Soltamox Drug Information

Metastatic Breast Cancer SOLTAMOX is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

In adult women with DCIS, following breast surgery and radiation, SOLTAMOX is indicated to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer.

Reduction in Breast Cancer Incidence in Women at High Risk SOLTAMOX is indicated to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in adult women at high risk for breast cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer: 20-40 mg per day. For doses greater than 20 mg per day, administer in divided doses (morning and evening). Doses greater than 20 mg per day should be given in divided doses (morning and evening).

Adjuvant Treatment of Breast Cancer For use in the adjuvant setting, the recommended dose of SOLTAMOX is 20 mg daily for 5-10 years. Doses greater than 20 mg daily yield no additional clinical benefit. Ductal Carcinoma in Situ For patients with DCIS, the recommended dose of SOLTAMOX is 20 mg daily for 5 years.

Reduction in Breast Cancer Incidence in Women at High Risk In the risk reduction setting, the recommended dose of SOLTAMOX is 20 mg daily for 5 years.

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 to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer In patients treated with tamoxifen for metastatic breast cancer, the most frequent adverse reaction was hot flashes. Other adverse reactions which were seen less commonly are hypercalcemia, peripheral edema, distaste for food, pruritus vulvae, depression, dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, hair thinning and/or partial hair loss, and vaginal dryness.

Increased bone, tumor pain and local disease flare have occurred. Patients with soft tissue disease may have sudden increases in the size of preexisting lesions, sometimes associated with marked erythema within and surrounding the lesions and/or the development of new lesions. When they occurred, the bone pain or disease flares were seen shortly after starting tamoxifen and generally subsided rapidly.

Premenopausal Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer Table 1 summarizes the incidence of adverse reactions reported at a frequency of 2% or greater from clinical trials that compared tamoxifen therapy to ovarian ablation in premenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer. Table 1: Adverse Reactions (frequency ≥2% in either arm) from Trials Comparing Tamoxifen to Ovarian Ablation in Premenopausal Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer in Adjuvant Breast Cancer In the NSABP B-14 study, women with axillary node-negative breast cancer were randomized to 5 years of tamoxifen 20 mg per day or placebo following primary surgery. Table 2 presents the most common adverse reactions (mean follow-up of approximately 6.9 years) that were more common on tamoxifen than placebo.

Table 2: Most Common Adverse Reactions in Women with Axillary Node-Negative Breast Cancer Study NSABP B- 0 In the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) adjuvant breast cancer trial, tamoxifen or placebo was administered for 2 years to women following mastectomy. When compared to placebo, tamoxifen showed a higher incidence of hot flashes (19% vs. 8% for placebo). The incidence of all other adverse reactions was similar in the two treatment groups with the exception of thrombocytopenia, where the incidence for tamoxifen was 10% vs. 3% for placebo.

In other adjuvant studies, women received either tamoxifen or no therapy. In the Toronto study, hot flashes were observed in 29% of patients for tamoxifen vs. 1% in the untreated group. In the NATO trial, hot flashes and vaginal bleeding were reported in 2.8% and 2.0% of women, respectively, for tamoxifen vs. 0.2% for each in the untreated group.

Anastrozole Adjuvant Trial (ATAC: Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) – Study of Anastrozole Compared to Tamoxifen for Adjuvant Treatment of Early Breast Cancer At a median follow-up of 33 months, the combination of anastrozole and tamoxifen did not demonstrate an efficacy benefit when compared to tamoxifen monotherapy in all patients as well as in the hormone receptor- positive subpopulation. The combination treatment arm was discontinued from the trial. Adverse reactions occurring with an incidence of at least 5% in either single-drug treatment group during treatment or within 14 days of the end of treatment are presented in Table 3.

Table 4: Percentage of Patients with Pre-Specified Adverse Reactions in the ATAC Trial Patients with multiple events in the same category are counted only once in that category. in Ductal Carcinoma in Situ The types and frequency of adverse reactions in the NSABP B-24 trial in women with DCIS were consistent with those observed in the other adjuvant trials conducted with tamoxifen. Adverse Reactions in Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer In the NSABP P-1 trial, there was an increase in five serious adverse reactions in the tamoxifen group: endometrial cancer (33 cases in the tamoxifen group vs. 14 in the placebo group); pulmonary embolism (18 cases in the tamoxifen group vs. 6 in the placebo group); deep vein thrombosis (30 cases in the tamoxifen group vs. 19 in the placebo group); stroke (34 cases in the tamoxifen group vs. 24 in the placebo group); cataract formation (540 cases in the tamoxifen group vs. 483 in the placebo group), and cataract surgery (101 cases in the tamoxifen group vs. 63 in the placebo group). Table 5 presents the adverse reactions observed in NSABP P-1 by treatment arm.

Only adverse reactions more common on tamoxifen than placebo are shown. Severe hot flashes occurred in 28% of women on placebo and 45% of women on tamoxifen. Vaginal discharge was severe in 4.5% on placebo and 12.3% on tamoxifen.

