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Pfizer Oncology Presents Optimizing Treatment Strategies in Colorectal Cancer Tailoring treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer Considerations for first-line therapy Edward Lin, MD Associate Professor, University of Washington Associate Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Seattle, Washington Edith Mitchell, MD Clinical Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology Gastrointestinal Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pfizer Oncology Presents Optimizing Treatment Strategies in Colorectal Cancer Tailoring treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer Considerations for first-line therapy Edward Lin, MD Associate Professor, University of Washington Associate Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Seattle, Washington Edith Mitchell, MD Clinical Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology Gastrointestinal Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Editorial support and publishing was provided by Current Medicine Group LLC and funded by Pfizer Inc. Tailoring treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: considerations for first-line therapy Key Points •Colorectal cancer (CRC) will affect an estimated 153,760 people in the USA in 2007; a third of these patients will die from metastatic disease. •Treatment strategies need to be tailored to the defined goal of treatment and tumor presentation. •The goal of therapy needs to be defined upfront with the patient and therapy reassessed as treatment evolves. • More than one regimen is recognized as a standard approach to treating advanced metastatic disease. • For patients who can tolerate intensive therapy, two primary options recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN) guidelines for initial therapy are FOLFIRI and FOLFOX; different factors may influence the choice. •Integration of multimodality therapy, including surgery and radiation, may be necessary. Introduction The annual incidence of new cases of CRC is approximately 150,000 in the USA alone (Figure 1), with about a third of these patients expected to die as a result of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).1 Figure 1. Estimated new colorectal cancer cases and deaths in the USA in 20071 For many years, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has been available for treating patients with colorectal cancer and remains the backbone of mCRC treatment, even with the introduction of irinotecan,2 oxaliplatin,3 capecitabine,4 bevacizumab,5 cetuximab,6 and more recently, panitumumab.7 Combining continuous infusion 5-FU with either irinotecan (FOLFIRI) or oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) is now the de facto first-line standard for the treatment of advanced CRC, resulting in a median overall survival of almost 2 years.8–11 Although FOLFOX is used more frequently Please see the full CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) prescribing information on pages 8 to 13. as first-line therapy, data show that FOLFIRI is equally effective.8–12 Further consideration for adding a targeted agent, such as bevacizumab, may be appropriate as indicated in the NCCN guidelines.13 Given the proven effectiveness of several regimens, an increasing number of patients now receive multiple lines of therapy. Considering the heterogeneous nature of tumor presentations, and the many parallel treatment options set out by the NCCN guidelines,13 the goals of this bulletin are to help clinicians: •Better understand how to tailor treatment strategies to the individual needs of patients; •Recognize the need, based on the disease characteristics and the patient’s needs, to consider more than one regimen as the standard approach to treating mCRC. Tenets of tailored therapy Given the significant heterogeneity of mCRC and the many therapeutic options, treatment decisions should consider the following: 1. Define and redefine the goal of therapy; 2. Assess disease patterns and comorbidities; 3. Discuss treatment options, including clinical trials, with patients; 4. Manage and reduce toxicity; 5. Integrate a multimodality therapy, including surgery and radiation. Define and redefine the goal of therapy The first step in treating a patient with CRC is to determine the extent of involvement of distant organs and to determine the goal of therapy with the patient. For the group of patients who present with extensive, unresectable metastases, the goal of therapy would be largely palliative. Therefore, the therapeutic decision should focus on extending survival with an optimal sequence of therapeutic agents and on quality of life by reducing treatmentrelated toxicities. On the other hand, if the disease can be treated with locoregional therapy such as surgery, an ablative technique, or radiation therapy, the goal may be to render the patient free of visible disease to achieve long-term remission or cure. Throughout the management process, it is important to redefine the goals of therapy with the patient. Assess disease patterns and comorbidities The next step toward tailored treatment is to evaluate other disease processes that could potentially have an impact on the effectiveness of treatment. For those patients with extensive multivisceral metastases, the chosen therapy should take into account the response rate, toxicity profiles, and the subsequent planned care that may allow the optimal exposure to the therapeutic agents. Please see the full CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) prescribing information on pages 8 to 13. Preexisting medical conditions, for example, may shape the use of some therapies and limit the administration of others. The chosen therapy should be tailored based on the patients’ comorbidities and stated goal, taking into account the toxicity profiles of the therapeutic agents and a full understanding of their relative contraindications. Discuss treatment options It is important to thoroughly discuss all of the available treatment options with patients and evaluate each individual’s needs. While it is ideal to enroll patients into well-designed clinical trials, unfortunately this is not a viable option for all patients. Deciding which regimen to use first-line will be influenced not only by whether or not the patients can tolerate effective, intensive chemotherapy but also if they are willing to.13 FOLFIRI and FOLFOX are both proven effective for first-line treatment. In a Tournigand et al phase 3 sequencing study of first-line FOLFIRI followed by second-line FOLFOX or the reverse, there were equivalent first-line response rates and median overall survival.8 In terms of safety, no significant difference was shown between FOLFOX and FOLFIRI in grade 3 or 4 diarrhea. The FOLFIRI arm was associated with more grade 3 or 4 febrile neutropenia, nausea and vomiting, mucositis, and fatigue. The FOLFOX arm was associated with more grade 3 sensory neurotoxicity, grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia.8 FOLFOX is an effective first-line treatment option to be discussed. The most common oxaliplatin-associated adverse events are peripheral sensory neuropathies, fatigue, neutropenia, nausea, emesis, and diarrhea.14 Many practitioners are now facing the challenges of managing grade 2 or 3 cumulative peripheral neurotoxicity that can frequently occur in patients exposed to oxaliplatin as part of the FOLFOX regimen. Neurotoxicities can present as initially subtle, such as difficulty in buttoning a shirt, and may become as severe as full gait disturbances with prolonged use of oxaliplatin. It is, therefore, important to discuss with patients the potential neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin. FOLFIRI is also an effective first-line treatment choice to be discussed. The most common irinotecan-associated adverse events are diarrhea, neutropenia, emesis, and nausea.15 Irinotecan is associated with both early and late forms of diarrhea, which may be severe. Early diarrhea occurs during or shortly after infusion. It may be accompanied by cholinergic symptoms. Late diarrhea generally occurs more than 24 hours after administration. Both forms can be life threatening. Therefore, it is important to discuss the risks with patients, and all attempts should be made to manage such an event. Appropriate considerations should be given to adding bevacizumab as per NCCN guidelines.13 As with other active agents, bevacizumab is associated with adverse events, which need to be considered when treating patients. Among these are grade 3 or 4 hypertension, diarrhea, and leukopenia.9 Furthermore, treatment with bevacizumab should be delayed for at least two half-lives (ie, 8 weeks) if there is a need for any surgical intervention to minimize fistula or wound dehiscence risk.16 Other potential considerations when deciding first-line treatment are the patient’s age, performance status, and underlying genetic polymorphisms. Studies continue to investigate the role of microsatellite instability as a predictive marker, and further research is looking at ethnicity and the impact of DNA polymorphisms on levels of response. Please see the full CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) prescribing information on pages 8 to 13. Manage and reduce toxicity In a palliative setting, overall toxicities and quality of life have become the number one priority of treatment. Because toxicities are an important part of selecting both the initial first-line treatment and subsequent therapies, research that evaluates strategies to decrease and manage potential acute and cumulative toxicities is critical. Investigational approaches to limit the toxicity associated with certain therapies17,18 may help to enhance patients’ tolerance of therapy in the future. Once therapy is initiated, three guiding tenets can help to drive ongoing therapeutic decisions. 1.Continue an effective therapy as long as possible and institute appropriate treatment breaks due to adverse events. 2.Discontinue ineffective or toxic chemotherapy regimens as early as possible to explore other parallel therapeutic options. 3.Provide early and optimal integration of multimodal therapy such as surgery and possibly also radiotherapy for potential “cure” when this is feasible. Strategic approaches to further reduce toxicity include assessing patient experience on prior treatments. For example, adverse events experienced during prior adjuvant treatment is one factor that should be considered when selecting first-line treatment. In some instances, for patients previously treated with FOLFOX adjuvant, physicians may consider a different regimen – such as FOLFIRI – in first-line mCRC, if a patient previously developed cumulative neuropathy with FOLFOX. Other clinical management approaches may involve consideration of whether a “stop and go” strategy has been used before to mitigate cumulative toxicities.18 For patients who have progressed, the need to manage toxicity continues. Following progression in first-line, there are several therapeutic options available, such as the use of cetuximab with irinotecan for patients who have become refractory to irinotecan. Recognizing and then minimizing the occurrence of cetuximab- or panitumumab-induced skin toxicities and hypomagnesemia is the key to the therapy continuum of advanced CRC. Use of palliative radiation should also be considered. Integrate a multimodality therapy, including surgery and radiation Recognizing or selecting mCRC patients according to tumor biology (eg, long diseasefree interval, solitary metastasis, carcinoembryonic antigen <200 ng/mL) ensures the best surgical outcome and may limit the role of adjuvant chemotherapy. Selective use of targeted curative radiation may have the same merits as surgical resection.19 It should be borne in mind that for those patients with resectable liver metastases on presentation, or those who are rendered operable by chemotherapy, there are eight unique segmental hepatic blood supplies and surgical techniques (eg, left or right hepatectomy, segmentectomy, extended left or right hepatectomy) that may be of benefit.20 Please see the full CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) prescribing information on pages 8 to 13. Conclusion Although CRC remains a clinical challenge, selecting the most effective treatment for individual patients requires taking into consideration multiple tenets. As clinicians, these new regimens provide us with opportunities not only to tailor treatment to the individual patient’s needs, but also to take into consideration the patient’s overall quality of life. Important information (CAMPTOSAR) CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) is indicated as a component of first-line therapy in combination with 5-FU/LV for the treatment of mCRC. CAMPTOSAR is also indicated in the treatment of patients with mCRC, whose disease has recurred or progressed following initial FU-based therapy. Both early and late forms of diarrhea can occur and may be life threatening. Late diarrhea should be managed promptly with loperamide and supportive care including antibiotics as needed. CAMPTOSAR can induce severe myelosuppression. Depending on the severity of neutropenia, dose delay, dose reduction or use of a colony-stimulating factor should be considered. Particular caution should be exercised in monitoring the effects of CAMPTOSAR in the elderly (>65), in patients who have previously received pelvic/abdominal irradiation, in patients with a performance status of 2 or higher, and in patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele. Rare cases of ileus, complicated colitis, or renal impairment have been observed. It is recommended that patients receive premedication with antiemetic agents. Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of atropine should be considered in patients experiencing cholinergic symptoms. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional courses may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefits. Thromboembolic events have been observed but the specific cause has not been determined. CAMPTOSAR should not be used in patients with severe bone marrow failure. In addition, patients with hereditary fructose intolerance should not be given CAMPTOSAR, as this product contains sorbitol. Please see the full CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) prescribing information on pages 8 to 13. References 1Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, et al. Cancer statistics, 2007. CA Cancer J Clin 2007;57(1):43–66. 2Fuchs C, Mitchell EP, Hoff PM. Irinotecan in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Cancer Treat Rev 2006;32(7):491–503. 3Simpson D, Dunn C, Curran M, Goa KL. Oxaliplatin: a review of its use in combination therapy for advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. Drugs 2003;63(19):2127–2156. 4Ajani J. Review of capecitabine as oral treatment of gastric, gastroesophageal, and esophageal cancers. Cancer 2006;107(2):221–231. 5Hurwitz H, Kabbinavar F. Bevacizumab combined with standard fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy regimens to treat colorectal cancer. Oncology 2005;69(Suppl 3):17–24. 6Cerea G, Ricotta R, Schiavetto I, et al. Cetuximab for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Ann Oncol 2006;17(Suppl 7):vii66–vii67. 7Wainberg Z, Hecht JR. Panitumumab in colon cancer: a review and summary of ongoing trials. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2006;6(11):1229–1235. 8Tournigand C, Andre T, Achille E, et al. FOLFIRI followed by FOLFOX6 or the reverse sequence in advanced colorectal cancer: a randomized GERCOR study. J Clin Oncol 2004;22(2): 229–237. 9Hurwitz H, Fehrenbacher L, Novotny W, et al. Bevacizumab plus irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for metastatic colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med 2004;350(23):2335–2342. 10Grothey A, Sargent D. Overall survival of patients with advanced colorectal cancer correlates with availability of fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin regardless of whether doublet or single-agent therapy is used first line. J Clin Oncol 2005;23(36):9441–9442. 11Goldberg RM, Sargent DJ, Morton RF, et al. A randomized controlled trial of fluorouracil plus leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin combi- nations in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer. J Clin Oncol 2004;22(1):23–30. 12Colucci G, Gebbia V, Paoletti G, et al; Gruppo Oncologico Dell’Italia Meridionale. Phase III randomized trial of FOLFIRI versus FOLFOX4 in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer: a multicenter study of the Gruppo Oncologico Dell’Italia Meridionale. J Clin Oncol 2005;23(22):4866–4875. 13National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology Version 1. 2007: Colon Cancer. Available at: www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/ colon.pdf. Accessed April 18, 2007. 14 Eloxatin (US prescribing information). Bridge- water, NJ: sanofi-aventis US LLC; 2006. 15Camptosar (US prescribing information). New York, NY: Pfizer Inc; 2006. 16 Avastin (US prescribing information). South San Francisco, CA: Genentech Inc; 2006. 17Highlights from the 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Clin Colorectal Cancer 2006;5: 398–402. 18Tournigand C, Cervantes A, Figer A, et al. OPTIMOX1: a randomized study of FOLFOX4 or FOLFOX7 with oxaliplatin in a stop-andgo fashion in advanced colorectal cancer – a GERCOR study. J Clin Oncol 2006;24(3): 394–400. 19Fong Y, Fortner J, Sun RL, et al. Clinical score for predicting recurrence after hepatic resection for metastatic colorectal cancer: analysis of 1001 consecutive cases. Ann Surg 1999;230(3): 309-318. 20Herbert R, McCollum VT, Cassidy A, et al. Imaging of the liver prior to hepatic resection: basic anatomical considerations. Radiography 2003; 9(1):53–62. Please see the full CAMPTOSAR® (irinotecan HCl) prescribing information on pages 8 to 13. Camptosar ® Camptosar WARNINGS CAMPTOSAR Injection should be administered only under the supervision of a physician who is experienced in the use of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Appropriate management of complications is possible only when adequate diagnostic and treatment facilities are readily available. CAMPTOSAR can induce both early and late forms of diarrhea that appear to be mediated by different mechanisms. Both forms of diarrhea may be severe. Early diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR) may be accompanied by cholinergic symptoms of rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, and intestinal hyperperistalsis that can cause abdominal cramping. Early diarrhea and other cholinergic symptoms may be prevented or ameliorated by atropine (see PRECAUTIONS, General). Late diarrhea (generally occurring more than 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR) can be life threatening since it may be prolonged and may lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, or sepsis. Late diarrhea should be treated promptly with loperamide. Patients with diarrhea should be carefully monitored and given fluid and electrolyte replacement if they become dehydrated or antibiotic therapy if they develop ileus, fever, or severe neutropenia (see WARNINGS). Administration of CAMPTOSAR should be interrupted and subsequent doses reduced if severe diarrhea occurs (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Severe myelosuppression may occur (see WARNINGS). DESCRIPTION CAMPTOSAR Injection (irinotecan hydrochloride injection) is an antineoplastic agent of the topoisomerase I inhibitor class. Irinotecan hydrochloride was clinically investigated as CPT-11. CAMPTOSAR is supplied as a sterile, pale yellow, clear, aqueous solution. It is available in two single-dose sizes: 2 mL-fill vials contain 40 mg irinotecan hydrochloride and 5 mL-fill vials contain 100 mg irinotecan hydrochloride. Each milliliter of solution contains 20 mg of irinotecan hydrochloride (on the basis of the trihydrate salt), 45 mg of sorbitol NF powder, and 0.9 mg of lactic acid, USP. The pH of the solution has been adjusted to 3.5 (range, 3.0 to 3.8) with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid. CAMPTOSAR is intended for dilution with 5% Dextrose Injection, USP (D5W), or 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, prior to intravenous infusion. The preferred diluent is 5% Dextrose Injection, USP. Irinotecan hydrochloride is a semisynthetic derivative of camptothecin, an alkaloid extract from plants such as Camptotheca acuminata or is chemically synthesized. The chemical name is (S)-4,11-diethyl-3,4,12,14-tetrahydro-4-hydroxy3,14-dioxo1H-pyrano[3’,4’:6,7]-indolizino[1,2-b]quinolin-9-yl-[1,4’bipiperidine]1’-carboxylate, monohydrochloride, trihydrate. Its structural formula is as follows: Irinotecan Hydrochloride Irinotecan hydrochloride is a pale yellow to yellow crystalline powder, with the empirical formula C33H38N4O6•HCl•3H2O and a molecular weight of 677.19. It is slightly soluble in water and organic solvents. CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Irinotecan is a derivative of camptothecin. Camptothecins interact specifically with the enzyme topoisomerase I which relieves torsional strain in DNA by inducing reversible single-strand breaks. Irinotecan and its active metabolite SN-38 bind to the topoisomerase I-DNA complex and prevent religation of these singlestrand breaks. Current research suggests that the cytotoxicity of irinotecan is due to double-strand DNA damage produced during DNA synthesis when replication enzymes interact with the ternary complex formed by topoisomerase I, DNA, and either irinotecan or SN-38. Mammalian cells cannot efficiently repair these double-strand breaks. Irinotecan serves as a water-soluble precursor of the lipophilic metabolite SN-38. SN-38 is formed from irinotecan by carboxylesterase-mediated cleavage of the carbamate bond between the camptothecin moiety and the dipiperidino side chain. SN-38 is approximately 1000 times as potent as irinotecan as an inhibitor of topoisomerase I purified from human and rodent tumor cell lines. In vitro cytotoxicity assays show that the potency of SN-38 relative to irinotecan varies from 2- to 2000-fold. However, the plasma area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) values for SN-38 are 2% to 8% of irinotecan and SN-38 is 95% bound to plasma proteins compared to approximately 50% bound to plasma proteins for irinotecan (see Pharmacokinetics). The precise contribution of SN-38 to the activity of CAMPTOSAR is thus unknown. Both irinotecan and SN-38 exist in an active lactone form and an inactive hydroxy acid anion form. A pH-dependent equilibrium exists between the two forms such that an acid pH promotes the formation of the lactone, while a more basic pH favors the hydroxy acid anion form. Administration of irinotecan has resulted in antitumor activity in mice bearing cancers of rodent origin and in human carcinoma xenografts of various histological types. Pharmacokinetics After intravenous infusion of irinotecan in humans, irinotecan plasma concentrations decline in a multiexponential manner, with a mean terminal elimination half-life of about 6 to 12 hours. The mean terminal elimination half-life of the active metabolite SN-38 is about 10 to 20 hours. The half-lives of the lactone (active) forms of irinotecan and SN-38 are similar to those of total irinotecan and SN-38, as the lactone and hydroxy acid forms are in equilibrium. Over the recommended dose range of 50 to 350 mg/m2, the AUC of irinotecan increases linearly with dose; the AUC of SN-38 increases less than proportionally with dose. Maximum concentrations of the active metabolite SN-38 are generally seen within 1 hour following the end of a 90-minute infusion of irinotecan. Pharmacokinetic parameters for irinotecan and SN-38 following a 90-minute infusion of irinotecan at dose levels of 125 and 340 mg/m2 determined in two clinical studies in patients with solid tumors are summarized in Table 1: ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection irinotecan hydrochloride injection For Intravenous Use Only Camptosar ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection Table 1. Summary of Mean (±Standard Deviation) Irinotecan and SN-38 Pharmacokinetic Parameters in Patients with Solid Tumors Irinotecan SN-38 Dose (mg/m2) Cmax AUC0-24 t1/2 (ng/mL) (ng·h/mL) (h) Vz CL Cmax AUC0-24 t1/2 (L/m2) (L/h/m2) (ng/mL)(ng·h/mL) (h) a 125 (N=64) 1,660 ±797 10,200 5.8 110 13.3 ±3,270 ±0.7 ±48.5 ±6.01 26.3 ±11.9 229 ±108 10.4 a ±3.1 340 (N=6) 3,392 ±874 20,604 11.7b 234 ±6,027 ±1.0 ±69.6 56.0 ±28.2 474 ±245 21.0b ±4.3 13.9 ±4.0 Cmax - Maximum plasma concentration AUC0-24 - Area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to 24 hours after the end of the 90-minute infusion t1/2 - Terminal elimination half-life Vz - Volume of distribution of terminal elimination phase CL - Total systemic clearance a Plasma specimens collected for 24 hours following the end of the 90-minute infusion. b Plasma specimens collected for 48 hours following the end of the 90-minute infusion. Because of the longer collection period, these values provide a more accurate reflection of the terminal elimination half-lives of irinotecan and SN-38. Irinotecan exhibits moderate plasma protein binding (30% to 68% bound). SN-38 is highly bound to human plasma proteins (approximately 95% bound). The plasma protein to which irinotecan and SN-38 predominantly binds is albumin. Metabolism and Excretion: The metabolic conversion of irinotecan to the active metabolite SN-38 is mediated by carboxylesterase enzymes and primarily occurs in the liver. SN-38 is subsequently conjugated predominantly by the enzyme UDPglucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) to form a glucuronide metabolite. UGT1A1 activity is reduced in individuals with genetic polymorphisms that lead to reduced enzyme activity such as the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism. Approximately 10% of the North American population is homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele. In a prospective study, in which irinotecan was administered as a single-agent on a once-every-3-week schedule, patients who were homozygous for UGT1A1*28 had a higher exposure to SN-38 than patients with the wild-type UGT1A1 allele (See WARNINGS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). SN-38 glucuronide had 1/50 to 1/100 the activity of SN-38 in cytotoxicity assays using two cell lines in vitro. The disposition of irinotecan has not been fully elucidated in humans. The urinary excretion of irinotecan is 11% to 20%; SN-38, <1%; and SN-38 glucuronide, 3%. The cumulative biliary and urinary excretion of irinotecan and its metabolites (SN-38 and SN-38 glucuronide) over a period of 48 hours following administration of irinotecan in two patients ranged from approximately 25% (100 mg/m2) to 50% (300 mg/m2). Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations Geriatric: In studies using the weekly schedule, the terminal half-life of irinotecan was 6.0 hours in patients who were 65 years or older and 5.5 hours in patients younger than 65 years. Dose-normalized AUC0-24 for SN-38 in patients who were at least 65 years of age was 11% higher than in patients younger than 65 years. No change in the starting dose is recommended for geriatric patients receiving the weekly dosage schedule of irinotecan. The pharmacokinetics of irinotecan given once every 3 weeks has not been studied in the geriatric population; a lower starting dose is recommended in patients 70 years or older based on clinical toxicity experience with this schedule (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Pediatric: See Pediatric Use under PRECAUTIONS. Gender: The pharmacokinetics of irinotecan do not appear to be influenced by gender. Race: The influence of race on the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan has not been evaluated. Hepatic Insufficiency: Irinotecan clearance is diminished in patients with hepatic dysfunction while exposure to the active metabolite SN-38 is increased relative to that in patients with normal hepatic function. The magnitude of these effects is proportional to the degree of liver impairment as measured by elevations in total bilirubin and transaminase concentrations. However, the tolerability of irinotecan in patients with hepatic dysfunction (bilirubin greater than 2 mg/dl) has not been assessed sufficiently, and no recommendations for dosing can be made (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION and PRECAUTIONS: Patients at Particular Risk Sections). Renal Insufficiency: The influence of renal insufficiency on the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan has not been evaluated. Therefore, caution should be undertaken in patients with impaired renal function. Irinotecan is not recommended for use in patients on dialysis. Drug-Drug Interactions 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV): In a phase 1 clinical study involving irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and leucovorin (LV) in 26 patients with solid tumors, the disposition of irinotecan was not substantially altered when the drugs were co-administered. Although the Cmax and AUC0-24 of SN-38, the active metabolite, were reduced (by 14% and 8%, respectively) when irinotecan was followed by 5-FU and LV administration compared with when irinotecan was given alone, this sequence of administration was used in the combination trials and is recommended (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Formal in vivo or in vitro drug interaction studies to evaluate the influence of irinotecan on the disposition of 5-FU and LV have not been conducted. Anticonvulsants: Exposure to irinotecan and its active metabolite SN-38 is substantially reduced in adult and pediatric patients concomitantly receiving the CYP3A4 enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants phenytoin, phenobarbital or carbamazepine. The appropriate starting dose for patients taking these anticonvulsants has not been formally defined. The following drugs are also CYP3A4 inducers: rifampin, rifabutin. For patients requiring anticonvulsant treatment, consideration should be given to substituting non-enzyme inducing anticonvulsants at least 2 weeks prior to initiation of irinotecan therapy. Dexamethasone does not appear to alter the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan. St. John’s Wort: St. John’s Wort is an inducer of CYP3A4 enzymes. Exposure to the active metabolite SN-38 is reduced in patients receiving concomitant St. John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort should be discontinued at least 2 weeks prior to the first cycle of irinotecan, and St. John’s Wort is contraindicated during irinotecan therapy. Ketoconazole: Ketoconazole is a strong inhibitor of CYP3A4 enzymes. Patients receiving concomitant ketoconazole have increased exposure to irinotecan and its active metabolite SN-38. Patients should discontinue ketoconazole at least 1 week prior to starting irinotecan therapy and ketoconazole is contraindicated during irinotecan therapy. Neuromuscular blocking agents. Interaction between irinotecan and neuromuscular blocking agents cannot be ruled out. Irinotecan has anticholinesterase activity, which may prolong the neuromuscular blocking effects of suxamethonium and the neuromuscular blockade of non-depolarizing drugs may be antagonized. Atazanavir sulfate: Coadministration of atazanavir sulfate, a CYP3A4 and UGT1A1 inhibitor has the potential to increase systemic exposure to SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. Physicians should take this into consideration when co-administering these drugs. CLINICAL STUDIES Irinotecan has been studied in clinical trials in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) and as a single agent (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). When given as a component of combination-agent treatment, irinotecan was either given with a weekly schedule of bolus 5-FU/LV or with an every2-week schedule of infusional 5-FU/LV. Weekly and a once-every-3-week dosage schedules were used for the single-agent irinotecan studies. Clinical studies of combination and single-agent use are described below. First-Line Therapy in Combination with 5-FU/LV for the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Two phase 3, randomized, controlled, multinational clinical trials support the use of CAMPTOSAR Injection as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. In each study, combinations of irinotecan with 5-FU and LV were compared with 5-FU and LV alone. Study 1 compared combination irinotecan/bolus 5-FU/LV therapy given weekly with a standard bolus regimen of 5-FU/LV alone given daily for 5 days every 4 weeks; an irinotecan-alone treatment arm given on a weekly schedule was also included. Study 2 evaluated two different methods of administering infusional 5-FU/LV, with or without irinotecan. In both studies, concomitant medications such as antiemetics, atropine, and loperamide were given to patients for prophylaxis and/or management of symptoms from treatment. In Study 2, a 7-day course of fluoroquinolone antibiotic prophylaxis was given in patients whose diarrhea persisted for greater than 24 hours despite loperamide or if they developed a fever in addition to diarrhea. Treatment with oral fluoroquinolone was also initiated in patients who developed an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <500/mm3, even in the absence of fever or diarrhea. Patients in both studies also received treatment with intravenous antibiotics if they had persistent diarrhea or fever or if ileus developed. In both studies, the combination of irinotecan/5-FU/LV therapy resulted in significant improvements in objective tumor response rates, time to tumor progression, and survival when compared with 5-FU/LV alone. These differences in survival were observed in spite of second-line therapy in a majority of patients on both arms, including crossover to irinotecan-containing regimens in the control arm. Patient characteristics and major efficacy results are shown in Table 2. Improvement was noted with irinotecan-based combination therapy relative to 5-FU/LV when response rates and time to tumor progression were examined across the following demographic and disease-related subgroups (age, gender, ethnic origin, performance status, extent of organ involvement with cancer, time from diagnosis of cancer, prior adjuvant therapy, and baseline laboratory abnormalities). Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the comparison of irinotecan/5-FU/LV versus 5-FU/LV in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. Second-Line Treatment for Recurrent or Progressive Metastatic Colorectal Cancer After 5-FU-Based Treatment Weekly Dosage Schedule Data from three open-label, single-agent, clinical studies, involving a total of 304 patients in 59 centers, support the use of CAMPTOSAR in the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer of the colon or rectum that has recurred or progressed following treatment with 5-FU-based therapy. These studies were designed to evaluate tumor response rate and do not provide information on actual clinical benefit, such as effects on survival and disease-related symptoms. In each study, CAMPTOSAR was administered in repeated 6-week cycles consisting of a 90-minute intravenous infusion once weekly for 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest period. Starting doses of CAMPTOSAR in these trials were 100, 125, or 150 mg/m2, but the 150-mg/m2 dose was poorly tolerated (due to unacceptably high rates of grade 4 late diarrhea and febrile neutropenia). Study 1 enrolled 48 patients and was conducted by a single investigator at several regional hospitals. Study 2 was a multicenter study conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. All 90 patients enrolled in Study 2 received a starting dose of 125 mg/m2. Study 3 was a multicenter study that enrolled 166 patients from 30 institutions. The initial dose in Study 3 was 125 mg/m2 but was reduced to 100 mg/m2 because the toxicity seen at the 125-mg/m2 dose was perceived to Camptosar Camptosar ® Camptosar ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection Table 2. Combination Dosage Schedule: Study Results Study 1 Irinotecan + Bolus 5-FU/LV weekly x 4 q 6 weeks 231 Bolus 5-FU/LV daily x 5 q 4 weeks 226 Number of Patients Demographics and Treatment Administration Female/Male (%) 34/65 45/54 Median Age in years (range) 62 (25-85) 61 (19-85) Performance Status (%) 0 39 41 1 46 45 2 15 13 Primary Tumor (%) Colon 81 85 Rectum 17 14 Median Time from Diagnosis to Randomization 1.9 1.7 (months, range) (0-161) (0-203) Prior Adjuvant 5-FU Therapy (%) No 89 92 Yes 11 8 Median Duration of Study Treatment a (months) 5.5 4.1 Median Relative Dose Intensity (%)a Irinotecan 72 — 5-FU 71 86 Efficacy Results Confirmed Objective Tumor 39 21 Response Rateb (%) (p<0.0001)c Median Time to Tumor Progressiond 7.0 4.3 (months) (p=0.004)d Median Survival 14.8 12.6 (months) (p<0.05)d a Study 1: N=225 (irinotecan/5-FU/LV), N=219 (5-FU/LV), N=223 (irinotecan) Study 2: N=199 (irinotecan/5-FU/LV), N=186 (5-FU/LV) b Confirmed ≥4 to 6 weeks after first evidence of objective response c Chi-square test d Log-rank test be greater than that seen in previous studies. All patients in these studies had metastatic colorectal cancer, and the majority had disease that recurred or progressed following a 5-FU-based regimen administered for metastatic disease. The results of the individual studies are shown in Table 3. Table 3. Weekly Dosage Schedule: Study Results Study Number of Patients Starting Dose (mg/m2/wk x 4) 1 2 48 90 64 102 125 125 100 36/64 50/50 51/49 125 a 3 Demographics and Treatment Administration Female/Male (%) Median Age in years (range) 46/54 63 (29-78) 63 (32-81) 61 (42-84) 64 (25-84) Ethnic Origin (%) White African American Hispanic Oriental/Asian 79 12 8 0 96 4 0 0 81 11 8 0 91 5 2 2 Performance Status (%) 0 1 2 60 38 2 38 48 14 59 33 8 44 51 5 Primary Tumor (%) Colon Rectum Unknown 100 0 0 71 29 0 89 11 0 87 8 5 Prior 5-FU Therapy (%) For Metastatic Disease ≤ 6 months after Adjuvant > 6 months after Adjuvant Classification Unknown 81 15 2 2 66 7 16 12 73 27 0 0 68 28 2 3 Prior Pelvic/Abdominal Irradiation (%) Yes Other None 3 0 97 29 9 62 0 2 98 0 4 96 Duration of Treatment with CAMPTOSAR (median, months) 5 4 4 3 Relative Dose Intensityb (median %) 74 67 73 81 Efficacy Confirmed Objective Response Rate (%)c (95% CI) Time to Response (median, months) 