trial. Pediatric Patients Aged 4 to 11 Years : The safety data described below for pediatric patients 4 to 11 years of age with seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis are based on 3 placebo-controlled clinical trials. These trials were 2 to 12 weeks in duration, evaluated doses of beclomethasone nasal aerosol 80 mcg to 160 mcg once daily and included a total of 1360 patients with either seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis.

Of these, 668 (312 female and 356 male) received at least one dose of QNASL Nasal Aerosol, 80 mcg once daily, 241 (116 female and 125 male) received QNASL Nasal Aerosol 160 mcg once daily, and 451 (203 female and 248 male) received placebo. The racial distribution of patients was 73% white, 20% black, and 6% other. Based on the results from the dose ranging trial, 80 mcg once daily was chosen as the dose in pediatric patients.

Less than 1.5% of patients in the clinical trials discontinued treatment because of adverse reactions with the rate of withdrawal among patients who received QNASL Nasal Aerosol 80 mcg once daily similar to or lower than the rate among patients who received placebo. Table 2 displays the common adverse reactions (≥ 2% and greater than placebo-treated patients). Additionally, epistaxis was reported at a rate of 4% for both QNASL Nasal Aerosol 80 mcg once daily and placebo-treated patients. Table 2. Adverse Events With ≥ 2% Incidence and Greater than Placebo in QNASL Nasal Aerosol-Treated Pediatric Patients with Seasonal or Perennial Allergic Rhinitis in Controlled Clinical Trials of 2 to 12 weeks Duration (Safety Population) Pediatric Patients 4 to 11 Years of Age QNASL Nasal Aerosol 80 mcg (N=668) n (%) Placebo (N=451) n (%) Headache 23 15 Pyrexia 19 7 Upper respiratory tract infection 17 8 Nasopharyngitis 15 6

Postmarketing Experience

In addition to adverse reactions reported from clinical trials for QNASL Nasal Aerosol, the following adverse events have been reported during postmarketing use of QNASL Nasal Aerosol or other intranasal and inhaled formulations of beclomethasone dipropionate. 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. These events have been chosen for inclusion due to either their seriousness, frequency of reporting, or causal connection to beclomethasone dipropionate or a combination of these factors.

QNASL Nasal Aerosol: sneezing, burning sensation Intranasal beclomethasone dipropionate : Nasal septal perforation, blurred vision, glaucoma, cataracts, central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), loss of taste and smell, and hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis, angioedema, rash, and urticaria have been reported following intranasal administration of beclomethasone dipropionate. Inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate : Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, angioedema, rash, urticaria, and bronchospasm have been reported following the oral inhalation of beclomethasone dipropionate.

No drug interaction studies have been performed with QNASL Nasal Aerosol.

Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no adequate and well-controlled studies with QNASL Nasal Aerosol or beclomethasone dipropionate in pregnant women. No published studies, including studies of large birth registries, have to date related the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or intranasal corticosteroids to any increases in congenital malformations or other adverse perinatal outcomes. Thus, available human data do not establish the presence or absence of drug‑associated risk to the fetus.

In animal reproduction studies, beclomethasone dipropionate resulted in adverse developmental effects in mice and rabbits at subcutaneous doses equal to or greater than approximately 1.5 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) in adults (0.32 mg/day) (see Data). In rats exposed to beclomethasone dipropionate by inhalation, dose‑related gross injury to the fetal adrenal glands was observed at doses greater than 350 times the MRHD, but there was no evidence of external or skeletal malformations or embryolethality at inhalation doses of up to 860 times the MRHD. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population(s) are unknown. In the US general population, the estimated risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2‑4% and 15‑20%, respectively. Clinical Considerations Labor or Delivery There are no specific human data regarding any adverse effects of intranasal beclomethasone dipropionate on labor and delivery.

