Revatio^® 20 mg film-coated tablets

Each film-coated tablet contains 20 mg of sildenafil (as citrate).

Excipient

Revatio tablets also contain 0.7 mg lactose.

For a full list of excipients, see section 6.1.

Film-coated tablet.

White, round, biconvex film-coated tablets marked “PFIZER” on one side and “RVT 20”on the other.

Treatment of adults patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension classified as WHO functional class II and III, to improve exercise capacity. Efficacy has been shown in primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with connective tissue disease.

Paediatric population

Treatment of paediatric patients aged 1 year to 17 years old with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Efficacy in terms of improvement of exercise capacity or pulmonary haemodynamics has been shown in primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (See section 5.1).

Treatment should only be initiated and monitored by a physician experienced in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In case of clinical deterioration in spite of Revatio treatment, alternative therapies should be considered.

Posology

Adults

The recommended dose is 20 mg three times a day. Physicians should advise patients who forget to take Revatio to take a dose as soon as possible and then continue with the normal dose. Patients should not take a double dose to compensate for the missed dose..

Patients using other medicines

In general, any dose adjustment should be administered only after a careful benefit-risk assessment. A downward dose adjustment to 20 mg twice daily should be considered when sildenafil is co-administered to patients already receiving CYP3A4 inhibitors like erythromycin or saquinavir. A downward dose adjustment to 20 mg once daily is recommended in case of co-administration with more potent CYP3A4 inhibitors clarithromycin, telithromycin and nefazodone. Dose adjustments of sildenafil may be required when co-administered with CYP3A4 inducers (see section 4.5). For the use of sildenafil with the most potent CYP3A4 inhibitors, please see section 4.3.

Special populations

Elderly ( 65 years)

Dose adjustments are not required in elderly patients. Clinical efficacy as measured by 6-minute walk distance could be less in elderly patients.

Renal impairment

Initial dose adjustments are not required in patients with renal impairment, including severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance < 30 ml/min). A downward dose adjustment to 20 mg twice daily should be considered after a careful benefit-risk assessment only if therapy is not well-tolerated.

Hepatic impairment

Initial dose adjustments are not required in patients with hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh class A and B). A downward dose adjustment to 20 mg twice daily should be considered after a careful benefit-risk assessment only if therapy is not well-tolerated.

Revatio is contraindicated in patients with severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh class C), (see section 4.3).

Paediatric population

The safety and efficacy of Revatio in children below 1 year of age has not been established. No data are available.

For paediatric patients aged 1 year to 17 years old, the recommended dose in patients 20 kg is 10 mg (1 ml of compounded suspension) three times a day and for patients > 20 kg is 20 mg (2 ml of compounded suspension or 1 tablet) three times a day. Higher than recommended doses should not be used in paediatric patients with PAH (See also Sections 4.4 and 5.1).

For instructions on compounding of the medicinal product before administration, see section 6.6.

Discontinuation of treatment

Limited data suggests that the abrupt discontinuation of Revatio is not associated with rebound worsening of pulmonary arterial hypertension. However to avoid the possible occurrence of sudden clinical deterioration during withdrawal, a gradual dose reduction should be considered. Intensified monitoring is recommended during the discontinuation period.

Method of administration

Revatio is for oral use only. Tablets should be taken approximately 6 to 8 hours apart with or without food.

For compounded oral suspension: before withdrawing the required dose from the bottle, shake the compounded suspension well for not less than 10 seconds.

Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.

Co-administration with nitric oxide donors (such as amyl nitrite) or nitrates in any form due to the hypotensive effects of nitrates see section 5.1).

Combination with the most potent of the CYP3A4 inhibitors (eg, ketoconazole, itraconazole, ritonavir) (see section 4.5).

Patients who have loss of vision in one eye because of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), regardless of whether this episode was in connection or not with previous PDE5 inhibitor exposure (see section 4.4).

The safety of sildenafil has not been studied in the following sub-groups of patients and its use is therefore contraindicated:

Severe hepatic impairment,

Recent history of stroke or myocardial infarction,

Severe hypotension (blood pressure < 90/50 mmHg) at initiation.

