1.1Rheumatoid Arthritis

SIMPONI, in combination with methotrexate, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis.

1.2Psoriatic Arthritis

SIMPONI, alone or in combination with methotrexate, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis.

1.3Ankylosing Spondylitis

SIMPONI is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.

2.1Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis

The SIMPONI dose regimen is 50 mg administered by subcutaneous injection once a month.

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), SIMPONI should be given in combination with methotrexate and for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS), SIMPONI may be given with or without methotrexate or other non-biologic Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs). For patients with RA, PsA, or AS, corticosteroids, non-biologic DMARDs, and/or NSAIDs may be continued during treatment with SIMPONI.

2.2Monitoring to Assess Safety

Prior to initiating SIMPONI and periodically during therapy, patients should be eva luated for active tuberculosis and tested for latent infection [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. Prior to initiating SIMPONI, patients should be tested for hepatitis B viral infection [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].

2.3General Considerations for Administration

SIMPONI is intended for use under the guidance and supervision of a physician. After proper training in subcutaneous injection technique, a patient may self inject with SIMPONI if a physician determines that it is appropriate. Patients should be instructed to follow the directions provided in the Medication Guide (see Medication Guide). To ensure proper use, allow the prefilled syringe or autoinjector to sit at room temperature outside the carton for 30 minutes prior to subcutaneous injection. Do not warm SIMPONI in any other way.

Prior to administration, visually inspect the solution for particles and discoloration through the viewing window. SIMPONI should be clear to slightly opalescent and colorless to light yellow. The solution should not be used if discolored, or cloudy, or if foreign particles are present. Any leftover product remaining in the prefilled syringe or prefilled autoinjector should not be used. NOTE: The needle cover on the prefilled syringe as well as the prefilled syringe in the autoinjector contains dry natural rubber (a derivative of latex), which should not be handled by persons sensitive to latex.

Injection sites should be rotated and injections should never be given into areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard.

SmartJect® Autoinjector

Each single dose SmartJect autoinjector contains a prefilled glass syringe (27 gauge ½ inch) providing 50 mg of SIMPONI per 0.5 mL of solution.

Prefilled Syringe

Each single dose prefilled glass syringe (27 gauge ½ inch) contains 50 mg of SIMPONI per 0.5 mL of solution.

5.1Serious Infections

Patients treated with SIMPONI are at increased risk for developing serious infections involving various organ systems and sites that may lead to hospitalization or death.

Opportunistic infections due to bacterial, mycobacterial, invasive fungal, viral, or parasitic organisms including aspergillosis, blastomycosis, candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, legionellosis, listeriosis, pneumocystosis, and tuberculosis have been reported with TNF-blockers. Patients have frequently presented with disseminated rather than localized disease. The concomitant use of a TNF-blocker and abatacept or anakinra was associated with a higher risk of serious infections; therefore, the concomitant use of SIMPONI and these biologic products is not recommended [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5, 5.6) and Drug Interactions (7.2)].

Treatment with SIMPONI should not be initiated in patients with an active infection, including clinically important localized infections. Patients greater than 65 years of age, patients with co-morbid conditions and/or patients taking concomitant immunosuppressants such as corticosteroids or methotrexate may be at greater risk of infection. The risks and benefits of treatment should be considered prior to initiating SIMPONI in patients:

• with chronic or recurrent infection;
• who have been exposed to tuberculosis;
• with a history of an opportunistic infection;
• who have resided or traveled in areas of endemic tuberculosis or endemic mycoses, such as histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, or blastomycosis; or
• with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection.

5.2 Malignancies

Malignancies, some fatal, have been reported among children, adolescents, and young adults who received treatment with TNF-blocking agents (initiation of therapy ≤ 18 years of age), of which SIMPONI is a member. Approximately half the cases were lymphomas, including Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The other cases represented a variety of malignancies, including rare malignancies that are usually associated with immunosuppression, and malignancies that are not usually observed in children and adolescents. The malignancies occurred after a median of 30 months (range 1 to 84 months) after the first dose of TNF blocker therapy. Most of the patients were receiving concomitant immunosuppressants. These cases were reported post-marketing and are derived from a variety of sources, including registries and spontaneous postmarketing reports.

The risks and benefits of TNF-blocker treatment including SIMPONI should be considered prior to initiating therapy in patients with a known malignancy other than a successfully treated non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) or when considering continuing a TNF-blocker in patients who develop a malignancy.

In the controlled portions of clinical trials of TNF-blockers including SIMPONI, more cases of lymphoma have been observed among patients receiving anti-TNF treatment compared with patients in the control groups. During the controlled portions of the Phase 2 trials in RA, and the Phase 3 trials in RA, PsA and AS, the incidence of lymphoma per 100 patient-years of follow-up was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.77) in the combined SIMPONI group compared with an incidence of 0 (95% CI: 0., 0.96) in the placebo group. In the controlled and uncontrolled portions of these clinical trials in 2347 SIMPONI-treated patients with a median follow-up of 1.4 years, the incidence of lymphoma was 3.8-fold higher than expected in the general U.S. population according to the SEER database (adjusted for age, gender, and race).1 Patients with RA and other chronic inflammatory diseases, particularly patients with highly active disease and/or chronic exposure to immunosuppressant therapies, may be at higher risk (up to several fold) than the general population for the development of lymphoma, even in the absence of TNF-blocking therapy. Cases of acute and chronic leukemia have been reported with postmarketing TNF-blocker use in rheumatoid arthritis and other indications. Even in the absence of TNF blocker therapy, patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be at a higher risk (approximately 2-fold) than the general population for the development of leukemia.