Data Animal Data In an embryofetal development study in pregnant rats, beclomethasone dipropionate administration during organogenesis from gestation days 6 to 15 at inhaled doses 350 times the MRHD in adults and higher (on a mg/m 2 basis at maternal doses of 11.5 and 28.3 mg/kg/day) produced dose‑dependent gross injury (characterized by red foci) of the adrenal glands in fetuses. There were no findings in the adrenal glands of rat fetuses at an inhaled dose that was 75 times the MRHD in adults (on a mg/m 2 basis at a maternal dose of 2.4 mg/kg/day). There was no evidence of external or skeletal malformations or embryolethality in rats at inhaled doses up to 860 times the MRHD (on a mg/m 2 basis at maternal doses up to 28.3 mg/kg/day). In an embryofetal development study in pregnant mice, beclomethasone dipropionate administration from gestation days 1 to 18 at subcutaneous doses equal to and greater than 1.5 times the MRHD in adults (on a mg/m 2 basis at maternal doses of 0.1 mg/kg/day and higher) produced adverse developmental effects (increased incidence of cleft palate). A no-effect dose in mice was not identified. In a second embryofetal development study in pregnant mice, beclomethasone dipropionate administration from gestation days 1 to 13 at subcutaneous doses equal to and greater than 5 times the MRHD in adults (on a mg/m 2 basis at a maternal dose of 0.3 mg/kg/day) produced embryolethal effects (increased fetal resorptions) and decreased pup survival.

In an embryofetal development study in pregnant rabbits, beclomethasone dipropionate administration during organogenesis from gestation days 7 to 16 at subcutaneous doses equal to and greater than 1.5 times the MRHD in adults (on a mg/m 2 basis at maternal doses of 0.025 mg/kg/day and higher) produced external and skeletal malformations and embryolethal effects (increased fetal resorptions). There were no effects in fetuses of pregnant rabbits administered a subcutaneous dose 0.4 times the MRHD in adults (on a mg/m 2 basis at a maternal dose of 0.006 mg/kg/day).

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of QNASL Nasal Aerosol in children 4 years and older have been established . The safety and effectiveness of QNASL Nasal Aerosol in children younger than 4 years of age have not been established. Controlled pediatric clinical trials with QNASL Nasal Aerosol included 909 children 4 to 11 years of age and 188 adolescent patients 12 to 17 years of age . Controlled clinical trials have shown that intranasal corticosteroids may cause a reduction in growth velocity in pediatric patients. This effect has been observed in the absence of laboratory evidence of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression, suggesting that growth velocity is a more sensitive indicator of systemic corticosteroid exposure in pediatric patients than some commonly used tests of HPA-axis function.

The long-term effects of reduction in growth velocity associated with intranasal corticosteroids, including the impact on final adult height, are unknown. The potential for "catch-up" growth following discontinuation of treatment with intranasal corticosteroids has not been adequately studied. The growth of pediatric patients receiving intranasal corticosteroids, including QNASL Nasal Aerosol, should be monitored routinely (e.g., via stadiometry). A 12-month, randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluated the effects of QVAR ®, an orally inhaled HFA beclomethasone dipropionate product, without spacer versus chlorofluorocarbon-propelled (CFC) beclomethasone dipropionate with large volume spacer on growth in children with asthma ages 5 to 11 years.

A total of 520 patients were enrolled, of whom 394 received HFA-beclomethasone dipropionate (100 to 400 mcg/day ex-valve) and 126 received CFC-beclomethasone dipropionate (200 to 800 mcg/day ex-valve). When comparing results at month 12 to baseline, the mean growth velocity in children treated with HFA-beclomethasone dipropionate was approximately 0.5 cm/year less than that noted with children treated with CFC-beclomethasone dipropionate via large volume spacer. The potential growth effects of prolonged treatment should be weighed against the clinical benefits obtained and the risks/benefits of treatment alternatives. The potential for QNASL Nasal Aerosol to cause reduction in growth velocity in susceptible patients or when given at higher than recommended dosages cannot be ruled out.

4. CONTRAINDICATIONS QNASL Nasal Aerosol is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to beclomethasone dipropionate and/or any other QNASL Nasal Aerosol ingredients . Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to beclomethasone dipropionate and/or any other QNASL Nasal Aerosol ingredients.

Chronic overdosage may result in signs/symptoms of hypercorticism . There are no data available on the effects of acute or chronic overdosage with QNASL Nasal Aerosol.