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Black Box Warning
WARNING: ASTHMA RELATED DEATH
See full prescribing information for complete Boxed Warning.
* Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists (LABA) increase the risk of asthma-related death. Data from a large placebo-controlled US study that compared the safety of another long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (salmeterol) or placebo added to usual asthma therapy showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol. This finding with salmeterol is considered a class effect of LABA, including arformoterol, the active ingredient in BROVANA Inhalation Solution. The safety and efficacy of BROVANA Inhalation Solution in patients with asthma have not been established. All LABA, including BROVANA Inhalation Solution, are contraindicated in patients with asthma without use of a long-term asthma control medication.
Arformoterol tartrate inhalation Solution is not indicated to treat asthma. The safety and effectiveness of arformoterol tartrate inhalation Solution in asthma have not been established.
Dosage
The recommended dose of arformoterol tartrate inhalation Solution is one 15 mcg unit-dose vial administered twice daily (morning and evening) by nebulization. A total daily dose of greater than 30 mcg (15 mcg twice daily) is not recommended.
BROVANA Inhalation Solution should be administered by the orally inhaled route via a standard jet nebulizer connected to an air compressor.BROVANA Inhalation Solution should not be swallowed. BROVANA Inhalation Solution should be stored refrigerated in foil pouches. After opening the pouch, unused unit-dose vials should be returned to, and stored in, the pouch. An opened unit-dose vial should be used right away.
If the recommended maintenance treatment regimen fails to provide the usual response, medical advice should be sought immediately, as this is often a sign of destabilization of COPD. Under these circumstances, the therapeutic regimen should be reevaluated and additional therapeutic options should be considered.
No dose adjustment is required for patients with renal or hepatic impairment. However, since the clearance of BROVANA Inhalation Solution is prolonged in patients with hepatic impairment, they should be monitored closely.
The drug compatibility (physical and chemical), efficacy, and safety of BROVANA Inhalation Solution when mixed with other drugs in a nebulizer have not been established.
The safety and efficacy of BROVANA Inhalation Solution have been established in clinical trials when administered using the PARI LC® Plus nebulizer (with a face mask or mouthpiece) and the PARI DURA NEB™ 3000 compressor. The safety and efficacy of BROVANA Inhalation Solution delivered from non-compressor based nebulizer systems have not been established.
DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS
Arformoterol tartrate inhalation Solution is supplied as a sterile solution for nebulization in low-density polyethylene unit-dose vials. Each 2 mL vial contains 15 mcg of arformoterol equivalent to 22 mcg of arformoterol tartrate.
Off-Label Use and Dosage (Adult)
Guideline-Supported Use
There is limited information regarding Off-Label Guideline-Supported Use of Arformoterol tartrate in adult patients.
Non–Guideline-Supported Use
There is limited information regarding Off-Label Non–Guideline-Supported Use of Arformoterol tartrate in adult patients.
Pediatric Indications and Dosage
FDA-Labeled Indications and Dosage (Pediatric)
There is limited information regarding FDA-Labeled Use of Arformoterol tartrate in pediatric patients.
Off-Label Use and Dosage (Pediatric)
Guideline-Supported Use
There is limited information regarding Off-Label Guideline-Supported Use of Arformoterol tartrate in pediatric patients.
Non–Guideline-Supported Use
There is limited information regarding Off-Label Non–Guideline-Supported Use of Arformoterol tartrate in pediatric patients.
Contraindications
BROVANA Inhalation Solution is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to arformoterol, racemic formoterol or to any other components of this product.
All LABA, including BROVANA Inhalation Solution, are contraindicated in patients with asthma without use of a long-term asthma control medication.
Warnings
WARNING: ASTHMA RELATED DEATH
See full prescribing information for complete Boxed Warning.
* Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists (LABA) increase the risk of asthma-related death. Data from a large placebo-controlled US study that compared the safety of another long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (salmeterol) or placebo added to usual asthma therapy showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol. This finding with salmeterol is considered a class effect of LABA, including arformoterol, the active ingredient in BROVANA Inhalation Solution. The safety and efficacy of BROVANA Inhalation Solution in patients with asthma have not been established. All LABA, including BROVANA Inhalation Solution, are contraindicated in patients with asthma without use of a long-term asthma control medication.