21 (9.3-32.3) 13 14 9 (6.3-20.4) (5.5-22.6) (3.3 -14.3) 2.6 1.5 Response Duration (median, months) 6.4 Survival (median, months) 10.4 46 1-Year Survival (%) a b c 2.8 2.8 5.9 5.6 6.4 8.1 10.7 9.3 31 45 43 Nine patients received 150 mg/m2 as a starting dose; two (22.2%) responded to CAMPTOSAR. Relative dose intensity for CAMPTOSAR based on planned dose intensity of 100, 83.3, and 66.7 mg/m2/wk corresponding with 150, 125, and 100 mg/m2 starting doses, respectively. Confirmed ≥ 4 to 6 weeks after first evidence of objective response. irinotecan hydrochloride injection Study 2 Irinotecan weekly x 4 q 6 weeks 226 Irinotecan + Infusional 5-FU/LV 198 Infusional 5-FU/LV 187 35/64 61 (30-87) 33/67 62 (27-75) 47/53 59 (24-75) 46 46 8 51 42 7 51 41 8 84 15 55 45 65 35 1.8 (0.1-185) 4.5 (0-88) 2.7 (0-104) 90 10 74 26 76 24 3.9 5.6 4.5 75 — 87 86 — 93 18 35 4.2 6.7 12.0 17.4 (p<0.005)c (p<0.001)d (p<0.05)d performance status and other baseline prognostic factors, survival among patients treated with irinotecan remained significantly longer than in the control populations (p=0.001 for Study 1 and p=0.017 for Study 2). Measurements of pain, performance status, and weight loss were collected prospectively in the two studies; however, the plan for the analysis of these data was defined retrospectively. When comparing irinotecan with best supportive care in Study 1, this analysis showed a statistically significant advantage for irinotecan, with longer time to development of pain (6.9 months versus 2.0 months), time to performance status deterioration (5.7 months versus 3.3 months), and time to > 5% weight loss (6.4 months versus 4.2 months). Additionally, 33.3% (33/99) of patients with a baseline performance status of 1 or 2 showed an improvement in performance status when treated with irinotecan versus 11.3% (7/62) of patients receiving best supportive care (p=0.002). Because of the inclusion of patients with non-measurable disease, intent-to-treat response rates could not be assessed. 22 4.4 14.1 In the intent-to-treat analysis of the pooled data across all three studies, 193 of the 304 patients began therapy at the recommended starting dose of 125 mg/m2. Among these 193 patients, 2 complete and 27 partial responses were observed, for an overall response rate of 15.0% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 10.0% to 20.1%) at this starting dose. A considerably lower response rate was seen with a starting dose of 100 mg/m2. The majority of responses were observed within the first two cycles of therapy, but responses did occur in later cycles of treatment (one response was observed after the eighth cycle). The median response duration for patients beginning therapy at 125 mg/m2 was 5.8 months (range, 2.6 to 15.1 months). Of the 304 patients treated in the three studies, response rates to CAMPTOSAR were similar in males and females and among patients older and younger than 65 years. Rates were also similar in patients with cancer of the colon or cancer of the rectum and in patients with single and multiple metastatic sites. The response rate was 18.5% in patients with a performance status of 0 and 8.2% in patients with a performance status of 1 or 2. Patients with a performance status of 3 or 4 have not been studied. Over half of the patients responding to CAMPTOSAR had not responded to prior 5-FU. Patients who had received previous irradiation to the pelvis responded to CAMPTOSAR at approximately the same rate as those who had not previously received irradiation. Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule Single-Arm Studies: Data from an open-label, single-agent, single-arm, multicenter, clinical study involving a total of 132 patients support a once-every-3-week dosage schedule of irinotecan in the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer of the colon or rectum that recurred or progressed following treatment with 5-FU. Patients received a starting dose of 350 mg/m2 given by 30-minute intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks. Among the 132 previously treated patients in this trial, the intent-to-treat response rate was 12.1% (95% CI, 7.0% to 18.1%). Randomized Trials: Two multicenter, randomized, clinical studies further support the use of irinotecan given by the once-every-3-week dosage schedule in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose disease has recurred or progressed following prior 5-FU therapy. In the first study, second-line irinotecan therapy plus best supportive care was compared with best supportive care alone. In the second study, second-line irinotecan therapy was compared with infusional 5-FUbased therapy. In both studies, irinotecan was administered intravenously at a starting dose of 350 mg/m2 over 90 minutes once every 3 weeks. The starting dose was 300 mg/m2 for patients who were 70 years and older or who had a performance status of 2. The highest total dose permitted was 700 mg. Dose reductions and/or administration delays were permitted in the event of severe hematologic and/or nonhematologic toxicities while on treatment. Best supportive care was provided to patients in both arms of Study 1 and included antibiotics, analgesics, corticosteroids, transfusions, psychotherapy, or any other symptomatic therapy as clinically indicated. In both studies, concomitant medications such as antiemetics, atropine, and loperamide were given to patients for prophylaxis and/or management of symptoms from treatment. If late diarrhea persisted for greater than 24 hours despite loperamide, a 7-day course of fluoroquinolone antibiotic prophylaxis was given. Patients in the control arm of the second study received one of the following 5-FU regimens: (1) LV, 200 mg/m2 IV over 2 hours; followed by 5-FU, 400 mg/m2 IV bolus; followed by 5-FU, 600 mg/m2 continuous IV infusion over 22 hours on days 1 and 2 every 2 weeks; (2) 5-FU, 250 to 300 mg/m2/day protracted continuous IV infusion until toxicity; (3) 5-FU, 2.6 to 3 g/m2 IV over 24 hours every week for 6 weeks with or without LV, 20 to 500 mg/m2/day every week IV for 6 weeks with 2-week rest between cycles. Patients were to be followed every 3 to 6 weeks for 1 year. A total of 535 patients were randomized in the two studies at 94 centers. The primary endpoint in both studies was survival. The studies demonstrated a significant overall survival advantage for irinotecan compared with best supportive care (p=0.0001) and infusional 5-FU-based therapy (p=0.035) as shown in Figures 3 and 4. In Study 1, median survival for patients treated with irinotecan was 9.2 months compared with 6.5 months for patients receiving best supportive care. In Study 2, median survival for patients treated with irinotecan was 10.8 months compared with 8.5 months for patients receiving infusional 5-FU-based therapy. Multiple regression analyses determined that patients’ baseline characteristics also had a significant effect on survival. When adjusted for In the two randomized studies, the EORTC QLQ-C30 instrument was utilized. At the start of each cycle of therapy, patients completed a questionnaire consisting of 30 questions, such as “Did pain interfere with daily activities?” (1 = Not at All, to 4 = Very Much) and “Do you have any trouble taking a long walk?” (Yes or No). The answers from the 30 questions were converted into 15 subscales, that were scored from 0 to 100, and the global health status subscale that was derived from two questions about the patient’s sense of general well being in the past week. In addition to the global health status subscale, there were five functional (i.e., cognitive, emotional, social, physical, role) and nine symptom (i.e., fatigue, appetite loss, pain assessment, insomnia, constipation, dyspnea, nausea/vomiting, financial impact, diarrhea) subscales. The results as summarized in Table 5 are based on patients’ worst post-baseline scores. In Study 1, a multivariate analysis and univariate analyses of the individual subscales were performed and corrected for multivariate testing. Patients receiving irinotecan reported significantly better results for the global health status, on two of five functional subscales, and on four of nine symptom subscales. As expected, patients receiving irinotecan noted significantly more diarrhea than those receiving best supportive care. In Study 2, the multivariate analysis on all 15 subscales did not indicate a statistically significant difference between irinotecan and infusional 5-FU. Table 4. Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule: Study Results Study 1 Irinotecan BSCa Number of Patients 189 90 Demographics and Treatment Administration Female/Male (%) 32/68 42/58 Median Age in years (range) Study 2 Irinotecan 5-FU 127 129 43/57 35/65 59 (22-75) 62 (34-75) 58 (30-75) 58 (25-75) Performance Status (%) 0 1 2 47 39 14 31 46 23 58 35 8 54 43 3 Primary Tumor (%) Colon Rectum 55 45 52 48 57 43 62 38 Prior 5-FU Therapy (%) For Metastatic Disease As Adjuvant Treatment 70 30 63 37 58 42 68 32 Prior Irradiation (%) 26 27 18 20 Duration of Study Treatment (median, months) (Log-rank test) 4.1 — 4.2 (p=0.02) 2.8 94 — 95 81-99 9.2 (p=0.0001) 6.5 10.8 (p=0.035) 8.5 Relative Dose Intensity (median %)b Survival Survival (median, months) (Log-rank test) a b BSC = best supportive care Relative dose intensity for irinotecan based on planned dose intensity of 116.7 and 100 mg/m2/wk corresponding with 350 and 300 mg/m2 starting doses, respectively. Camptosar Camptosar ® ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection Table 5. EORTC QLQ-C30: Mean Worst Post-Baseline Scorea a For 37 0.03 53 52 0.9 77 68 58 60 53 68 64 47 40 35 0.07 0.4 0.06 0.0003 0.02 79 64 65 66 54 83 68 67 66 57 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 51 37 41 39 28 31 27 22 32 63 57 56 47 41 40 29 26 19 0.03 0.0007 0.009 0.3 0.03 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.01 47 35 38 39 25 25 25 24 32 46 38 34 33 19 24 16 15 22 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.09 0.3 0.2 p-value 47 5-FU Irinotecan Functional Scales Cognitive Emotional Social Physical Role Symptom Scales Fatigue Appetite Loss Pain Assessment Insomnia Constipation Dyspnea Nausea/Vomiting Financial Impact Diarrhea Study 2 p-value Global Health Status Study 1 BSC QLQ-C30 Subscale Irinotecan 10 the five functional subscales and global health status subscale, higher scores imply better functioning, whereas, on the nine symptom subscales, higher scores imply more severe symptoms. The subscale scores of each patient were collected at each visit until the patient dropped out of the study. INDICATIONS AND USAGE CAMPTOSAR Injection is indicated as a component of first-line therapy in combination with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. CAMPTOSAR is also indicated for patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum whose disease has recurred or progressed following initial fluorouracil-based therapy. CONTRAINDICATIONS CAMPTOSAR Injection is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the drug or its excipients. WARNINGS General Outside of a well-designed clinical study, CAMPTOSAR Injection should not be used in combination with the “Mayo Clinic” regimen of 5-FU/LV (administration for 4-5 consecutive days every 4 weeks) because of reports of increased toxicity, including toxic deaths. CAMPTOSAR should be used as recommended (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION, Table 10). In patients receiving either irinotecan/5-FU/LV or 5-FU/LV in the clinical trials, higher rates of hospitalization, neutropenic fever, thromboembolism, first-cycle treatment discontinuation, and early deaths were observed in patients with a baseline performance status of 2 than in patients with a baseline performance status of 0 or 1. Diarrhea CAMPTOSAR can induce both early and late forms of diarrhea that appear to be mediated by different mechanisms. Early diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR) is cholinergic in nature. It is usually transient and only infrequently is severe. It may be accompanied by symptoms of rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, and intestinal hyperperistalsis that can cause abdominal cramping. Early diarrhea and other cholinergic symptoms may be prevented or ameliorated by administration of atropine (see PRECAUTIONS, General, for dosing recommendations for atropine). Late diarrhea (generally occurring more than 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR) can be life threatening since it may be prolonged and may lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, or sepsis. Late diarrhea should be treated promptly with loperamide (see PRECAUTIONS, Information for Patients, for dosing recommendations for loperamide). Patients with diarrhea should be carefully monitored, should be given fluid and electrolyte replacement if they become dehydrated, and should be given antibiotic support if they develop ileus, fever, or severe neutropenia. After the first treatment, subsequent weekly chemotherapy treatments should be delayed in patients until return of pretreatment bowel function for at least 24 hours without need for antidiarrhea medication. If grade 2, 3, or 4 late diarrhea occurs subsequent doses of CAMPTOSAR should be decreased within the current cycle (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Neutropenia Deaths due to sepsis following severe neutropenia have been reported in patients treated with CAMPTOSAR. Neutropenic complications should be managed promptly with antibiotic support (see PRECAUTIONS). Therapy with CAMPTOSAR should be temporarily omitted during a cycle of therapy if neutropenic fever occurs or if the absolute neutrophil count drops <1000/mm3. After the patient recovers to an absolute neutrophil count ≥1000/mm3, subsequent doses of CAMPTOSAR should be reduced depending upon the level of neutropenia observed (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Routine administration of a colony-stimulating factor (CSF) is not necessary, but physicians may wish to consider CSF use in individual patients experiencing significant neutropenia. Patients with Reduced UGT1A1 Activity Individuals who are homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele are at increased risk for neutropenia following initiation of CAMPTOSAR treatment. A reduced initial dose should be considered for patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Heterozygous patients (carriers of one variant allele and one wild-type allele which results in intermediate UGT1A1 activity) may be at increased risk for neutropenia; however, clinical results have been variable and such patients have been shown to tolerate normal starting doses. Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity reactions including severe anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions have been observed. Camptosar ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection irinotecan hydrochloride injection Colitis/Ileus Cases of colitis complicated by ulceration, bleeding, ileus, and infection have been observed. Patients experiencing ileus should receive prompt antibiotic support (see PRECAUTIONS). Renal Impairment/Renal Failure Rare cases of renal impairment and acute renal failure have been identified, usually in patients who became volume depleted from severe vomiting and/or diarrhea. Thromboembolism Thromboembolic events have been observed in patients receiving irinotecancontaining regimens; the specific cause of these events has not been determined. Pregnancy CAMPTOSAR may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Radioactivity related to 14C-irinotecan crosses the placenta of rats following intravenous administration of 10 mg/kg (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 3 and 0.5 times, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2). Administration of 6 mg/kg/day intravenous irinotecan to rats (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 2 and 0.2 times, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2) and rabbits (about one-half the recommended human weekly starting dose on a mg/m2 basis) during the period of organogenesis, is embryotoxic as characterized by increased post-implantation loss and decreased numbers of live fetuses. Irinotecan was teratogenic in rats at doses greater than 1.2 mg/kg/day (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 2/3 and 1/40th, respectively, of the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2) and in rabbits at 6.0 mg/kg/day (about one-half the recommended human weekly starting dose on a mg/m2 basis). Teratogenic effects included a variety of external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities. Irinotecan administered to rat dams for the period following organogenesis through weaning at doses of 6 mg/kg/day caused decreased learning ability and decreased female body weights in the offspring. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of irinotecan in pregnant women. If the drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while receiving this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus. Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant while receiving treatment with CAMPTOSAR. PRECAUTIONS General Care of Intravenous Site: CAMPTOSAR Injection is administered by intravenous infusion. Care should be taken to avoid extravasation, and the infusion site should be monitored for signs of inflammation. Should extravasation occur, flushing the site with sterile water and applications of ice are recommended. Premedication with Antiemetics: Irinotecan is emetigenic. It is recommended that patients receive premedication with antiemetic agents. In clinical studies of the weekly dosage schedule, the majority of patients received 10 mg of dexamethasone given in conjunction with another type of antiemetic agent, such as a 5-HT3 blocker (e.g., ondansetron or granisetron). Antiemetic agents should be given on the day of treatment, starting at least 30 minutes before administration of CAMPTOSAR. Physicians should also consider providing patients with an antiemetic regimen (e.g., prochlorperazine) for subsequent use as needed. Treatment of Cholinergic Symptoms: Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of 0.25 to 1 mg of intravenous or subcutaneous atropine should be considered (unless clinically contraindicated) in patients experiencing rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, abdominal cramping, or diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR). These symptoms are expected to occur more frequently with higher irinotecan doses. Patients at Particular Risk: In patients receiving either irinotecan/5-FU/LV or 5-FU/LV in the clinical trials, higher rates of hospitalization, neutropenic fever, thromboembolism, first-cycle treatment discontinuation, and early deaths were observed in patients with a baseline performance status of 2 than in patients with a baseline performance status of 0 or 1. Patients who had previously received pelvic/abdominal radiation and elderly patients with comorbid conditions should be closely monitored. The use of CAMPTOSAR in patients with significant hepatic dysfunction has not been established. In clinical trials of either dosing schedule, irinotecan was not administered to patients with serum bilirubin >2.0 mg/dL, or transaminase >3 times the upper limit of normal if no liver metastasis, or transaminase >5 times the upper limit of normal with liver metastasis. In clinical trials of the weekly dosage schedule, patients with modestly elevated baseline serum total bilirubin levels (1.0 to 2.0 mg/dL) had a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing first-cycle grade 3 or 4 neutropenia than those with bilirubin levels that were less than 1.0 mg/dL (50.% [19/38] versus 18% [47/226]; p<0.001). (Also see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations: Hepatic Insufficiency). Patients with deficient glucuronidation of bilirubin, such as those with Gilbert’s syndrome, may be at greater risk of myelosuppression when receiving therapy with CAMPTOSAR. Ketoconazole, enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants and St. John’s Wort are known to have drug-drug interactions with irinotecan therapy. (See Drug-Drug Interactions sub-section under CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY) Irinotecan commonly causes neutropenia, leucopenia, and anemia, any of which may be severe and therefore should not be used in patients with severe bone marrow failure. Patients must not be treated with irinotecan until resolution of the bowel obstruction. Patients with hereditary fructose intolerance should not be given CAMPTOSAR, as this product contains sorbitol. Information for Patients Patients and patients’ caregivers should be informed of the expected toxic effects of CAMPTOSAR, particularly of its gastrointestinal complications, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and infection. Each patient should be instructed to have loperamide readily available and to begin treatment for late diarrhea (generally occurring more than 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR) at the first episode of poorly formed or loose stools or the earliest onset of bowel movements more frequent than normally expected for the patient. One dosage regimen for loperamide used in clinical trials consisted of the following (Note: This dosage regimen exceeds the usual dosage recommendations for loperamide.): 4 mg at the first onset of late diarrhea and then 2 mg every 2 hours until the patient is diarrhea-free for at least 12 hours. Loperamide is not recommended to be used for more than 48 consecutive hours at these doses, because of the risk of paralytic ileus. During the night, the patient may take 4 mg of loperamide every 4 hours. Premedication with loperamide is not recommended. The use of drugs with laxative properties should be avoided because of the potential for exacerbation of diarrhea. Patients should be advised to contact their physician to discuss any laxative use. Patients should be instructed to contact their physician or nurse if any of the following occur: diarrhea for the first time during treatment; black or bloody stools; symptoms of dehydration such as lightheadedness, dizziness, or faintness; inability to take fluids by mouth due to nausea or vomiting; inability to get diarrhea under control within 24 hours; or fever or evidence of infection. Patients should be warned about the potential for dizziness or visual disturbances which may occur within 24 hours following the administration of CAMPTOSAR, and advised not to drive or operate machinery if these symptoms occur. Patients should be alerted to the possibility of alopecia. Laboratory Tests Careful monitoring of the white blood cell count with differential, hemoglobin, and platelet count is recommended before each dose of CAMPTOSAR. Drug Interactions The adverse effects of CAMPTOSAR, such as myelosuppression and diarrhea, would be expected to be exacerbated by other antineoplastic agents having similar adverse effects. Patients who have previously received pelvic/abdominal irradiation are at increased risk of severe myelosuppression following the administration of CAMPTOSAR. The concurrent administration of CAMPTOSAR with irradiation has not been adequately studied and is not recommended. Lymphocytopenia has been reported in patients receiving CAMPTOSAR, and it is possible that the administration of dexamethasone as antiemetic prophylaxis may have enhanced the likelihood of this effect. However, serious opportunistic infections have not been observed, and no complications have specifically been attributed to lymphocytopenia. Hyperglycemia has also been reported in patients receiving CAMPTOSAR. Usually, this has been observed in patients with a history of diabetes mellitus or evidence of glucose intolerance prior to administration of CAMPTOSAR. It is probable that dexamethasone, given as antiemetic prophylaxis, contributed to hyperglycemia in some patients. The incidence of akathisia in clinical trials of the weekly dosage schedule was greater (8.5%, 4/47 patients) when prochlorperazine was administered on the same day as CAMPTOSAR than when these drugs were given on separate days (1.3%, 1/80 patients). The 8.5% incidence of akathisia, however, is within the range reported for use of prochlorperazine when given as a premedication for other chemotherapies. It would be expected that laxative use during therapy with CAMPTOSAR would worsen the incidence or severity of diarrhea, but this has not been studied. In view of the potential risk of dehydration secondary to vomiting and/or diarrhea induced by CAMPTOSAR, the physician may wish to withhold diuretics during dosing with CAMPTOSAR and, certainly, during periods of active vomiting or diarrhea. Drug-Laboratory Test Interactions There are no known interactions between CAMPTOSAR and laboratory tests. Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis & Impairment of Fertility Long-term carcinogenicity studies with irinotecan were not conducted. Rats were, however, administered intravenous doses of 2 mg/kg or 25 mg/kg irinotecan once per week for 13 weeks (in separate studies, the 25 mg/kg dose produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC that were about 7.0 times and 1.3 times the respective values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 weekly) and were then allowed to recover for 91 weeks. Under these conditions, there was a significant linear trend with dose for the incidence of combined uterine horn endometrial stromal polyps and endometrial stromal sarcomas. Neither irinotecan nor SN-38 was mutagenic in the in vitro Ames assay. Irinotecan was clastogenic both in vitro (chromosome aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells) and in vivo (micronucleus test in mice). No significant adverse effects on fertility and general reproductive performance were observed after intravenous administration of irinotecan in doses of up to 6 mg/kg/day to rats and rabbits. However, atrophy of male reproductive organs was observed after multiple daily irinotecan doses both in rodents at 20 mg/kg (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 5 and 1 times, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 weekly) and dogs at 0.4 mg/kg (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about one-half and 1/15 th, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 weekly). Pregnancy Pregnancy Category D—see WARNINGS. Nursing Mothers Radioactivity appeared in rat milk within 5 minutes of intravenous administration of radiolabeled irinotecan and was concentrated up to 65-fold at 4 hours after administration relative to plasma concentrations. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, it is recommended that nursing be discontinued when receiving therapy with CAMPTOSAR. Pediatric Use The effectiveness of irinotecan in pediatric patients has not been established. Results from two open-label, single arm studies were evaluated. One hundred and seventy children with refractory solid tumors were enrolled in one phase 2 trial in which 50 mg/m2 of irinotecan was infused for 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was experienced by 54 (31.8%) patients. Neutropenia was complicated by fever in 15 (8.8%) patients. Grade 3-4 diarrhea was observed in 35 (20.6%) patients. This adverse event profile was comparable to that observed in adults. In the second phase 2 trial of 21 children with previously untreated rhabdomyosarcoma, 20 mg/m2 of irinotecan was infused for 5 consecutive days on weeks 0, 1, 3 and 4. This single agent therapy was followed by multimodal therapy. Accrual to the single agent irinotecan phase was halted due to the high rate (28.6%) of progressive disease and the early deaths (14%). The adverse event profile was different in this study from that observed in adults; the most significant grade 3 or 4 adverse events were dehydration experienced by 6 patients (28.6%) associated with severe hypokalemia in 5 patients (23.8%) and hyponatremia in 3 patients (14.3%); in addition Grade 3-4 infection was reported in 5 patients (23.8%) (across all courses of therapy and irrespective of causal relationship). Pharmacokinetic parameters for irinotecan and SN-38 were determined in 2 pediatric solid-tumor trials at dose levels of 50 mg/m2 (60-min infusion, n=48) and 125 mg/m2 (90-min infusion, n=6). Irinotecan clearance (mean ± S.D.) was 17.3 ± 6.7 L/h/m2 for the 50 mg/m2 dose and 16.2 ± 4.6 L/h/m2 for the 125 mg/m2 dose, which is comparable to that in adults. Dose-normalized SN-38 AUC values were comparable between adults and children. Minimal accumulation of irinotecan and SN-38 was observed in children on daily dosing regimens [daily x 5 every 3 weeks or (daily x 5) x 2 weeks every 3 weeks]. Geriatric Use Patients greater than 65 years of age should be closely monitored because of a greater risk of late diarrhea in this population (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations and ADVERSE REACTIONS, Overview of Adverse Events). The starting dose of CAMPTOSAR in patients 70 years and older for the once-every-3-week dosage schedule should be 300 mg/m2 (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Camptosar Camptosar ® Camptosar ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection irinotecan hydrochloride injection irinotecan hydrochloride injection Table 7. Study 2: Percent (%) of Patients Experiencing Clinically Relevant Adverse Events in Combination Therapiesa (continued) Table 6. Study 1: Percent (%) of Patients Experiencing Clinically Relevant Adverse Events in Combination Therapiesa Study 1 Adverse Event Irinotecan + Bolus 5-FU/LV weekly x 4 q 6 weeks N=225 Bolus 5-FU/LV daily x 5 q 4 weeks N=219 Study 2 Irinotecan weekly x 4 q 6 weeks N=223 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 TOTAL Adverse Events 100 53.3 100 45.7 99.6 45.7 Adverse Event GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea late grade 3 grade 4 early Nausea Abdominal pain Vomiting Anorexia Constipation Mucositis 84.9 — — 45.8 79.1 63.1 60.4 34.2 41.3 32.4 22.7 15.1 7.6 4.9 15.6 14.6 9.7 5.8 3.1 2.2 69.4 — — 31.5 67.6 50.2 46.1 42.0 31.5 76.3 13.2 5.9 7.3 1.4 8.2 11.5 4.1 3.7 1.8 16.9 83.0 — — 43.0 81.6 67.7 62.8 43.9 32.3 29.6 31.0 18.4 12.6 6.7 16.1 13.0 12.1 7.2 0.4 2.2 DERMATOLOGIC HEMATOLOGIC Neutropenia grade 3 grade 4 Leukopenia Anemia Neutropenic fever Thrombocytopenia Neutropenic infection 96.9 — — 96.9 96.9 — 96.0 — 53.8 29.8 24.0 37.8 8.4 7.1 2.6 1.8 98.6 — — 98.6 98.6 — 98.6 — 66.7 23.7 42.5 23.3 5.5 14.6 2.7 0 96.4 — — 96.4 96.9 — 96.0 — 31.4 19.3 12.1 21.5 4.5 5.8 1.7 2.2 BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia Pain Fever Infection 70.2 30.7 42.2 22.2 19.5 3.1 1.7 0 64.4 26.9 32.4 16.0 11.9 3.6 3.6 1.4 69.1 22.9 43.5 13.9 13.9 2.2 0.4 0.4 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL ↑ Bilirubin 87.6 7.1 92.2 8.2 83.9 7.2 DERMATOLOGIC Exfoliative dermatitis Rash Alopecia b 0.9 19.1 43.1 0 0 — 3.2 26.5 26.5 0.5 0.9 — 0 14.3 46.1 0 0.4 — RESPIRATORY Dyspnea Cough Pneumonia 27.6 26.7 6.2 6.3 1.3 2.7 16.0 18.3 1.4 0.5 0 1.0 22.0 20.2 3.6 2.2 0.4 1.3 NEUROLOGIC Dizziness Somnolence Confusion 23.1 12.4 7.1 1.3 1.8 1.8 16.4 4.6 4.1 0 1.8 0 21.1 9.4 2.7 1.8 1.3 0 CARDIOVASCULAR Vasodilation Hypotension Thromboembolic events c 9.3 5.8 9.3 0.9 1.3 — 5.0 2.3 11.4 0 0.5 — 9.0 5.8 5.4 0 1.7 — a b c 11 ® Irinotecan + 5-FU/LV Infusional d 1&2 q 2 weeks N=145 5-FU/LV Infusional d 1&2 q 2 weeks N=143 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Hand & foot syndrome Cutaneous signs Alopecia c 0.7 0 — RESPIRATORY Dyspnea 9.7 1.4 4.9 0 CARDIOVASCULAR Hypotension Thromboembolic events d 3.4 11.7 1.4 — 0.7 5.6 0 — Adjustments in the dose of CAMPTOSAR were made during the cycle of treatment and for subsequent cycles based on individual patient tolerance. The first dose of at least one cycle of CAMPTOSAR was reduced for 67% of patients who began the studies at the 125-mg/m2 starting dose. Within-cycle dose reductions were required for 32% of the cycles initiated at the 125-mg/m2 dose level. The most common reasons for dose reduction were late diarrhea, neutropenia, and leukopenia. Thirteen (4.3%) patients discontinued treatment with CAMPTOSAR because of adverse events. The adverse events in Table 8 are based on the experience of the 304 patients enrolled in the three studies described in the CLINICAL STUDIES, Studies Evaluating the Weekly Dosage Schedule, section. Table 8. Adverse Events Occurring in >10% of 304 Previously Treated Patients with Metastatic Carcinoma of the Colon or Rectuma Body System & Event Study 2 Adverse Event 12.6 20.3 16.8 Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) Includes rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, abdominal cramping or diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of irinotecan) c Complete hair loss = Grade 2 d Includes angina pectoris, arterial thrombosis, cerebral infarct, cerebrovascular accident, deep thrombophlebitis, embolus lower extremity, heart arrest, myocardial infarct, myocardial ischemia, peripheral vascular disorder, pulmonary embolus, sudden death, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, vascular disorder. One hundred nineteen (39.1%) of the 304 patients were hospitalized a total of 156 times because of adverse events; 81 (26.6%) patients were hospitalized for events judged to be related to administration of CAMPTOSAR. The primary reasons for drug-related hospitalization were diarrhea, with or without nausea and/or vomiting (18.4%); neutropenia/leukopenia, with or without diarrhea and/or fever (8.2%); and nausea and/or vomiting (4.9%). Table 7. Study 2: Percent (%) of Patients Experiencing Clinically Relevant Adverse Events in Combination Therapiesa Irinotecan + 5-FU/LV Infusional d 1&2 q 2 weeks N=145 0.7 0.7 — a b Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) Complete hair loss = Grade 2 Includes angina pectoris, arterial thrombosis, cerebral infarct, cerebrovascular accident, deep thrombophlebitis, embolus lower extremity, heart arrest, myocardial infarct, myocardial ischemia, peripheral vascular disorder, pulmonary embolus, sudden death, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, vascular disorder. ADVERSE REACTIONS First-Line Combination Therapy A total of 955 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer received the recommended regimens of irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 5-FU/LV alone, or irinotecan alone. In the two phase 3 studies, 370 patients received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 362 patients received 5-FU/LV alone, and 223 patients received irinotecan alone. (See Table 10 in DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION for recommended combination-agent regimens.) In Study 1, 49 (7.3%) patients died within 30 days of last study treatment: 21 (9.3%) received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 15 (6.8%) received 5-FU/LV alone, and 13 (5.8%) received irinotecan alone. Deaths potentially related to treatment occurred in 2 (0.9%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV (2 neutropenic fever/sepsis), 3 (1.4%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone (1 neutropenic fever/sepsis, 1 CNS bleeding during thrombocytopenia, 1 unknown) and 2 (0.9%) patients who received irinotecan alone (2 neutropenic fever). Deaths from any cause within 60 days of first study treatment were reported for 15 (6.7%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 16 (7.3%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone, and 15 (6.7%) patients who received irinotecan alone. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 17 (7.6%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 14 (6.4%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone, and 26 (11.7%) patients who received irinotecan alone. In Study 2, 10 (3.5%) patients died within 30 days of last study treatment: 6 (4.1%) received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV and 4 (2.8%) received 5-FU/LV alone. There was one potentially treatment-related death, which occurred in a patient who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV (0.7%, neutropenic sepsis). Deaths from any cause within 60 days of first study treatment were reported for 3 (2.1%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV and 2 (1.4%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 9 (6.2%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV and 1 (0.7%) patient who received 5-FU/LV alone. The most clinically significant adverse events for patients receiving irinotecanbased therapy were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, neutropenia, and alopecia. The most clinically significant adverse events for patients receiving 5-FU/LV therapy were diarrhea, neutropenia, neutropenic fever, and mucositis. In Study 1, grade 4 neutropenia, neutropenic fever (defined as grade 2 fever and grade 4 neutropenia), and mucositis were observed less often with weekly irinotecan/5-FU/LV than with monthly administration of 5-FU/LV. Tables 6 and 7 list the clinically relevant adverse events reported in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. Second-Line Single-Agent Therapy Weekly Dosage Schedule In three clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, 304 patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum that had recurred or progressed following 5-FU-based therapy were treated with CAMPTOSAR. Seventeen of the patients died within 30 days of the administration of CAMPTOSAR; in five cases (1.6%, 5/304), the deaths were potentially drug-related. These five patients experienced a constellation of medical events that included known effects of CAMPTOSAR. One of these patients died of neutropenic sepsis without fever. Neutropenic fever occurred in nine (3.0%) other patients; these patients recovered with supportive care. 10.3 17.2 56.6 5-FU/LV Infusional d 1&2 q 2 weeks N=143 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 TOTAL Adverse Events 100 72.4 100 39.2 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea late grade 3 grade 4 Cholinergic syndrome b Nausea Abdominal pain Vomiting Anorexia Constipation Mucositis 72.4 — — 28.3 66.9 17.2 44.8 35.2 30.3 40.0 14.4 10.3 4.1 1.4 2.1 2.1 3.5 2.1 0.7 4.1 44.8 — — 0.7 55.2 16.8 32.2 18.9 25.2 28.7 6.3 4.2 2.1 0 3.5 0.7 2.8 0.7 1.4 2.8 HEMATOLOGIC Neutropenia grade 3 grade 4 Leukopenia Anemia Neutropenic fever Thrombocytopenia Neutropenic infection 82.5 — — 81.3 97.2 — 32.6 — 46.2 36.4 9.8 17.4 2.1 3.4 0 2.1 47.9 — — 42.0 90.9 — 32.2 — 13.4 12.7 0.7 3.5 2.1 0.7 0 0 BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia Pain Fever