SOLTAMOX-related Adverse Reactions In a single-dose pharmacokinetic study in healthy perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, throat irritation was reported by 3 of 60 evaluable subjects (5%) in the SOLTAMOX treatment group while none of the subjects in the tamoxifen citrate tablet group reported this event. All cases were mild, occurred within an hour after dosing, and resolved within 24 hours.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of tamoxifen. 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. Skin and Subcutaneous Disorders: Erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, bullous pemphigoid Respiratory, Thoracic, Mediastinal Disorders: Interstitial pneumonitis Immune System Disorders: Hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema; in some of these cases, the time to onset was more than one year.

Gastrointestinal Disorder s: Elevation of serum triglyceride levels, in some cases with pancreatitis Men with Metastatic Breast Cancer Loss of libido and impotence have resulted in discontinuation of tamoxifen therapy in male patients. In oligospermic males treated with tamoxifen, LH, FSH, testosterone, and estrogen levels were elevated, with no reported associated clinical changes.

Aromatase Inhibitors Anastrozole

The combination of anastrozole and tamoxifen did not demonstrate any benefit when compared to tamoxifen alone and should be avoided in all patients. In the ATAC trial, coadministration of anastrozole and tamoxifen in breast cancer patients reduced the anastrozole plasma concentration by 27% compared to that achieved with anastrozole alone. The tamoxifen concentration was not altered.

Letrozole The concomitant use of letrozole with tamoxifen is not recommended because the efficacy of the combination in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer has not been established. Tamoxifen reduced the plasma concentration of letrozole by 38% when these drugs were co-administered. 7.2. Warfarin A marked increase in anticoagulant effect may occur when tamoxifen is used in combination with warfarin.

Closely monitor coagulation indices in patients who are taking tamoxifen for either the treatment of metastatic breast cancer or as adjuvant therapy who require concomitant use of warfarin.

Inducers of CYP3A4 Strong

CYP3A4 inducers should not be used with tamoxifen. Strong CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., rifampin) reduce tamoxifen AUC and C max.

Strong Inhibitors of CYP2D6

The impact on the efficacy of tamoxifen with co-administration of strong CYP2D6 inhibitors (e.g., paroxetine) is not well established. Some studies have shown that the efficacy of tamoxifen may be reduced when the drugs are co-administered as a result of reduced levels of potent active metabolites of tamoxifen. However, other studies have failed to demonstrate such an effect.

Drug-Laboratory Test Interactions There are postmarketing reports of T 4 elevations in postmenopausal patients taking tamoxifen that may be explained by increases in thyroid-binding globulin. These elevations were not accompanied by clinical hyperthyroidism. Variations in the karyopyknotic index on vaginal smears and various degrees of estrogen effect on Pap smears have been seen in postmenopausal patients taking tamoxifen.

Pregnancy Risk Summary SOLTAMOX can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. There are no adequate and well- controlled studies of tamoxifen in pregnant women. There are limited postmarketing reports of vaginal bleeding, spontaneous abortions, birth defects, and fetal deaths in pregnant women taking tamoxifen.

In a primate model administration of tamoxifen at doses 2 times higher than the maximum recommended human dose resulted in spontaneous abortion. In rat and rabbit studies, doses of tamoxifen less than or equal to human doses resulted in increased embryotoxicity, abortions, and altered learning behaviors. Additionally, rodent models showed reproductive tract changes often associated with DES in offspring of both sexes.

Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus, including the potential long-term risk of a DES-like syndrome. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. 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 In embryofetal development studies in rats using doses significantly below those used in humans (0.01 to 0.03 times the recommended human dose on a mg/m 2 basis), a lower incidence of embryo implantation and a higher incidence of fetal death or delayed in utero growth occurred, along with slower learning behavior in some rat pups when compared to historical controls. When pregnant rabbits received tamoxifen during organogenesis, abortion and premature delivery occurred at doses of greater than 0.125 mg/kg/day (about 0.05 times the daily maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m 2 basis). Although reversible nonteratogenic skeletal variations occurred in rat reproductive studies at doses less than or equal to the human dose, there were no teratogenic changes in either rats or rabbits.

In pregnant marmosets, administration of 10 mg/kg/day tamoxifen (about 2 times the daily maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m 2 basis) during organogenesis or in the last half of pregnancy terminated pregnancy in some animals. In pregnancies that continued, there were no malformations or deformations in offspring. In rodent models of fetal reproductive tract development, tamoxifen (at doses 0.002 to 2.4 times the daily maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m 2 basis) caused changes in both sexes that are similar to those caused by estradiol, ethynylestradiol and diethylstilbestrol.

