ORENCIA 125 mg solution for injection in pre-filled syringe.
Each pre-filled syringe contains 125 mg of abatacept in one mL.
Abatacept is a fusion protein produced by recombinant DNA technology in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1.
Solution for injection (injection) in pre-filled syringe.
The solution is clear, colorless to pale yellow with a pH of 6.8 to 7.4.
Rheumatoid arthritis
ORENCIA in combination with methotrexate is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients who responded inadequately to previous therapy with one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including methotrexate (MTX) or a tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitor.
A reduction in the progression of joint damage and improvement of physical function have been demonstrated during combination treatment with abatacept and methotrexate.
Treatment should be initiated and supervised by specialist physicians experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
If a response to abatacept is not present within 6 months of treatment, the continuation of the treatment should be reconsidered (see section 5.1).
Posology
Adults
ORENCIA subcutaneous (SC) may be initiated with or without an intravenous (IV) loading dose. ORENCIA SC should be administered weekly at a dose of 125 mg by subcutaneous injection regardless of weight (see section 5.1). If a single IV infusion is given to initiate treatment (IV loading dose before SC administration), the first 125 mg abatacept SC should be administered within a day of the IV infusion, followed by the weekly 125 mg abatacept SC injections (for the posology of the intravenous loading dose, please refer to section 4.2 of ORENCIA 250 mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion).
Patients transitioning from ORENCIA intravenous therapy to subcutaneous administration should administer the first subcutaneous dose instead of the next scheduled intravenous dose.
No dose adjustment is required when used in combination with other DMARDs, corticosteroids, salicylates, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or analgesics.
Missed dose
If a patient misses an injection of ORENCIA and is within three days of the planned date, he/she should be instructed to take the missed dose immediately and remain on the original weekly schedule. If the dose is missed by more than three days, the patient should be instructed when to take the next dose based on medical judgment (condition of the patient, status of disease activity, etc).
Elderly patients
No dose adjustment is required (see section 4.4).
Renal and hepatic impairment
ORENCIA has not been studied in these patient populations. No dose recommendations can be made.
Paediatric population
The safety and efficacy of ORENCIA subcutaneous administration in children below 18 years of age have not been established. No data are available.
The safety and efficacy of ORENCIA intravenous administration have been studied in children. The currently available data are described in the Summary of Product Characteristics of ORENCIA 250 mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion.
Method of administration
For subcutaneous use.
ORENCIA is intended for use under the guidance of a healthcare professional. After proper training in subcutaneous injection technique, a patient may self-inject with ORENCIA if a physician/healthcare professional determines that it is appropriate.
The total content (1 mL) of the pre-filled syringe should be administered as a subcutaneous injection only. Injection sites should be rotated and injections should never be given into areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard.
Comprehensive instructions for the preparation and administration of ORENCIA in a pre-filled syringe are given in the package leaflet. For instructions on preparation, see section 6.6.
Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.
Severe and uncontrolled infections such as sepsis and opportunistic infections (see section 4.4).
Combination with TNF-inhibitors
There is limited experience with use of abatacept in combination with TNF-inhibitors (see section 5.1). In placebo-controlled clinical trials, in comparison with patients treated with TNF-inhibitors and placebo, patients who received combination TNF-inhibitors with abatacept experienced an increase in overall infections and serious infections (see section 4.5). Abatacept is not recommended for use in combination with TNF-inhibitors.
While transitioning from TNF-inhibitor therapy to ORENCIA therapy, patients should be monitored for signs of infection (see section 5.1, Study VII).
Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions have been reported uncommonly with intravenous abatacept administration in clinical trials, where patients were not required to be pretreated to prevent allergic reactions (see section 4.8). Anaphylaxis or anaphylactoid reactions can occur after the first infusion and can be life-threatening. In postmarketing experience, a case of fatal anaphylaxis following the first infusion of ORENCIA has been reported. If any serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction occurs, intravenous or subcutaneous ORENCIA therapy should be discontinued immediately and appropriate therapy initiated, and the use of ORENCIA should be permanently discontinued (see section 4.8).
Effects on the immune system
Medicinal products which affect the immune system, including ORENCIA, may affect host defences against infections and malignancies, and affect vaccination responses.
Co-administration of ORENCIA with biologic immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory agents could potentiate the effects of abatacept on the immune system (see section 4.5).
