Venofer Drug Information

Venofer is indicated for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Mode of Administration Administer

Venofer only intravenously by slow injection or by infusion. The dosage of Venofer is expressed in mg of elemental iron. The usual total treatment course of Venofer is 1000 mg.

Administer on 5 different occasions over a 14 day period. Do not dilute to concentrations below 1 mg/mL. Venofer treatment may be repeated if necessary.

The dosing for iron replacement treatment in pediatric patients with NDD-CKD or PDD-CKD has not been established.

Adverse Reactions in Clinical Trials

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Adults Patients with CKD The frequency of adverse reactions associated with the use of Venofer has been documented in six clinical trials involving 231 patients with HDD-CKD, 139 patients with NDD-CKD and 75 patients with PDD-CKD. Adverse reactions reported by ≥ 2% of treated patients in the six clinical trials for which the rate for Venofer exceeds the rate for comparator are listed by indication in Table 1.

Patients with HDD-CKD received 100 mg doses at 10 consecutive dialysis sessions until a cumulative dose of 1000 mg was administered. Table 1. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥ 2% of Study Populations and for which the Rate for One hundred thirty (11%) of the 1,151 patients evaluated in the 4 U.S. trials in HDD-CKD patients (studies A, B and the two post marketing studies) had prior other intravenous iron therapy and were reported to be intolerant (defined as precluding further use of that iron product).

When these patients were treated with Venofer there were no occurrences of adverse reactions that precluded further use of Venofer. 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. In the post-marketing safety studies in 1,051 treated patients with HDD-CKD, the adverse reactions reported by >1% were cardiac failure congestive, sepsis and dysgeusia.

Immune system disorders: anaphylactic-type reactions, angioedema Psychiatric disorders: confusion Nervous system disorders: convulsions, collapse, light-headedness, loss-of-consciousness Cardiovascular System: bradycardia, shock, acute myocardial ischemia with or without myocardial infarction or with in-stent thrombosis in the context of a hypersensitivity reaction Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders: bronchospasm, dyspnea Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders: back pain, swelling of the joints Renal and urinary disorders: chromaturia General disorders and administration site conditions: hyperhidrosis Symptoms associated with Venofer total dosage or infusing too rapidly included hypotension, dyspnea, headache, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, joint aches, paresthesia, abdominal and muscle pain, edema, and cardiovascular collapse. These adverse reactions have occurred up to 30 minutes after the administration of Venofer injection. Reactions have occurred following the first dose or subsequent doses of Venofer.

Symptoms may respond to intravenous fluids, hydrocortisone, and/or antihistamines. Slowing the infusion rate may alleviate symptoms. Injection site discoloration has been reported following extravasation.

Assure stable intravenous access to avoid extravasation.

Venofer may reduce the absorption of concomitantly administered oral iron preparations.

Pregnancy Risk Summary Published studies on intravenous iron sucrose treatment after the first trimester of pregnancy have not shown adverse maternal or fetal outcomes (see Data). Available reports of intravenous iron sucrose use in pregnant women during the first trimester are insufficient to assess the risk of major birth defects and miscarriage. There are risks to the mother and fetus associated with untreated IDA in pregnancy as well as risks to the fetus associated with maternal severe hypersensitivity reactions (see Clinical Considerations).

Animal reproduction studies of iron sucrose administered to rats and rabbits during the period of organogenesis at elemental iron doses equivalent to the maximum recommended human dose based on body surface area revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus (see Data). The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated populations is unknown. Adverse outcomes in pregnancy occur regardless of the health of the mother or the use of medications.

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. Clinical Considerations Disease-associated maternal and/or embryo/fetal risk Iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy should be treated. Untreated IDA in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal outcomes such as post-partum anemia.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with IDA include increased risk for preterm delivery and low birth weight. Fetal/Neonatal adverse reactions Severe adverse reactions including circulatory failure (severe hypotension, shock including in the context of anaphylactic reaction) may occur in pregnant women with parenteral iron products (such as Venofer) which may cause fetal bradycardia, especially during the second and third trimester. Data Human Data Published data from randomized controlled studies and prospective observational studies on the use of Venofer in pregnant women have not reported an association of Venofer and adverse developmental outcomes.

However, these studies did not include women exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy and were not designed to assess the risk of major birth defects. Maternal adverse events reported in these studies are similar to those reported during clinical trials in adult males and non-pregnant females.

Pediatric Use Safety and effectiveness of Venofer for iron replacement treatment in pediatric patients with dialysis-dependent or non-dialysis-dependent CKD have not been established. Safety and effectiveness of Venofer for iron maintenance treatment in pediatric patients 2 years of age and older with dialysis-dependent or non-dialysis-dependent CKD receiving erythropoietin therapy were studied. Venofer at doses of 0.5 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, and 2 mg/kg was administered.

All three doses maintained hemoglobin between 10.5 g/dL and 14.0 g/dL in about 50% of subjects over the 12-week treatment period with stable EPO dosing. Venofer has not been studied in patients younger than 2 years of age. In a country where Venofer is available for use in children, at a single site, five premature infants (weight less than 1,250 g) developed necrotizing enterocolitis and two of the five died during or following a period when they received Venofer, several other medications and erythropoietin.

Necrotizing enterocolitis may be a complication of prematurity in very low birth weight infants. No causal relationship to Venofer or any other drugs could be established.

Known hypersensitivity to Venofer. Known hypersensitivity to Venofer

No data are available regarding overdosage of Venofer in humans. Excessive dosages of Venofer may lead to accumulation of iron in storage sites potentially leading to hemosiderosis. Do not administer Venofer to patients with iron overload.

Venofer is not dialyzable through CA210 (Baxter) High Efficiency or Fresenius F80A High Flux dialysis membranes. Toxicities in single-dose studies in mice and rats, at intravenous iron sucrose doses up to 8 times the maximum recommended human dose based on body surface area, included sedation, hypoactivity, pale eyes, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, and mortality.