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Campral

Side Effects & Drug Interactions
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SIDE EFFECTS

The adverse event data described below reflect the safety experience in over 7000 patients exposed to CAMPRAL for up to one year, including over 2000 CAMPRAL-exposed patients who participated in placebo-controlled trials.

Adverse Events Leading to Discontinuation

In placebo-controlled trials of 6 months or less, 8% of CAMPRAL-treated patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event, as compared to 6% of patients treated with placebo. In studies longer than 6 months, the discontinuation rate due to adverse events was 7% in both the placebo-treated and the CAMPRAL-treated patients. Only diarrhea was associated with the discontinuation of more than 1% of patients (2% of CAMPRAL-treated vs. 0.7% of placebo-treated patients). Other events, including nausea, depression, and anxiety, while accounting for discontinuation in less than 1% of patients, were nevertheless more commonly cited in association with discontinuation in CAMPRAL-treated patients than in placebo-treated patients.

Common Adverse Events Reported in Controlled Trials

Common, non-serious adverse events were collected spontaneously in some controlled studies and using a checklist in other studies. The overall profile of adverse events was similar using either method. Table 1 shows those events that occurred in any CAMPRAL treatment group at a rate of 3% or greater and greater than the placebo group in controlled clinical trials with spontaneously reported adverse events. The reported frequencies of adverse events represent the proportion of individuals who experienced, at least once, a treatment-emergent adverse event of the type listed, without regard to the causal relationship of the events to the drug.

Table 1. Events Occurring at a Rate of at Least 3% and Greater than Placebo in any CAMPRAL Treatment Group in Controlled Clinical Trials with Spontaneously Reported Adverse Events

 

Number of Patients (%) with Events

Body System/Preferred

CAMPRAL

CAMPRAL

CAMPRAL

 

Term

1332 mg/day

1998 mg/day1

Pooled2

Placebo

Number of patients in

397

1539

2019

1706

Treatment Group

Number (%) of patients

248 (62%)

910 (59%)

1231(61%)

955(56%)

with an AE

Body as a Whole -

121 (30%)

513 (33%)

685 (34%)

517(30%)

Accidental Injury*

17 ( 4%)

44 ( 3%)

70 ( 3%)

52 ( 3%)

Asthenia

29 ( 7%)

79 ( 5%)

114 ( 6%)

93 ( 5%)

Pain

6 ( 2%)

56 ( 4%)

65 ( 3%)

55 ( 3%)

Digestive System -

85 (21%)

440 (29%)

574 (28%)

344(20%)

Anorexia

20 ( 5%)

35 ( 2%)

57 ( 3%)

44 ( 3%)

Diarrhea

39 (10%)

257 (17%)

329 (16%)

166 (10%)

Flatulence

4 ( 1%)

55 ( 4%)

63 ( 3%)

28 ( 2%)

Nausea

11 ( 3%)

69 ( 4%)

87 ( 4%)

58 ( 3%)

Nervous System

150 (38%)

417 (27%)

598 (30%)

500(29%)

Anxiety**

32 ( 8%)

80 ( 5%)

118 ( 6%)

98 ( 6%)

Depression

33 ( 8%)

63 ( 4%)

102 ( 5%)

87 ( 5%)

Dizziness

15 ( 4%)

49 ( 3%)

67 ( 3%)

44 ( 3%)

Dry mouth

13 ( 3%)

23 ( 1%)

36 ( 2%)

28 ( 2%)

Insomnia

34 ( 9%)

94 ( 6%)

137 ( 7%)

121 ( 7%)

Paresthesia

11 ( 3%)

29 ( 2%)

40 ( 2%)

34 ( 2%)

Skin and Appendages

26 ( 7%)

150 (10%)

187 ( 9%)

169(10%)

Pruritus

12 ( 3%)

68 ( 4%)

82 ( 4%)

58 ( 3%)

Sweating

11 ( 3%)

27 ( 2%)

40 ( 2%)

39 ( 2%)

*includes events coded as "fracture" by sponsor; **includes events coded as "nervousness" by sponsor

1 includes 258 patients treated with acamprosate calcium 2000 mg/day, using a different dosage strength and regimen.

2 includes all patients in the first two columns as well as 83 patients treated with acamprosate calcium 3000 mg/day, using a different dosage strength and regimen.

Other Events Observed During the Premarketing Evaluation of CAMPRAL

Following is a list of terms that reflect treatment-emergent adverse events reported by patients treated with CAMPRAL in 20 clinical trials (4461 patients treated with CAMPRAL, 3526 of whom received the maximum recommended dose of 1998 mg/day for up to one year in duration). This listing does not include those events already listed above; events for which a drug cause was considered remote; event terms which were so general as to be uninformative; and events reported only once which were not likely to be acutely life-threatening.

Events are further categorized by body system and listed in order of decreasing frequency according to the following definitions: frequent adverse events are those occurring in at least 1/100 patients (only those not already listed in the summary of adverse events in controlled trials appear in this listing); infrequent adverse events are those occurring in 1/100 to 1/1000 patients; rare events are those occurring in fewer than 1/1000 patients.