Asthma-Related Deaths
Data from a large placebo-controlled study in asthma patients showed that long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists (LABA) increase the risk of asthma-related death. This finding is considered a class effect of LABA, including arformoterol, the active ingredient in BROVANA Inhalation Solution. The safety and efficacy of BROVANA inhalation Solution in patients with asthma have not been established. All LABA, including BROVANA Inhalation Solution, are contraindicated in patients with asthma without use of a long-term asthma control medication. Data are not available to determine whether the rate of deaths in patients with COPD is increased by long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists.
A 28-week, placebo-controlled US study comparing the safety of salmeterol with placebo, each added to usual asthma therapy, showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol (13/13,176 in patients treated with salmeterol vs. 3/13,179 in patients treated with placebo; RR 4.37, 95% CI 1.25, 15.34). The increased risk of asthma-related death is considered a class effect of the long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists, including BROVANA inhalation Solution. No study adequate to determine whether the rate of asthma-related death is increased in patients treated with BROVANA inhalation Solution has been conducted.
Clinical studies with racemic formoterol suggested a higher incidence of serious asthma exacerbations in patients who received racemic formoterol than in those who received placebo. The sizes of these studies were not adequate to precisely quantify the differences in serious asthma exacerbation rates between treatment groups.
Deterioration of Disease and Acute Episodes
BROVANA Inhalation Solution should not be initiated in patients with acutely deteriorating COPD, which may be a life-threatening condition. The use of BROVANA inhalation Solution in this setting is inappropriate.
BROVANA Inhalation Solution is not indicated for the treatment of acute episodes of bronchospasm, i.e., as rescue therapy and extra doses should not be used for that purpose. Acute symptoms should be treated with an inhaled short-acting beta2-agonist.
When beginning BROVANA Inhalation Solution, patients who have been taking inhaled short-acting beta2-agonists on a regular basis (e.g., four times a day) should be instructed to discontinue the regular use of these drugs and use them only for symptomatic relief of acute respiratory symptoms. When prescribing BROVANA inhalation Solution, the healthcare provider should also prescribe an inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonist and instruct the patient how it should be used. Increasing inhaled beta2-agonist use is a signal of deteriorating disease for which prompt medical attention is indicated. COPD may deteriorate acutely over a period of hours or chronically over several days or longer. If BROVANA Inhalation Solution no longer controls the symptoms of bronchoconstriction, or the patient's inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonist becomes less effective or the patient needs more inhalation of short-acting beta2-agonist than usual, these may be markers of deterioration of disease. In this setting, a reevaluation of the patient and the COPD treatment regimen should be undertaken at once. Increasing the daily dosage of BROVANA Inhalation Solution beyond the recommended 15 mcg twice daily dose is not appropriate in this situation.
Excessive Use of BROVANA Inhalation Solution and Use with Other Long-Acting Beta2-Agonists
Fatalities have been reported in association with excessive use of inhaled sympathomimetic drugs. As with other inhaled beta2-adrenergic drugs, BROVANA inhalation Solution should not be used more often, at higher doses than recommended, or in conjunction with other medications containing long-acting beta2-agonists.
Paradoxical Bronchospasm
As with other inhaled beta2-agonists, BROVANA inhalation Solution can produce paradoxical bronchospasm that may be life-threatening. If paradoxical bronchospasm occurs, BROVANA Inhalation Solution should be discontinued immediately and alternative therapy instituted.
Cardiovascular Effects
BROVANA Inhalation Solution, like other beta2-agonists, can produce a clinically significant cardiovascular effect in some patients as measured by increases in pulse rate, systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure, and/or symptoms. If such effects occur, the drug may need to be discontinued. In addition, beta-agonists have been reported to produce ECG changes, such as flattening of the T-wave, prolongation of the QTc interval, and ST segment depression. The clinical significance of these findings is unknown. BROVANA Inhalation Solution, as with other sympathomimetic amines, should be used with caution in patients with cardiovascular disorders, especially coronary insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypertension.