During the controlled portions of the Phase 2 trial in RA, and the Phase 3 trials in RA, PsA and AS, the incidence of malignancies other than lymphoma per 100 patient-years of follow-up was not elevated in the combined SIMPONI group compared with the placebo group. In the controlled and uncontrolled portions of these trials, the incidence of malignancies, other than lymphoma, in SIMPONI-treated patients was similar to that expected in the general U.S. population according to the SEER database (adjusted for age, gender, and race).1

In controlled trials of other TNF-blockers in patients at higher risk for malignancies (e.g., patients with COPD, patients with Wegener's granulomatosis treated with concomitant cyclophosphamide) a greater portion of malignancies occurred in the TNF-blocker group compared to the controlled group. In an exploratory 1-year clinical trial eva luating the use of 50, 100 and 200 mg of SIMPONI in 309 patients with severe persistent asthma, 6 patients developed malignancies other than NMSC in the SIMPONI groups compared to none in the control group. Three of the 6 patients were in the 200 mg SIMPONI group.

5.3Congestive Heart Failure

Cases of worsening congestive heart failure (CHF) and new onset CHF have been reported with TNF-blockers, including SIMPONI. In several exploratory trials of other TNF-blockers in the treatment of CHF, there were greater proportions of TNF-blocker treated patients who had CHF exacerbations requiring hospitalization or increased mortality. SIMPONI has not been studied in patients with a history of CHF and SIMPONI should be used with caution in patients with CHF. If a decision is made to administer SIMPONI to patients with CHF, these patients should be closely monitored during therapy, and SIMPONI should be discontinued if new or worsening symptoms of CHF appear.

5.4 Demyelinating Disorders

Use of TNF-blockers, of which SIMPONI is a member, has been associated with cases of new onset or exacerbation of central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and peripheral demyelinating disorders, including Guillain-Barré syndrome. In clinical trials, cases of central demyelination, MS, and peripheral demyelinating polyneuropathy have been reported in patients treated with SIMPONI [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)]. Prescribers should exercise caution in considering the use of TNF-blockers, including SIMPONI, in patients with central or peripheral nervous system demyelinating disorders. Discontinuation of SIMPONI should be considered if these disorders develop.

5.5 Use with Abatacept

In controlled trials, the concurrent administration of another TNF-blocker and abatacept was associated with a greater proportion of serious infections than the use of a TNF-blocker alone; and the combination therapy, compared to the use of a TNF-blocker alone, has not demonstrated improved clinical benefit in the treatment of RA. Therefore, the combination of TNF-blockers including SIMPONI and abatacept is not recommended [see Drug Interactions (7.2)].

5.6 Use with Anakinra

Concurrent administration of anakinra (an interleukin-1 antagonist) and another TNF-blocker, was associated with a greater portion of serious infections and neutropenia and no additional benefits compared with the TNF-blocker alone. Therefore, the combination of anakinra with TNF-blockers, including SIMPONI, is not recommended [see Drug Interactions 7.2].

5.7 Switching Between Biological Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs)

Care should be taken when switching from one biologic to another since overlapping biological activity may further increase the risk of infection.

5.8 Hematologic Cytopenias

There have been post-marketing reports of pancytopenia, leukopenia, neutropenia, aplastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia in patients receiving TNF-blockers. In clinical studies, cases of pancytopenia, leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia have also occurred in SIMPONI-treated patients. Caution should be exercised when using TNF-blockers, including SIMPONI, in patients who have or have had significant cytopenias.

5. 9 Vaccinations

Patients treated with SIMPONI may receive vaccinations, except for live vaccines. No data are available on the response to live vaccination or the risk of infection, or transmission of infection after the administration of live vaccines to patients receiving SIMPONI. In the Phase 3 PsA study, after pneumococcal vaccination, a similar proportion of SIMPONI-treated and placebo-treated patients were able to mount an adequate immune response of at least a 2-fold increase in antibody titers to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. In both SIMPONI-treated and placebo-treated patients, the proportions of patients with response to pneumococcal vaccine were lower among patients receiving MTX compared with patients not receiving MTX. The data suggest that SIMPONI does not suppress the humoral immune response to the pneumococcal vaccine.

5.10 Hypersensitivity Reactions

In post-marketing experience, serious systemic hypersensitivity reactions (including anaphylactic reaction) have been reported following SIMPONI administration. Some of these reactions occurred after the first administration of SIMPONI. If an anaphylactic or other serious allergic reaction occurs, administration of SIMPONI should be discontinued immediately and appropriate therapy instituted.