Body as a Whole Frequent : headache, abdominal pain, back pain, infection, flu syndrome, chest pain, chills, suicide attempt; Infrequent: fever, intentional overdose, malaise, allergic reaction, abscess, neck pain, hernia, intentional injury; Rare: ascites, face edema, photosensitivity reaction, abdomen enlarged, sudden death.

Cardiovascular System - Frequent: palpitation, syncope; Infrequent: hypotension, tachycardia, hemorrhage, angina pectoris, migraine, varicose vein, myocardial infarct, phlebitis, postural hypotension; Rare: heart failure, mesenteric arterial occlusion, cardiomyopathy, deep thrombophlebitis, shock.

Digestive System - Frequent: vomiting, dyspepsia, constipation, increased appetite; Infrequent: liver function tests abnormal, gastroenteritis, gastritis, dysphagia, eructation, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, pancreatitis, rectal hemorrhage, liver cirrhosis, esophagitis, hematemesis, nausea and vomiting, hepatitis;Rare: melena, stomach ulcer, cholecystitis, colitis, duodenal ulcer, mouth ulceration, carcinoma of liver.

Endocrine System - Rare: goiter, hypothyroidism.

Hemic and Lymphatic System Infrequent: anemia, ecchymosis, eosinophilia, lymphocytosis, thrombocytopenia; Rare: leukopenia, lymphadenopathy, monocytosis.

Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders - Frequent - peripheral edema, weight gain;

- Infrequent: weight loss, hyperglycemia, SGOT increased, SGPT increased, gout, thirst, hyperuricemia, diabetes mellitus, avitaminosis, bilirubinemia; Rare: alkaline phosphatase increased, creatinine increased, hyponatremia, lactic dehydrogenase increased.

Musculoskeletal System - Frequent - myalgia, arthralgia; Infrequent: leg cramps; Rare: rheumatoid arthritis, myopathy.

Nervous System - Frequent - somnolence, libido decreased, amnesia, thinking abnormal, tremor, vasodilatation, hypertension; Infrequent: convulsion, confusion, libido increased, vertigo, withdrawal syndrome, apathy, suicidal ideation, neuralgia, hostility, agitation, neurosis, abnormal dreams, hallucinations, hypesthesia; Rare: alcohol craving, psychosis, hyperkinesia, twitching, depersonalization, increased salivation, paranoid reaction, torticollis, encephalopathy, manic reaction.

Respiratory System - Frequent: rhinitis, cough increased, dyspnea, pharyngitis, bronchitis; Infrequent: asthma, epistaxis, pneumonia; Rare: laryngismus, pulmonary embolus.

Skin and Appendages Frequent: rash; Infrequent: acne, eczema, alopecia, maculopapular rash, dry skin, urticaria, exfoliative dermatitis, vesiculobullous rash; Rare: psoriasis.

Special Senses - Frequent: abnormal vision, taste perversion;Infrequent : tinnitus, amblyopia, deafness; Rare: ophthalmitis, diplopia, photophobia.

Urogenital System - Frequent: impotence; Infrequent - metrorrhagia, urinary frequency, urinary tract infection, sexual function abnormal, urinary incontinence, vaginitis; Rare: kidney calculus, abnormal ejaculation, hematuria, menorrhagia, nocturia, polyuria, urinary urgency.

Serious Adverse Events Observed During the Non-US Postmarketing Evaluation of CAMPRAL (acamprosate calcium)

Although no causal relationship to CAMPRAL has been found, the serious adverse event of acute kidney failure has been reported to be temporally associated with CAMPRAL treatment in at least 3 patients and is not described elsewhere in the labeling.

DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE

Controlled Substance Class

Acamprosate calcium is not a controlled substance.

Physical and Psychological Dependence

CAMPRAL did not produce any evidence of withdrawal symptoms in patients in clinical trials at therapeutic doses. Post marketing data, collected retrospectively outside the U.S., have provided no evidence of CAMPRAL abuse or dependence.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

The concomitant intake of alcohol and CAMPRAL does not affect the pharmacokinetics of either alcohol or acamprosate.

Pharmacokinetic studies indicate that administration of disulfiram or diazepam does not affect the pharmacokinetics of acamprosate. Co-administration of naltrexone with CAMPRAL produced a 25% increase in AUC and a 33% increase in the Cmax of acamprosate. No adjustment of dosage is recommended in such patients.

The pharmacokinetics of naltrexone and its major metabolite 6-beta-naltrexol were unaffected following co-administration with CAMPRAL.

Other concomitant therapies: In clinical trials, the safety profile in subjects treated with CAMPRAL concomitantly with anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives (including benzodiazepines), or non-opioid analgesics was similar to that of subjects taking placebo with these concomitant medications. Patients taking CAMPRAL concomitantly with antidepressants more commonly reported both weight gain and weight loss, compared with patients taking either medication alone.

Brand Name: Campral
Generic Name: Acamprosate Calcium
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