Coexisting Conditions
BROVANA Inhalation Solution, like other sympathomimetic amines, should be used with caution in patients with cardiovascular disorders, especially coronary insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypertension; in patients with convulsive disorders or thyrotoxicosis, and in patients who are unusually responsive to sympathomimetic amines. In two pooled, 12-week, placebo-controlled trials investigating BROVANA Inhalation Solution doses of 15 μg BID, 25 μg BID, and 50 μg QD, changes in mean predose and 2-hour post dose systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure were seen as a general fall of 2-4 mm/Hg; for pulse rate the mean of maximal increases were 8.8-12.0 beats/min. Over the course of a one-year study measuring serial electrocardiograms while receiving a dose of 50 mcg daily of BROVANA Inhalation Solution resulted in an approximately 3.0 ms increase in QTC-F compared to the active comparator, salmeterol. Doses of the related beta2-agonistalbuterol, when administered intravenously, have been reported to aggravate preexisting diabetes mellitus and ketoacidosis.
Hypokalemia and Hyperglycemia
Beta-agonist medications may produce significant hypokalemia in some patients, possibly through intracellular shunting, which has the potential to produce adverse cardiovascular effects. The decrease in serum potassium is usually transient, not requiring supplementation. Beta-agonist medications may produce transient hyperglycemia in some patients.
Clinically significant and dose-related changes in serum potassium and blood glucose were infrequent during clinical trials with long-term administration of BROVANA Inhalation Solution at the recommended dose.
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in 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 clinical practice.
Adults with COPD in Short-Term Trials (12 weeks)
The safety data described below for adults ≥35 years of age are based on 2 clinical trials of 12 weeks. In the 2 trials of 12 weeks duration, 1456 patients (860 males and 596 females, ages 34 to 89 years old) with COPD were treated with BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily, 25 mcg twice daily, 50 mcg once daily, salmeterol 42 mcg twice daily, or placebo. The racial/ethnic distribution in these two trials included 1383 Caucasians, 49 Blacks, 10 Asians, and 10 Hispanics, and 4 patients classified as Other. Among the 1,456 COPD patients in two 12-week, placebo-controlled trials, 288 were treated with BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and 293 were treated with placebo. Doses of 25 mcg twice daily and 50 mcg once daily were also evaluated.
TABLE 1 shows adverse reaction rates among patients from these two trials where the frequency was greater than or equal to 2% in the BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily group and where the rate in the BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily group exceeded the rate in the placebo group. The total number and percent of patients who reported adverse events were 202 (70%) in the 15 mcg twice daily and 219 (75%) in the placebo groups. Ten adverse events demonstrated a dose relationship: asthenia, fever, bronchitis, COPD, headache, vomiting, hyperkalemia, leukocytosis, nervousness, and tremor.
This image is provided by the National Library of Medicine.
Adverse events occurring in patients treated with BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily with a frequency of <2%, but greater than placebo, were as follows:
In these trials, the overall frequency of all cardiovascular adverse events was 6.9% in BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and 13.3% in the placebo group. There were no frequently occurring specific cardiovascular adverse events for BROVANA Inhalation Solution (frequency ≥1% and greater than placebo). The rate of COPD exacerbations was also comparable between the BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and placebo groups, 12.2% and 15.1%, respectively.
Adults with COPD in Long-Term (52-week) Safety Trial
BROVANA Inhalation Solution was evaluated in one 52 week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, safety trial conducted in patients with moderate to severe COPD. The primary endpoint was time to either respiratory death or first COPD exacerbation-related hospitalization, whichever occurred first. The event had to be a death or hospitalization for which the patient's respiratory status was predominant and/or inciting contributor, as determined by the clinical investigator. The objective of the trial was to demonstrate that the risk of respiratory death or COPD exacerbation-related hospitalization for patients treated with BROVANA Inhalation Solution was not greater than 40% more than the risk for patient treated with placebo. A total of 841 patients (479 males and 361 females, ages 41 to 94 years old) with COPD were randomized: 420 to BROVANA Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and 421 to placebo. Of the randomized patients, 255 (61%) in the BROVANA Inhalation Solution group and 211 (50%) in the placebo group, completed one year of treatment. The trial objective was met demonstrating that COPD patients treated with BROVANA Inhalation Solution are not at an increased risk of respiratory death or COPD exacerbation-related hospitalizations compared to placebo.