Infections
Serious infections, including sepsis and pneumonia, have been reported with abatacept (see section 4.8). Some of these infections have been fatal. Many of the serious infections have occurred in patients on concomitant immunosuppressive therapy which in addition to their underlying disease, could further predispose them to infections. Treatment with ORENCIA should not be initiated in patients with active infections until infections are controlled. Physicians should exercise caution when considering the use of ORENCIA in patients with a history of recurrent infections or underlying conditions which may predispose them to infections. Patients who develop a new infection while undergoing treatment with ORENCIA should be monitored closely. Administration of ORENCIA should be discontinued if a patient develops a serious infection.
No increase of tuberculosis was observed in the pivotal placebo-controlled studies; however, all ORENCIA patients were screened for tuberculosis. The safety of ORENCIA in individuals with latent tuberculosis is unknown. There have been reports of tuberculosis in patients receiving ORENCIA (see section 4.8). Patients should be screened for latent tuberculosis prior to initiating ORENCIA. The available medical guidelines should also be taken into account.
Anti-rheumatic therapies have been associated with hepatitis B reactivation. Therefore, screening for viral hepatitis should be performed in accordance with published guidelines before starting therapy with ORENCIA.
Treatment with immunosuppressive therapy, such as ORENCIA, may be associated with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). If neurological symptoms suggestive of PML occur during ORENCIA therapy, treatment with ORENCIA should be discontinued and appropriate diagnostic measures initiated.
Malignancies
In the placebo-controlled clinical trials, the frequencies of malignancies in abatacept- and placebo-treated patients were 1.4% and 1.1%, respectively (see section 4.8). Patients with known malignancies were not included in these clinical trials. In carcinogenicity studies in mice, an increase in lymphomas and mammary tumours were noted. The clinical significance of this observation is unknown (see section 5.3). The potential role of abatacept in the development of malignancies, including lymphoma, in humans is unknown. There have been reports of non-melanoma skin cancers in patients receiving ORENCIA (see section 4.8). Periodic skin examination is recommended for all patients, particularly those with risk factors for skin cancer.
Vaccinations
Patients treated with ORENCIA may receive concurrent vaccinations, except for live vaccines. Live vaccines should not be given concurrently with abatacept or within 3 months of its discontinuation. Medicinal products that affect the immune system, including abatacept, may blunt the effectiveness of some immunisations (see section 4.5).
Elderly patients
A total of 323 patients 65 years of age and older, including 53 patients 75 years and older, received intravenous abatacept in placebo-controlled clinical trials. A total of 270 patients 65 years of age and older, including 46 patients 75 years and older, received subcutaneous abatacept in controlled clinical trials. The frequencies of serious infection and malignancy relative to placebo among intravenous abatacept-treated patients over age 65 were higher than among those under age 65. Similarly, the frequencies of serious infection and malignancy among subcutaneous abatacept-treated patients over age 65 were higher than among those under age 65. Because there is a higher incidence of infections and malignancies in the elderly in general, caution should be used when treating the elderly (see section 4.8).
Autoimmune processes
There is a theoretical concern that treatment with abatacept might increase the risk for autoimmune processes in adults, for example deterioration of multiple sclerosis. In the placebo-controlled clinical trials, abatacept treatment did not lead to increased autoantibody formation, such as antinuclear and anti-dsDNA antibodies, relative to placebo treatment (see sections 4.8 and 5.3).
Patients on controlled sodium diet
This medicinal product contains 0.014 mmol sodium (0.322 mg) per pre-filled syringe, i.e. essentially 'sodium- free'.
Combination with TNF-inhibitors
There is limited experience with the use of abatacept in combination with TNF-inhibitors (see section 5.1). While TNF-inhibitors did not influence abatacept clearance, in placebo-controlled clinical trials, patients receiving concomitant treatment with abatacept and TNF-inhibitors experienced more infections and serious infections than patients treated with only TNF-inhibitors. Therefore, concurrent therapy with ORENCIA and a TNF-inhibitor is not recommended.
Combination with other medicinal products
Population pharmacokinetic analyses did not detect any effect of methotrexate, NSAIDs, and corticosteroids on abatacept clearance (see section 5.2).
No major safety issues were identified with use of abatacept in combination with sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, or leflunomide.
Combination with other medicinal products that affect the immune system and with vaccinations
Co-administration of ORENCIA with biologic immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory agents could potentiate the effects of abatacept on the immune system. There is insufficient evidence to assess the safety and efficacy of ORENCIA in combination with anakinra or rituximab (see section 4.4).