Although the clinical relevance of these changes is unknown, some of these changes, especially vaginal adenosis, are similar to those seen in young women who were exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero and who have a 1 in 1,000 risk of developing clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina or cervix. To date, in utero exposure to tamoxifen has not been shown to cause vaginal adenosis, or clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina or cervix, in young women; however, only a small number of young women have been exposed to tamoxifen in utero, and a smaller number have been followed long enough (to age 15 to 20) to determine whether vaginal or cervical neoplasia could occur as a result of this exposure.

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of SOLTAMOX in pediatric patients have not been established. Tamoxifen Use in McCune-Albright Syndrome The safety and effectiveness of SOLTAMOX for the treatment of girls with McCune-Albright syndrome, including long-term effects, have not been established. A single, uncontrolled multicenter trial of tamoxifen 20 mg once a day was conducted in a heterogeneous group of girls with McCune-Albright syndrome and precocious puberty manifested by physical signs of pubertal development, episodes of vaginal bleeding, and/or advanced bone age (bone age of at least 12 months beyond chronological age).

Twenty-eight female pediatric patients, aged 2 to 10 years, were treated for up to 12 months. Effect of treatment on frequency of vaginal bleeding, bone age advancement, and linear growth rate was assessed relative to prestudy baseline. Tamoxifen treatment was associated with a 50% reduction in frequency of vaginal bleeding episodes by patient or family report (mean annualized frequency of 3.56 episodes at baseline and 1.73 episodes on-treatment).

Not all patients improved on treatment and a few patients not reporting vaginal bleeding in the 6 months prior to enrollment reported menses on treatment. Tamoxifen therapy was associated with a reduction in mean rate of increase of bone age (defined as the ratio of bone age change and chronological age); individual responses with regard to this endpoint were highly heterogeneous. Linear growth rate (height velocity) was reduced during the course of tamoxifen treatment in a majority of patients (mean change of 1.68 cm/year relative to baseline; change from 7.47 cm/year at baseline to 5.79 cm/year on study).

This change was not uniformly seen across all stages of bone maturity; all recorded response failures occurred in patients with bone ages less than 7 years at screening. Mean uterine volume increased after 6 months of treatment and doubled at the end of the one-year study. A causal relationship to tamoxifen has not been established; however, as an increase in the incidence of endometrial adenocarcinoma and uterine sarcoma has been noted in adults treated with tamoxifen, continued monitoring of McCune-Albright patients treated with tamoxifen for long-term uterine effects is recommended.

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients The pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen and N-desmethyl tamoxifen were characterized using a population pharmacokinetic analysis with sparse samples per patient obtained from 27 female pediatric patients aged 2 to 10 years enrolled in a study of tamoxifen in treating McCune-Albright syndrome. Clearance (CL/F), adjusted for body weight, in female pediatric patients was approximately 2.3-fold higher than in adult female breast cancer patients. Exposure to N-desmethyl tamoxifen was comparable between the pediatric and adult patients.

In pediatric patients, an average steady-state peak plasma concentration (Css, max) and AUC were 187 ng/mL and 4,110 ng hr/mL, respectively, and Css, max occurred approximately 8 hours after dosing. Animal Data Direct neonatal exposure of tamoxifen to mice and rats produced: 1 reproductive tract lesions in female rodents (similar to those seen in humans after intrauterine exposure to DES) and 2 functional defects of the reproductive tract in male rodents such as testicular atrophy and arrest of spermatogenesis.

SOLTAMOX is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity (e.g., angioedema, serious skin reactions) to tamoxifen or any other SOLTAMOX ingredient. SOLTAMOX is contraindicated in patients who require concomitant warfarin therapy or have a history of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus if the indication for treatment is either reduction of breast cancer incidence in high-risk patients or risk reduction of invasive breast cancer after treatment of DCIS.

No specific treatment for SOLTAMOX overdosage is recommended, other than symptomatic treatment. In a study of advanced metastatic cancer patients to determine the maximum tolerated dose of tamoxifen that could reverse multidrug resistance, the following adverse events were observed: acute neurotoxicity manifested by tremor, hyperreflexia, unsteady gait, and dizziness. No permanent neurologic toxicity was noted.

One patient experienced a seizure several days after tamoxifen was discontinued and neurotoxic symptoms had resolved. The causal relationship of the seizure to tamoxifen therapy is unknown. Doses given in these patients were all greater than 400 mg/m 2 loading dose (at least 6-fold higher than the recommended dosage), followed by maintenance doses of 150 mg/m 2 of tamoxifen given twice a day (at least 6-fold higher than the recommended dosage).

In the same study, prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram was noted when patients were given doses higher than 250 mg/m 2 loading dose (at least 6-fold higher than the recommended dose), followed by maintenance doses of 80 mg/m 2 of tamoxifen given twice a day. For a woman with a body surface area of 1.5 m 2, the minimal loading dose and maintenance doses at which neurological symptoms and QT changes occurred were at least 6-fold higher in respect to the maximum recommended dose. Signs observed at the highest doses following studies to determine LD 50 in animals were respiratory difficulties and convulsions.