Xadago 50 mg film-coated tablets

Xadago 100 mg film-coated tablets

Xadago 50 mg film-coated tablets

Each film-coated tablet contains safinamide methansulfonate equivalent to 50 mg safinamide.

Xadago 100 mg film-coated tablets

Each film-coated tablet contains safinamide methansulfonate equivalent to 100 mg safinamide.

For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1.

Film-coated tablet (tablet)

Xadago 50 mg film-coated tablets

Orange to copper, round, biconcave, film-coated tablet of 7 mm diameter with metallic gloss, embossed with the strength “50” on one side of the tablet.

Xadago 100 mg film-coated tablets

Orange to copper, round, biconcave, film-coated tablet of 9 mm diameter with metallic gloss, embossed with the strength “100” on one side of the tablet.

Xadago is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) as add-on therapy to a stable dose of Levodopa (L-dopa) alone or in combination with other PD medicinal products in mid-to late-stage fluctuating patients.

Posology

Treatment with Xadago should be started at 50 mg per day. This daily dose may be increased to 100 mg/day on the basis of individual clinical need.

If a dose is missed the next dose should be taken at the usual time the next day.

Elderly

No change in dose is required for elderly patients.

Experience of use of safinamide in patients over 75 years of age is limited.

Hepatic impairment

Xadago use in patients with severe hepatic impairment is contraindicated (see section 4.3). No dose adjustment is required in patients with mild hepatic impairment. The lower dose of 50 mg/day is recommended for patients with moderate hepatic impairment. If patients progress from moderate to severe hepatic impairment Xadago should be stopped (see section 4.4).

Renal impairment

No change in dose is required for patients with renal impairment.

Paediatric population

The safety and efficacy of safinamide in children and adolescents under 18 years of age have not been established. No data are available.

Method of administration

For oral use.

Xadago should be taken with water.

Xadago may be taken with or without food.

Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients (see section 6.1).

Concomitant treatment with other monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (see sections 4.4 and 4.5).

Concomitant treatment with pethidine (see sections 4.4 and 4.5).

Use in patients with severe hepatic impairment (see section 4.2).

Use in patients with albinism, retinal degeneration, uveitis, inherited retinopathy or severe progressive diabetic retinopathy (see sections 4.4 and 5.3).

General warning

In general, Xadago may be used with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) at the lowest effective dose, with caution for serotoninergic symptoms. In particular, the concomitant use of Xadago and fluoxetine or fluvoxamine should be avoided, or if concomitant treatment is necessary these medicinal products should be used at low doses (see section 4.5). A washout period corresponding to 5 half-lives of the SSRI used previously should be considered prior to initiating treatment with Xadago.

At least 7 days must elapse between discontinuation of Xadago and initiation of treatment with MAO inhibitors or pethidine (see section 4.3 and 4.5).

Hepatic impairment

Caution should be exercised when initiating treatment with Xadago in patients with moderate hepatic impairment. In case patients progress from moderate to severe hepatic impairment, treatment with Xadago should be stopped (see section 4.2, 4.3 and 5.2).

Potential for retinal degeneration in patients with presence/prior history of retinal disease

Xadago should not be administered to patients with ophthalmological history that would put them at increased risk for potential retinal effects (e.g., albino patients, family history of hereditary retinal disease, retinitis pigmentosa, any active retinopathy, or uveitis) see section 4.3 and 5.3.

Impulse control disorders (ICDs)

Impulse control disorders can occur in patients treated with dopamine agonists and/or dopaminergic treatments. Some reports of ICDs have also been observed with other MAO-inhibitors. Safinamide treatment has not been associated with any increase in the appearance of ICDs.

Patients and carers should be made aware of the behavioural symptoms of ICDs that were observed in patients treated with MAO-inhibitors, including cases of compulsions, obsessive thoughts, pathological gambling, increased libido, hypersexuality, impulsive behaviour and compulsive spending or buying.

Dopaminergic side effects

Safinamide used as an adjunct to levodopa may potentiate the side effects of levodopa, and pre-existing dyskinesia may be exacerbated, requiring a decrease of levodopa. This effect was not seen when safinamide was used as an adjunct to dopamine agonists in early stage PD patients.

In vivo and in vitro pharmacodynamic drug interactions

MAO inhibitors and pethidine

Xadago must not be administered along with other MAO inhibitors (including moclobemide) as there may be a risk of non-selective MAO inhibition that may lead to a hypertensive crisis (see section 4.3).

Serious adverse reactions have been reported with the concomitant use of pethidine and MAO inhibitors. As this may be a class-effect, the concomitant administration of Xadago and pethidine is contraindicated (see section 4.3).

There have been reports of medicinal product interactions with the concomitant use of MAO inhibitors and sympathomimetic medicinal products. In view of the MAO inhibitory activity of safinamide, concomitant administration of Xadago and sympathomimetics, such as those present in nasal and oral decongestants or cold medicinal products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, requires caution (see section 4.4).