Vaccinations
Live vaccines should not be given concurrently with abatacept or within 3 months of its discontinuation. No data are available on the secondary transmission of infection from persons receiving live vaccines to patients receiving ORENCIA. Medicinal products that affect the immune system, including ORENCIA, may blunt the effectiveness of some immunisations (see section 4.4).
Exploratory studies to assess the effect of abatacept on the antibody response to vaccination in healthy subjects as well as the antibody response to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in rheumatoid arthritis patients suggested that abatacept may blunt the effectiveness of the immune response, but did not significantly inhibit the ability to develop a clinically significant or positive immune response.
Abatacept was eva luated in an open-label study in rheumatoid arthritis patients administered the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine. After pneumococcal vaccination, 62 of 112 abatacept-treated patients were able to mount an adequate immune response of at least a 2-fold increase in antibody titers to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.
Abatacept was also eva luated in an open-label study in rheumatoid arthritis patients administered the seasonal influenza trivalent virus vaccine. After influenza vaccination, 73 of 119 abatacept-treated patients without protective antibody levels at baseline were able to mount an adequate immune response of at least a 4-fold increase in antibody titers to trivalent influenza vaccine.
Pregnancy and Women of childbearing potential
There are no adequate data from use of abatacept in pregnant women. In pre-clinical embryo-fetal development studies no undesirable effects were observed at doses up to 29-fold a human 10 mg/kg dose based on AUC. In a pre- and postnatal development study in rats limited changes in immune function were observed at 11-fold a human 10 mg/kg dose based on AUC (see section 5.3). ORENCIA should not be used in pregnant women unless clearly necessary. Women of child-bearing potential should use effective contraception during treatment with ORENCIA and up to 14 weeks after the last dose of abatacept treatment.
Breast-feeding
Abatacept has been shown to be present in rat milk. It is not known whether abatacept is excreted in human milk. Women should not breastfeed while treated with ORENCIA and for up to 14 weeks after the last dose of abatacept treatment.
Fertility
Formal studies of the potential effect of abatacept on human fertility have not been conducted.
In rats, abatacept had no undesirable effects on male or female fertility (see section 5.3).
Based on its mechanism of action, abatacept is expected to have no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines. However, dizziness and reduced visual acuity have been reported as common and uncommon adverse reactions respectively from patients treated with ORENCIA, therefore if a patient experiences such symptoms, driving and use of machinery should be avoided.
Summary of the safety profile
Intravenous abatacept has been studied in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis in placebo-controlled clinical trials (2,111 patients with abatacept, 1,099 with placebo).
In placebo-controlled clinical trials with intravenous abatacept, adverse reactions (ARs) were reported in 51.8% of abatacept-treated patients and 46.4% of placebo-treated patients. The most frequently reported adverse reactions (≥ 5%) among abatacept-treated patients were headache, nausea, and upper respiratory tract infections. The proportion of patients who discontinued treatment due to ARs was 3.3% for abatacept-treated patients and 2.0% for placebo-treated patients.
Tabulated list of adverse reactions
Listed in Table 1 are adverse reactions observed in clinical trials and post-marketing experience presented by system organ class and frequency, using the following categories: very common (≥ 1/10); common (≥ 1/100 to < 1/10); uncommon (≥ 1/1,000 to < 1/100); rare (≥ 1/10,000 to < 1/1,000); very rare (< 1/10,000). Within each frequency grouping, undesirable effects are presented in order of decreasing seriousness.
Table 1: Adverse Reactions
Infections and infestations
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Very Common
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Upper respiratory tract infection (including tracheitis, nasopharyngitis)
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Common
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Lower respiratory tract infection (including bronchitis), urinary tract infection, herpes infections (including herpes simplex, oral herpes, and herpes zoster), rhinitis, pneumonia, influenza
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Uncommon
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Tooth infection, onychomycosis, sepsis, muskuloskeletal infections, skin abscess, pyelonephritis, pelvic inflammatory disease
|
Rare
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Tuberculosis, bacteraemia, gastrointestinal infection
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Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl. cysts and polyps)
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Uncommon
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Basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, skin papilloma
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Rare
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Lymphoma, lung neoplasm malignant
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Blood and lymphatic system disorders
|
Common
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Leukopenia
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Uncommon
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Thrombocytopenia
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Immune system disorders
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Uncommon
|
Hypersensi |