Zenpep Drug Information

® is indicated for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in adult and pediatric patients. ZENPEP ® is indicated for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in adult and pediatric patients.

Important Dosing Information

ZENPEP is a mixture of enzymes including lipases, proteases, and amylases. ZENPEP dosing is based on lipase units. Use either an actual body weight or fat ingestion-based dosing scheme.

Start at the lowest recommended dosage and individualize the dosage based on clinical symptoms, the degree of steatorrhea present, and the fat content of the diet. Changes in dosage may require an adjustment period of several days. Do not exceed 2,500 lipase units/kg/meal, 10,000 lipase units/kg/day, or 4,000 lipase units/g fat ingested/day in adult and pediatric patients greater than 12 months of age without further investigation . The total daily dosage in adult and pediatric patients greater than 12 months of age should reflect approximately three meals plus two or three snacks per day.

With each snack, administer approximately half the prescribed ZENPEP dose for a meal. Do not substitute other pancreatic enzyme products for ZENPEP. When switching from another pancreatic enzyme product to ZENPEP, monitor patients for clinical symptoms of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and titrate the dosage as needed.

Recommended Dosage Adult and Pediatric Patients Greater than 12 Months of Age

The recommended oral initial starting dosage is: 500 lipase units/kg/meal for adult and pediatric patients 4 years of age and older. 1,000 lipase units/kg/meal for pediatric patients greater than 12 months of age to less than 4 years of age. If signs and symptoms of malabsorption persist, increase the dosage. Titrate to either 2,500 lipase units/kg/meal, 10,000 lipase units/kg/day, or less than 4,000 lipase units/grams of fat ingested/day.

Higher dosages may be administered if they are documented to be effective by fecal fat measures or an improvement in signs or symptoms of malabsorption including measures of nutritional status. Pediatric Patients Birth to 12 Months of Age The recommended oral dosage is 3,000 lipase units per 120 mL of formula or per breast-feeding.

Preparation and

Administration Instructions Instruct adult and pediatric patients greater than 12 months of age, or their caregivers, of the following: Take ZENPEP during meals or snacks. If a dose is missed, take the next dose with the next meal or snack. Swallow capsules whole.

For patients who are unable to swallow intact capsules, carefully open the capsules and sprinkle the entire contents on a small amount of acidic soft food with a pH of 4.5 or less (e.g., commercially available preparations of applesauce, bananas, or pears). Consume the entire mixture immediately. Do not crush or chew ZENPEP capsules or capsule contents. Consume sufficient liquids (water or juice) to ensure complete swallowing of ZENPEP. Instruct caregivers of pediatric patients birth to 12 months of age of the following: Immediately prior to each breast-feeding session or each administration of 120 mL of formula, carefully open one ZENPEP capsule (containing 3,000 USP units of lipase) and administer the entire contents using one of the following two methods: Sprinkle on a small amount of acidic soft food with a pH of 4.5 or less (e.g., commercially available preparations of applesauce, bananas or pears) being careful not to crush the capsule contents.

The entire mixture should be given to the infant immediately. Sprinkle the capsule contents directly into the infant's mouth. Immediately administer additional breast milk or formula after ZENPEP to ensure complete swallowing of the capsule contents.

Do not mix the ZENPEP capsule contents directly into a bottle of breast milk or formula. Do not crush ZENPEP capsule contents, and visually inspect the infant's mouth to ensure that no drug is retained in the mouth . If a dose is missed, administer the next dose with the next feeding.

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 the rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. The data described below reflect exposure to ZENPEP in 53 adult and pediatric patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to cystic fibrosis in two clinical trials conducted . In both trials, ZENPEP was administered at dosages of approximately 5,000 lipase units/kg/day for 19 to 42 days. Study 1 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of 34 adult and pediatric patients, aged 7 to 23 years.

Adverse reactions that were reported in at least 2 ZENPEP-treated patients (greater than or equal to 6%) and at a higher rate than in placebo-treated patients in Study 1 are shown in Table 1. Table 1: Adverse Reactions Reported in at least 2 ZENPEP-treated patients (greater than or equal to 6%) and at a higher rate than placebo-treated patients. in a Clinical Trial of Adult and Pediatric Patients 7 Years of Age and Older with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency due to Cystic Fibrosis (Study 1) Adverse Reaction ZENPEP N=34 n (%) Placebo N=32 n (%) Headache 5 (15%) 0 Contusion 2 (6%) 0 Cough 2 (6%) 0 Early Satiety 2 (6%) 0 Study 2 was an open-label, uncontrolled study of ZENPEP in 19 pediatric patients aged 1 to 6 years. The most commonly reported adverse reactions were gastrointestinal, including abdominal pain and steatorrhea. The type and incidence of adverse reactions in Studies 1 and 2 were similar between pediatric patients and adults.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of ZENPEP or other pancreatic enzyme products. 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. Eye Disorders blurred vision Gastrointestinal Disorders fibrosing colonopathy and distal intestinal obstruction syndrome abdominal distension, abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, and nausea Immune System Disorders anaphylaxis, asthma, hives and pruritis Investigations asymptomatic elevations of liver enzymes Musculoskeletal System myalgia, muscle spasm Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders urticaria and rash

Pregnancy Risk Summary Published data from case reports with pancrelipase use in pregnant women have not identified a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. Pancrelipase is minimally absorbed systematically; therefore, maternal use is not expected to result in fetal exposure to the drug. Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with pancrelipase.

The background risk of 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 clinically recognized pregnancies is 2 to 4% and 15 to 20%, respectively.

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of ZENPEP for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency have been established in pediatric patients. Use of ZENPEP for this indication is supported by an adequate and well-controlled trial in adult and pediatric patients 7 to 17 years of age (Study 1) along with supportive data from an open-label, single arm study in 19 pediatric patients 1 to 6 years of age (Study 2). Both study populations consisted of patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to cystic fibrosis. The safety in pediatric patients in Studies 1 and 2 were similar to that observed in adult patients.

Dosages exceeding 6,000 lipase units/kg/meal have been reported postmarketing to be associated with fibrosing colonopathy and colonic strictures in pediatric patients less than 12 years of age. If there is a history of fibrosing colonopathy, monitor patients during treatment with ZENPEP because some patients may be at risk of progressing to stricture formation. Do not exceed the recommended dosage of either 2,500 lipase units/kg/meal, 10,000 lipase units/kg/day, or 4,000 lipase units/g fat ingested/day in pediatric patients greater than 12 months of age without further investigation. . Crushing or chewing ZENPEP capsules or mixing the capsule contents in foods having a pH greater than 4.5 can disrupt the protective enteric coating on the capsule contents and result in early release of enzymes, irritation of the oral mucosa, and/or loss of enzyme activity.

Instruct the patient or caregiver of the following: consume sufficient liquids (juice, water, breast milk, or formula) to ensure complete swallowing, and visually inspect the mouth of pediatric patients less than 12 months of age to ensure that no drug is retained in the mouth and irritation of the oral mucosa has not occurred .

Chronic high dosages of pancreatic enzyme products have been associated with fibrosing colonopathy and colonic strictures . High dosages of pancreatic enzyme products have been associated with hyperuricosuria and hyperuricemia .