The efficacy of Revatio has not been established in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (functional class IV). If the clinical situation deteriorates, therapies that are recommended at the severe stage of the disease (eg, epoprostenol) should be considered (see section 4.2). The benefit-risk balance of sildenafil has not been established in patients assessed to be at WHO functional class I pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Studies with sildenafil have been performed in forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension related to primary (idiopathic), connective tissue disease associated or congenital heart disease associated forms of PAH (see section 5.1). The use of sildenafil in other forms of PAH is not recommended.

In the long term paediatric extension study, an increase in deaths was observed in patients administered doses higher than the recommended dose. Therefore, doses higher than the recommended doses should not be used in paediatric patients with PAH (See also Sections 4.2 and 5.1).

Retinitis pigmentosa

The safety of sildenafil has not been studied in patients with known hereditary degenerative retinal disorders such as Retinitis pigmentosa (a minority of these patients have genetic disorders of retinal phosphodiesterases) and therefore its use is not recommended.

Vasodilatory action

When prescribing sildenafil, physicians should carefully consider whether patients with certain underlying conditions could be adversely affected by sildenafil's mild to moderate vasodilatory effects, for example patients with hypotension, patients with fluid depletion, severe left ventricular outflow obstruction or autonomic dysfunction (see section 4.4).

Cardiovascular risk factors

In post-marketing experience with sildenafil for male erectile dysfunction, serious cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, unstable angina, sudden cardiac death, ventricular arrhythmia, cerebrovascular haemorrhage, transient ischaemic attack, hypertension and hypotension have been reported in temporal association with the use of sildenafil. Most, but not all, of these patients had pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors. Many events were reported to occur during or shortly after sexual intercourse and a few were reported to occur shortly after the use of sildenafil without sexual activity. It is not possible to determine whether these events are related directly to these factors or to other factors.

Priapism

Sildenafil should be used with caution in patients with anatomical deformation of the penis (such as angulation, cavernosal fibrosis or Peyronie's disease), or in patients who have conditions which may predispose them to priapism (such as sickle cell anaemia, multiple myeloma or leukaemia).

Visual events

Visual defects and cases of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) have been reported in connection with the intake of sildenafil and other PDE5 inhibitors. The patient should be advised that in case of sudden visual defect, he should stop taking Revatio and consult a physician immediately (see section 4.3).

Alpha-blockers

Caution is advised when sildenafil is administered to patients taking an alpha-blocker as the co-administration may lead to symptomatic hypotension in susceptible individuals (see section 4.5). In order to minimise the potential for developing postural hypotension, patients should be haemodynamically stable on alpha-blocker therapy prior to initiating sildenafil treatment. Physicians should advise patients what to do in the event of postural hypotensive symptoms.

Bleeding disorders

Studies with human platelets indicate that sildenafil potentiates the antiaggregatory effect of sodium nitroprusside in vitro. There is no safety information on the administration of sildenafil to patients with bleeding disorders or active peptic ulceration. Therefore sildenafil should be administered to these patients only after careful benefit-risk assessment.

Vitamin K antagonists

In pulmonary arterial hypertension patients, there may be a potential for increased risk of bleeding when sildenafil is initiated in patients already using a Vitamin K antagonist, particularly in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension secondary to connective tissue disease.

Veno-occlusive disease

No data are available with sildenafil in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. However, cases of life threatening pulmonary oedema have been reported with vasodilators (mainly prostacyclin) when used in those patients. Consequently, should signs of pulmonary oedema occur when sildenafil is administered in patients with pulmonary hypertension, the possibility of associated veno-occlusive disease should be considered.

Galactose intolerance

Lactose monohydrate is present in the tablet film coat. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicinal product.

Effects of other medicinal products on sildenafil

In vitro studies

Sildenafil metabolism is principally mediated by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms 3A4 (major route) and 2C9 (minor route). Therefore, inhibitors of these isoenzymes may reduce sildenafil clearance and inducers of these isoenzymes may increase sildenafil clearance. For dose recommendations see sections 4.2 and 4.3.

In vivo studies

Co-administration of oral sildenafil and intravenous epoprostenol has been eva luated (see sections 4.8 and 5.1).

The efficacy and safety of sildenafil co-administered with other treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (eg, bosentan, iloprost) has not been studied in controlled clinical trials. Therefore, caution is recommended in case of co-administration. There is a pharmacokinetic interaction between sildenafil and bosentan (see below information on the interaction with CYP3A4 inducers and effects of sildenafil on other medicinal products).

The safety and efficacy of sildenafil when co-administered with other PDE5 inhibitors has not been studied in pulmonary