Postmarketing Experience
There is limited information regarding Arformoterol tartrate Postmarketing Experience in the drug label.
Drug Interactions
Adrenergic Drugs
If additional adrenergic drugs are to be administered by any route, they should be used with caution because the sympathetic effects of arformoterol may be potentiated.
Xanthine Derivatives, Steroids, or Diuretics
Concomitant treatment with methylxanthine (aminophylline, theophylline), steroids, or diuretics may potentiate any hypokalemic effect of adrenergic agonists including BROVANA Inhalation Solution.
The concurrent use of intravenously or orally administered methylxanthines (e.g., aminophylline, theophylline) by patients receiving BROVANA Inhalation Solution has not been completely evaluated. In two combined 12-week, placebo-controlled trials that included BROVANA Inhalation Solution doses of 15 mcg twice daily, 25 mcg twice daily, and 50 mcg once daily, 54 of 873 BROVANA Inhalation Solution-treated subjects received concomitant theophylline at study entry. In a 12-month controlled trial that included a 50 mcg once daily BROVANA Inhalation Solution dose, 30 of the 528 BROVANA Inhalation Solution-treated subjects received concomitant theophylline at study entry. In these trials, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were approximately 2-3 bpm and 6-8 mm Hg higher, respectively, in subjects on concomitant theophylline compared with the overall population.
Non-potassium Sparing Diuretics
The ECG changes and/or hypokalemia that may result from the administration of non-potassium sparing diuretics (such as loop or thiazide diuretics) can be acutely worsened by beta-agonists, especially when the recommended dose of the beta-agonist is exceeded. Although the clinical significance of these effects is not known, caution is advised in the co-administration of beta-agonists, including BROVANA Inhalation Solution, with non-potassium sparing diuretics.
MAO Inhibitors, Tricyclic Antidepressants, QTc Prolonging Drugs
BROVANA Inhalation Solution, as with other beta-agonists, should be administered with extreme caution to patients being treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, or drugs known to prolong the QTc interval because of the effect of adrenergic agonists on the cardiovascular system may be potentiated by these agents. Drugs that are known to prolong the QTc interval have an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
Beta-Blockers
Beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists (beta-blockers) and BROVANA Inhalation Solution may inhibit the effect of each other when administered concurrently. Beta-blockers not only block the therapeutic effects of beta-agonists, but may produce severe bronchospasm in COPD patients. Therefore, patients with COPD should not normally be treated with beta-blockers. However, under certain circumstances, e.g., as prophylaxis after myocardial infarction, there may be no acceptable alternatives to the use of beta-blockers in patients with COPD. In this setting, cardioselective beta-blockers could be considered, although they should be administered with caution.
There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of BROVANA Inhalation Solution in pregnant women. Arformoterol has been shown to be teratogenic in rats and rabbits. Arformoterol also caused neonatal mortality and developmental delays in rats. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, BROVANA Inhalation Solution should be used during pregnancy, only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
Arformoterol has been shown to be teratogenic in rats based upon findings of omphalocele (umbilical hernia), a malformation, at oral doses equal to and greater than approximately 370 times adult exposure at the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose. Increased pup loss at birth and during lactation and decreased pup weights were observed in rats at oral doses equal to and greater than approximately 1100 times adult exposure at the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose. Delays in development were evident with an oral dose approximately 2400 times adult exposure at the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose.
Arformoterol has been shown to be teratogenic in rabbits based upon findings of malpositioned right kidney, a malformation, at oral doses equal to and greater than approximately 8400 times adult exposure at the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose. Malformations including brachydactyly, bulbous aorta, and liver cysts were observed at oral doses equal to and greater than approximately 22,000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis. Malformations including adactyly, lobular dysgenesis of the lung, and interventricular septal defect were observed at an oral dose approximately 43,000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis. Embryolethality was observed at an oral dose approximately 43,000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis. Decreased pup body weights were observed at oral doses equal to and greater than approximately 22,000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis. There were no teratogenic findings in rabbits with oral doses equal to or less than approximately 4900 times adult exposure at the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose.
Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC) Pregnancy Category
There is no Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC) guidance on usage of Arformoterol tartrate in women who are pregnant.
Labor and Delivery
There are no human studies that have investigated the effects of BROVANA Inhalation Solution on preterm labor or labor at term.
Because beta-agonists may potentially interfere with uterine contractility, BROVANA Inhalation Solution should be used during labor and delivery only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk.
Nursing Mothers
In reproductive studies in rats, arformoterol was excreted in the milk. It is not known whether arformoterol is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when BROVANA Inhalation Solution is administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use
BROVANA Inhalation Solution is approved for use in the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchoconstriction associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. This disease does not occur in children. The safety and efficacy of BROVANA Inhalation Solution in pediatric patients have not been established.
Geriatic Use
Of the 873 patients who received BROVANA Inhalation Solution in two placebo-controlled clinical studies in adults with COPD, 391 (45%) were 65 years of age or older while 96 (11%) were 75 years of age or older. No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between these subjects and younger subjects. Among subjects age 65 years and older, 129 (33%) received BROVANA Inhalation Solution at the recommended dose of 15 mcg twice daily, while the remainder received higher doses. ECG alerts for ventricular ectopy in patients 65 to ≤75 years of age were comparable among patients receiving 15 mcg twice daily, 25 mcg twice daily, and placebo (3.9%, 5.2%, and 7.1%, respectively). A higher frequency (12.4%) was observed when BROVANA Inhalation Solution was dosed at 50 mcg once daily. The clinical significance of this finding is not known. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients, but greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out.
Gender
There is no FDA guidance on the use of Arformoterol tartrate with respect to specific gender populations.
Race
There is no FDA guidance on the use of Arformoterol tartrate with respect to specific racial populations.
Renal Impairment
The systemic exposure to arformoterol was similar to renally impaired patients compared with demographically matched healthy control subjects.
Hepatic Impairment
BROVANA Inhalation Solution should be used cautiously in patients with hepatic impairment due to increased systemic exposure in these patients.
Females of Reproductive Potential and Males
There is no FDA guidance on the use of Arformoterol tartrate in women of reproductive potentials and males.
Immunocompromised Patients
There is no FDA guidance one the use of Arformoterol tartrate in patients who are immunocompromised.
Administration and Monitoring
Administration
Oral
Intravenous
Monitoring
There is limited information regarding Monitoring of Arformoterol tartrate in the drug label.
Description
IV Compatibility
There is limited information regarding IV Compatibility of Arformoterol tartrate in the drug label.
Overdosage
The expected signs and symptoms associated with overdosage of BROVANA (arformoterol tartrate) inhalation Solution are those of excessive beta-adrenergic stimulation and/or occurrence or exaggeration of any of the signs and symptoms listed under adverse reactions. Signs and symptoms may include angina, hypertension or hypotension, tachycardia, with rates up to 200 beats/min, arrhythmias, nervousness, headache, tremor, dry mouth, palpitation, muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, malaise, hypokalemia, hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis and insomnia. As with all inhaled sympathomimetic medications, cardiac arrest and even death may be associated with an overdose of BROVANA Inhalation Solution.
Treatment of overdosage consists of discontinuation of BROVANA Inhalation Solution together with institution of appropriate symptomatic and/or supportive therapy. The judicious use of a cardioselective beta-receptor blocker may be considered, bearing in mind that such medication can produce bronchospasm. There is insufficient evidence to determine if dialysis is beneficial for overdosage of BROVANA Inhalation Solution. Cardiac monitoring is recommended in cases of overdosage.
Clinical signs in dogs included flushing of the body surface and facial area, reddening of the ears and gums, tremor, and increased heart rate. A death was reported in dogs after a single oral dose of 5 mg/kg (approximately 4500 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis). Death occurred for a rat that received arformoterol at a single inhalation dose of 1600 mcg/kg (approximately 430 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis).
Pharmacology
There is limited information regarding Arformoterol tartrate Pharmacology in the drug label.