Dextromethorphan

There have been reports of medicinal product interactions with the concomitant use of dextromethorphan and non-selective MAO inhibitors. In view of the MAO inhibitory activity of safinamide, the concomitant administration of Xadago and dextromethorphan is not recommended, or if concomitant treatment is necessary, it should be used with caution (see section 4.4).

Antidepressants

The concomitant use of Xadago and fluoxetine or fluvoxamine should be avoided (see section 4.4), this precaution is based on the occurrence of serious adverse reactions (e.g. serotonin syndrome), although rare, that have occurred when SSRIs and dextromethorphan have been used with MAO inhibitors. If necessary, the concomitant use of these medicinal products should be at the lowest effective dose. A washout period corresponding to 5 half-lives of the SSRI used previously should be considered prior to initiating treatment with Xadago.

Serious adverse reactions have been reported with the concomitant use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic/tetracyclic antidepressants and MAO inhibitors (see section 4.4). In view of the selective and reversible MAO-B inhibitory activity of safinamide, antidepressants may be administered but used at the lowest doses necessary.

Tyramine/safinamide interaction

Results of one intravenous and two short term oral tyramine challenge studies, as well as results of home monitoring of blood pressure after meals during chronic dosing in two therapeutic trials in PD patients, did not detect any clinically important increase in blood pressure. Three therapeutic studies performed in PD patients without any tyramine restriction, also did not detect any evidence of tyramine potentiation. Xadago can, therefore, be used safely without any dietary tyramine restrictions.

In vivo and in vitro pharmacokinetic drug interactions

There was no effect on the clearance of safinamide in patients with PD receiving safinamide as adjunct to chronic L-dopa and/or DA-agonists and safinamide treatment did not change the pharmacokinetic profile of co-administered L-dopa.

In an in vivo drug-drug interaction study performed with ketoconazole, there was no clinically relevant effect on the levels of safinamide. Human studies eva luating the interaction of safinamide with CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 substrates (caffeine and midazolam), did not demonstrate any clinically significant effects on the pharmacokinetic profile of safinamide. This is in line with the results of the in vitro tests in which no meaningful CYP induction or inhibition by safinamide was observed and it was shown that CYP enzymes play a minor role in the biotransformation of safinamide (see section 5.2)

Safinamide may transiently inhibit BCRP in vitro. However, in a drug-drug-interaction study with diclofenac in humans no significant interactions were observed. Therefore, no precautions are necessary when safinamide is taken with medicinal products that are BCRP substrates (e.g., pitavastatin, pravastatin, ciprofloxacin, methotrexate, topotecan, diclofenac or glyburide).

Safinamide is almost exclusively eliminated via metabolism, largely by high capacity amidases that have not yet been characterized. Safinamide is eliminated mainly in the urine. In human liver microsomes (HLM), the N-dealkylation step appears to be catalysed by CYP3A4, as safinamide clearance in HLM was inhibited by ketoconazole by 90%. There are currently no marketed medicinal products known to cause clinically significant drug-drug interactions through inhibition or induction of amidase enzymes.

Safinamide inhibits OCT1 in vitro at clinically relevant portal vein concentrations. Therefore, caution is necessary when safinamide is taken concomitantly with medicinal products that are OCT1 substrates and have a t_max similar to safinamide (2 hours) (e.g. metformin, aciclovir, ganciclovir) as exposure to these substrates might be increased as a consequence.

The metabolite NW-1153 is a substrate for OAT3 at clinically relevant concentrations.

Medicinal products that are inhibitors of OAT3 given concomitantly with safinamide may reduce clearance of NW-1153, i.e., and thus may increase its systemic exposure. The systemic exposure of NW-1153 is low (1/10 of parent safinamide). This potential increase is most likely of no clinical relevance as NW-1153, the first product in the metabolic pathway, is further transformed to secondary and tertiary metabolites.

Paediatric population

Interaction studies have only been performed in adults.

Women of childbearing potential

Xadago should not be given to women of childbearing potential unless adequate contraception is practiced.

Pregnancy

No clinical data for safinamide on exposed pregnancies is available. Animal studies have shown adverse reactions when exposed to safinamide during pregnancy or lactation (see section 5.3). Women of childbearing potential should be advised not to become pregnant during safinamide therapy. Xadago should not be given during pregnancy.

Breast-feeding

Safinamide is expected to be excreted in milk as adverse reactions have been observed in rat pups exposed via milk (see section 5.3). A risk for the breast-fed child cannot be excluded. Xadago should not be given to breast-feeding women.

Fertility

Animal studies indicate that safinamide treatment is associated with adverse reactions on female rat reproductive performance and sperm quality. Male rat fertility is not affected (see section 5.3).