Infection 57.9 64.1 22.1 35.9 9.0 9.7 0.7 7.6 48.3 61.5 25.9 33.6 4.2 8.4 0.7 3.5 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL ↑ Bilirubin 19.1 3.5 35.9 10.6 % of Patients Reporting NCI Grades 1-4 NCI Grades 3 & 4 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea (late)b 7-9 stools/day (grade 3) ≥10 stools/day (grade 4) Nausea Vomiting Anorexia Diarrhea (early) c Constipation Flatulence Stomatitis Dyspepsia 88 — — 86 67 55 51 30 12 12 10 31 (16) (14) 17 12 6 8 2 0 1 0 HEMATOLOGIC Leukopenia Anemia Neutropenia 500 to <1000/mm 3 (grade 3) <500/mm3 (grade 4) 63 60 54 — — 28 7 26 (15) (12) BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia Abdominal cramping/pain Fever Pain Headache Back pain Chills Minor infection d Edema Abdominal enlargement 76 57 45 24 17 14 14 14 10 10 12 16 1 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL ↓ Body weight Dehydration ↑ Alkaline phosphatase ↑ SGOT 30 15 13 10 1 4 4 1 DERMATOLOGIC Alopecia Sweating Rash 60 16 13 NA e 0 1 RESPIRATORY Dyspnea ↑ Coughing Rhinitis 22 17 16 4 0 0 NEUROLOGIC Insomnia Dizziness 19 15 0 0 CARDIOVASCULAR Vasodilation (flushing) 11 0 a Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) b Occurring >24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR c Occurring ≤24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR d Primarily upper respiratory infections e Not applicable; complete hair loss = NCI grade 2 12 Camptosar Camptosar Camptosar Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule A total of 535 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose disease had recurred or progressed following prior 5-FU therapy participated in the two phase 3 studies: 316 received irinotecan, 129 received 5-FU, and 90 received best supportive care. Eleven (3.5%) patients treated with irinotecan died within 30 days of treatment. In three cases (1%, 3/316), the deaths were potentially related to irinotecan treatment and were attributed to neutropenic infection, grade 4 diarrhea, and asthenia, respectively. One (0.8%, 1/129) patient treated with 5-FU died within 30 days of treatment; this death was attributed to grade 4 diarrhea. Hospitalizations due to serious adverse events (whether or not related to study treatment) occurred at least once in 60% (188/316) of patients who received irinotecan, 63% (57/90) who received best supportive care, and 39% (50/129) who received 5-FU-based therapy. Eight percent of patients treated with irinotecan and 7% treated with 5-FU-based therapy discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Of the 316 patients treated with irinotecan, the most clinically significant adverse events (all grades, 1-4) were diarrhea (84%), alopecia (72%), nausea (70%), vomiting (62%), cholinergic symptoms (47%), and neutropenia (30%). Table 9 lists the grade 3 and 4 adverse events reported in the patients enrolled to all treatment arms of the two studies described in the CLINICAL STUDIES, Studies Evaluating the Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule, section. Table 9. Percent Of Patients Experiencing Grade 3 & 4 Adverse Events In Comparative Studies Of Once-Every-3-Week Irinotecan Therapya icantly greater likelihood of experiencing first-cycle grade 3 or 4 neutropenia than those with bilirubin levels that were less than 1.0 mg/dL (50% [19/38] versus 18% [47/266]; p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the frequency of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia by age or gender. In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, neutropenic fever (concurrent NCI grade 4 neutropenia and fever of grade 2 or greater) occurred in 3% of the patients; 6% of patients received G-CSF for the treatment of neutropenia. NCI grade 3 or 4 anemia was noted in 7% of the patients receiving weekly treatment; blood transfusions were given to 10% of the patients in these trials. Body as a Whole: Asthenia, fever, and abdominal pain are generally the most common events of this type. Cholinergic Symptoms: Patients may have cholinergic symptoms of rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, and intestinal hyperperistalsis that can cause abdominal cramping and early diarrhea. If these symptoms occur, they manifest during or shortly after drug infusion. They are thought to be related to the anticholinesterase activity of the irinotecan parent compound and are expected to occur more frequently with higher irinotecan doses. Hepatic: In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, NCI grade 3 or 4 liver enzyme abnormalities were observed in fewer than 10% of patients. These events typically occur in patients with known hepatic metastases. Dermatologic: Alopecia has been reported during treatment with CAMPTOSAR. Rashes have also been reported but did not result in discontinuation of treatment. Respiratory: Severe pulmonary events are infrequent. In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, NCI grade 3 or 4 dyspnea was reported in 4% of patients. Over half the patients with dyspnea had lung metastases; the extent to which malignant pulmonary involvement or other preexisting lung disease may have contributed to dyspnea in these patients is unknown. Interstitial pulmonary disease presenting as pulmonary infiltrates is uncommon during irinotecan therapy. Interstitial pulmonary disease can be fatal. Risk factors possibly associated with the development of interstitial pulmonary disease include pre-existing lung disease, use of pneumotoxic drugs, radiation therapy, and colony stimulating factors. Patients with risk factors should be closely monitored for respiratory symptoms before and during irinotecan therapy. Neurologic: Insomnia and dizziness can occur, but are not usually considered to be directly related to the administration of CAMPTOSAR. Dizziness may sometimes represent symptomatic evidence of orthostatic hypotension in patients with dehydration. Cardiovascular: Vasodilation (flushing) may occur during administration of CAMPTOSAR. Bradycardia may also occur, but has not required intervention. These effects have been attributed to the cholinergic syndrome sometimes observed during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR. Thromboembolic events have been observed in patients receiving CAMPTOSAR; the specific cause of these events has not been determined. Other Non-U.S. Clinical Trials Irinotecan has been studied in over 1100 patients in Japan. Patients in these studies had a variety of tumor types, including cancer of the colon or rectum, and were treated with several different doses and schedules. In general, the types of toxicities observed were similar to those seen in U.S. trials with CAMPTOSAR. There is some information from Japanese trials that patients with considerable ascites or pleural effusions were at increased risk for neutropenia or diarrhea. A potentially life-threatening pulmonary syndrome, consisting of dyspnea, fever, and a reticulonodular pattern on chest x-ray, was observed in a small percentage of patients in early Japanese studies. The contribution of irinotecan to these preliminary events was difficult to assess because these patients also had lung tumors and some had preexisting nonmalignant pulmonary disease. As a result of these observations, however, clinical studies in the United States have enrolled few patients with compromised pulmonary function, significant ascites, or pleural effusions. Post-Marketing Experience The following events have been identified during postmarketing use of CAMPTOSAR in clinical practice. Infrequent cases of ulcerative and ischemic colitis have been observed. This can be complicated by ulceration, bleeding, ileus, obstruction, and infection, including typhlitis. Patients experiencing ileus should receive prompt antibiotic support (see PRECAUTIONS). Rare cases of intestinal perforation have been reported. Rare cases of symptomatic pancreatitis or asymptomatic elevated pancreatic enzymes have been observed. Hypersensitivity reactions including severe anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions have also been observed (see WARNINGS). Rare cases of hyponatremia mostly related with diarrhea and vomiting have been reported. Transient and mild to moderate increases in serum levels of transaminases (i.e., AST and ALT) in the absence of progressive liver metastasis; transient increase of amylase and occasionally transient increase of lipase have been very rarely reported. Infrequent cases of renal insufficiency including acute renal failure, hypotension or circulatory failure have been observed in patients who experienced episodes of dehydration associated with diarrhea and/or vomiting, or sepsis (see WARNINGS). Early effects such as muscular contraction or cramps and paresthesia have been reported. OVERDOSAGE In U.S. phase 1 trials, single doses of up to 345 mg/m2 of irinotecan were administered to patients with various cancers. Single doses of up to 750 mg/m2 of irinotecan have been given in non-U.S. trials. The adverse events in these patients were similar to those reported with the recommended dosage and regimen. There have been reports of overdosage at doses up to approximately twice the recommended therapeutic dose, which may be fatal. The most significant adverse reactions reported were severe neutropenia and severe diarrhea. There is no known antidote for overdosage of CAMPTOSAR. Maximum supportive care should be instituted to prevent dehydration due to diarrhea and to treat any infectious complications. ® ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection irinotecan hydrochloride injection Study 1 Irinotecan BSCb N=189 N=90 Adverse Event Study 2 Irinotecan 5-FU N=127 N=129 TOTAL Grade 3/4 Adverse Events 79 67 69 54 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea Vomiting Nausea Abdominal pain Constipation Anorexia Mucositis 22 14 14 14 10 5 2 6 8 3 16 8 7 1 22 14 11 9 8 6 2 11 5 4 8 6 4 5 22 7 5 1 0 6 3 0 14 6 1 4 2 3 3 2 8 1 3 0 1 2 4 0 2 2 1 0 2 4 0 2 BODY AS A WHOLE Pain Asthenia 19 15 22 19 17 13 13 12 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL Hepaticc 9 7 9 6 DERMATOLOGIC Hand & foot syndrome Cutaneous signs d 0 2 0 0 0 1 5 3 10 8 5 7 12 13 9 4 HEMATOLOGIC Leukopenia/Neutropenia Anemia Hemorrhage Thrombocytopenia Infection without grade 3/4 neutropenia with grade 3/4 neutropenia Fever without grade 3/4 neutropenia with grade 3/4 neutropenia RESPIRATORY e NEUROLOGIC f CARDIOVASCULAR g 9 3 4 2 OTHER h 32 28 12 14 a b c d e f g h ® Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) BSC = best supportive care Hepatic includes events such as ascites and jaundice Cutaneous signs include events such as rash Respiratory includes events such as dyspnea and cough Neurologic includes events such as somnolence Cardiovascular includes events such as dysrhythmias, ischemia, and mechanical cardiac dysfunction Other includes events such as accidental injury, hepatomegaly, syncope, vertigo, and weight loss Overview of Adverse Events Gastrointestinal: Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are common adverse events following treatment with CAMPTOSAR and can be severe. When observed, nausea and vomiting usually occur during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR. In the clinical studies testing the every 3-week-dosage schedule, the median time to the onset of late diarrhea was 5 days after irinotecan infusion. In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, the median time to onset of late diarrhea was 11 days following administration of CAMPTOSAR. For patients starting treatment at the 125-mg/m2 weekly dose, the median duration of any grade of late diarrhea was 3 days. Among those patients treated at the 125-mg/m2 weekly dose who experienced grade 3 or 4 late diarrhea, the median duration of the entire episode of diarrhea was 7 days. The frequency of grade 3 or 4 late diarrhea was somewhat greater in patients starting treatment at 125 mg/m2 than in patients given a 100-mg/m2 weekly starting dose (34% [65/193] versus 23% [24/102]; p=0.08). The frequency of grade 3 and 4 late diarrhea by age was significantly greater in patients ≥65 years than in patients <65 years (40% [53/133] versus 23% [40/171]; p=0.002). In one study of the weekly dosage treatment, the frequency of grade 3 and 4 late diarrhea was significantly greater in male than in female patients (43% [25/58] versus 16% [5/32]; p=0.01), but there were no gender differences in the frequency of grade 3 and 4 late diarrhea in the other two studies of the weekly dosage treatment schedule. Colonic ulceration, sometimes with gastrointestinal bleeding, has been observed in association with administration of CAMPTOSAR. Hematology: CAMPTOSAR commonly causes neutropenia, leukopenia (including lymphocytopenia), and anemia. Serious thrombocytopenia is uncommon. When evaluated in the trials of weekly administration, the frequency of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia was significantly higher in patients who received previous pelvic/abdominal irradiation than in those who had not received such irradiation (48% [13/27] versus 24% [67/277]; p=0.04). In these same studies, patients with baseline serum total bilirubin levels of 1.0 mg/dL or more also had a signif- irinotecan hydrochloride injection DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Dosage in Patients with Reduced UGT1A1 Activity When administered in combination with other agents, or as a single-agent, a reduction in the starting dose by at least one level of CAMPTOSAR should be considered for patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and WARNINGS). However, the precise dose reduction in this patient population is not known and subsequent dose modifications should be considered based on individual patient tolerance to treatment (see Tables 10-13). Combination-Agent Dosage Dosage Regimens CAMPTOSAR Injection in Combination with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Leucovorin (LV) CAMPTOSAR should be administered as an intravenous infusion over 90 minutes (see Preparation of Infusion Solution). For all regimens, the dose of LV should be administered immediately after CAMPTOSAR, with the administration of 5-FU to occur immediately after receipt of LV. CAMPTOSAR should be used as recommended; the currently recommended regimens are shown in Table 10. Dosing for patients with bilirubin >2 mg/dL cannot be recommended because there is insufficient information to recommend a dose in these patients. It is recommended that patients receive premedication with antiemetic agents. Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of atropine should be considered in patients experiencing cholinergic symptoms. See PRECAUTIONS, General. Dose Modifications Patients should be carefully monitored for toxicity and assessed prior to each treatment. Doses of CAMPTOSAR and 5-FU should be modified as necessary to accommodate individual patient tolerance to treatment. Based on the recommended dose-levels described in Table 10, Combination-Agent Dosage Regimens & Dose Modifications, subsequent doses should be adjusted as suggested in Table 11, Recommended Dose Modifications for Combination Schedules. All dose modifications should be based on the worst preceding toxicity. After the first treatment, patients with active diarrhea should return to pre-treatment bowel function without requiring anti-diarrhea medications for at least 24 hours before the next chemotherapy administration. A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the toxicity has recovered to NCI grade 1 or less. Treatment may be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatment-related toxicity. If the patient has not recovered, consideration should be given to discontinuing therapy. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles of CAMPTOSAR/5-FU/LV may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. Single-Agent Dosage Schedules Dosage Regimens CAMPTOSAR should be administered as an intravenous infusion over 90 minutes for both the weekly and once-every-3-week dosage schedules (see Preparation of Infusion Solution). Single-agent dosage regimens are shown in Table 12. A reduction in the starting dose by one dose level of CAMPTOSAR may be considered for patients with any of the following conditions: age ≥65 years, prior pelvic/abdominal radiotherapy, performance status of 2, or increased bilirubin levels. Dosing for patients with bilirubin >2 mg/dL cannot be recommended because there is insufficient information to recommend a dose in these patients. It is recommended that patients receive premedication with antiemetic agents. Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of atropine should be considered in patients experiencing cholinergic symptoms. See PRECAUTIONS, General. Dose Modifications Patients should be carefully monitored for toxicity and doses of CAMPTOSAR should be modified as necessary to accommodate individual patient tolerance to treatment. Based on recommended dose-levels described in Table 12, SingleAgent Regimens of CAMPTOSAR and Dose Modifications, subsequent doses should be adjusted as suggested in Table 13, Recommended Dose Modifications for Single-Agent Schedules. All dose modifications should be based on the worst preceding toxicity. A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the toxicity has recovered to NCI grade 1 or less. Treatment may be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatment-related toxicity. If the patient has not recovered, consideration should be given to discontinuing this combination therapy. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles of CAMPTOSAR may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. Table 10. Combination-Agent Dosage Regimens & Dose Modifications a Regimen 1 6-wk cycle with bolus 5-FU/LV (next cycle begins on day 43) CAMPTOSAR LV 5-FU Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels (mg/m2) CAMPTOSAR LV 5-FU Regimen 2 6-wk cycle with infusional 5-FU/LV (next cycle begins on day 43) CAMPTOSAR LV 5-FU Bolus 5-FU Infusion b b Starting Dose Dose Level -1 Dose Level -2 125 20 500 100 20 400 75 20 300 180 mg/m2 IV over 90 min, d 1,15,29 200 mg/m2 IV over 2 h, d 1,2,15,16,29,30 400 mg/m2 IV bolus, d 1,2,15,16,29,30 600 mg/m2 IV over 22 h, d 1,2,15,16,29,30 Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels (mg/m2) CAMPTOSAR LV 5-FU Bolus 5-FU Infusionb a 125 mg/m2 IV over 90 min, d 1,8,15,22 20 mg/m2 IV bolus, d 1,8,15,22 500 mg/m2 IV bolus, d 1,8,15,22 Starting Dose Dose Level -1 Dose Level -2 180 200 400 600 150 200 320 480 120 200 240 360 Dose reductions beyond dose level –2 by decrements of ≈ 20% may be warranted for patients continuing to experience toxicity. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. Infusion follows bolus administration. Camptosar Camptosar ® Camptosar ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection ® irinotecan hydrochloride injection irinotecan hydrochloride injection Table 11. Recommended Dose Modifications for CAMPTOSAR/5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)/Leucovorin (LV) Combination Schedules Patients should return to pre-treatment bowel function without requiring antidiarrhea medications for at least 24 hours before the next chemotherapy administration. A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the granulocyte count has recovered to ≥1500/mm3, and the platelet count has recovered to ≥100,000/mm3, and treatment-related diarrhea is fully resolved. Treatment should be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatment-related toxicities. If the patient has not recovered after a 2-week delay, consideration should be given to discontinuing therapy. Toxicity NCI CTC Grade a (Value) During a Cycle of Therapy At the Start of Subsequent Cycles of Therapy b No toxicity Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Neutropenia 1 (1500 to 1999/mm 3) 2 (1000 to 1499/mm 3) 3 (500 to 999/mm 3) 4 (<500/mm 3) Maintain dose level ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 2 dose levels Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 1 dose level ↓ 2 dose levels Neutropenic fever Omit dose until resolved, then ↓ 2 dose levels Other hematologic toxicities Dose modifications for leukopenia or thrombocytopenia during a cycle of therapy and at the start of subsequent cycles of therapy are also based on NCI toxicity criteria and are the same as recommended for neutropenia above. Diarrhea 1 (2-3 stools/day > pretx c) 2 (4-6 stools/day > pretx) 3 (7-9 stools/day > pretx) 4 (≥10 stools/day > pretx) Delay dose until resolved to baseline, then give same dose Omit dose until resolved to baseline, then ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to baseline, then ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to baseline, then ↓ 2 dose levels Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 1 dose level ↓ 2 dose levels Other nonhematologic toxicities d 1 2 3 4 Maintain dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 1, then ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 2 dose levels Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 1 dose level ↓ 2 dose levels For mucositis/stomatitis decrease only 5-FU, not CAMPTOSAR For mucositis/stomatitis decrease only 5-FU, not CAMPTOSAR a b c d National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (version 1.0) Relative to the starting dose used in the previous cycle Pretreatment Excludes alopecia, anorexia, asthenia Table 12. Single-Agent Regimens of CAMPTOSAR and Dose Modifications Weekly Regimena 125 mg/m2 IV over 90 min, d 1,8,15,22 then 2-wk rest Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels c (mg/m2) Starting Dose 125 Dose Level -1 100 350 mg/m2 IV over 90 min, once every 3 wks c Once-Every-3-Week Regimenb Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels (mg/m2) Starting Dose 350 a b c Dose Level -2 75 Dose Level -1 300 Dose Level -2 250 Subsequent doses may be adjusted as high as 150 mg/m2 or to as low as 50 mg/m2 in 25 to 50 mg/m2 decrements depending upon individual patient tolerance. Subsequent doses may be adjusted as low as 200 mg/m2 in 50 mg/m2 decrements depending upon individual patient tolerance. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. Table 13. Recommended Dose Modifications For Single-Agent Schedules a A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the granulocyte count has recovered to ≥1500/mm 3, and the platelet count has recovered to ≥100,000/mm 3, and treatment-related diarrhea is fully resolved. Treatment should be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatmentrelated toxicities. If the patient has not recovered after a 2-week delay, consideration should be given to discontinuing CAMPTOSAR. During a Cycle of Therapy Worst Toxicity NCI Grade b (Value) At the Start of the Next Cycles of Therapy (After Adequate Recovery), Compared with the Starting Dose in the Previous Cyclea Weekly Weekly Once Every 3 Weeks No toxicity Maintain dose level ↑ 25 mg/m2 up to a maximum dose of 150 mg/m2 Maintain dose level Neutropenia 1 (1500 to 1999/mm3) 2 (1000 to 1499/mm3) 3 (500 to 999/mm3) 4 (<500/mm3) Maintain dose level ↓ 25 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 25 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Neutropenic fever Omit dose until resolved, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 when resolved ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Other hematologic toxicities Dose modifications for leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia during a cycle of therapy and at the start of subsequent cycles of therapy are also based on NCI toxicity criteria and are the same as recommended for neutropenia above. Diarrhea 1 (2-3 stools/day > pretx c) 2 (4-6 stools/day > pretx) 3 (7-9 stools/day > pretx) 4 (≥10 stools/day > pretx) Maintain dose level ↓ 25 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 25 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 Other nonhematologicd toxicities 1 2 3 4 a b c d Preparation & Administration Precautions As with other potentially toxic anticancer agents, care should be exercised in the handling and preparation of infusion solutions prepared from CAMPTOSAR Injection. The use of gloves is recommended. If a solution of CAMPTOSAR contacts the skin, wash the skin immediately and thoroughly with soap and water. If CAMPTOSAR contacts the mucous membranes, flush thoroughly with water. Several published guidelines for handling and disposal of anticancer agents are available.1-7 Preparation of Infusion Solution Inspect vial contents for particulate matter and repeat inspection when drug product is withdrawn from vial into syringe. CAMPTOSAR Injection must be diluted prior to infusion. CAMPTOSAR should be diluted in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, (preferred) or 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, to a final concentration range of 0.12 to 2.8 mg/mL. In most clinical trials, CAMPTOSAR was administered in 250 mL to 500 mL of 5% Dextrose Injection, USP. The solution is physically and chemically stable for up to 24 hours at room temperature (approximately 25°C) and in ambient fluorescent lighting. Solutions diluted in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, and stored at refrigerated temperatures (approximately 2° to 8°C), and protected from light are physically and chemically stable for 48 hours. Refrigeration of admixtures using 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, is not recommended due to a low and sporadic incidence of visible particulates. Freezing CAMPTOSAR and admixtures of CAMPTOSAR may result in precipitation of the drug and should be avoided. Because of possible microbial contamination during dilution, it is advisable to use the admixture prepared with 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, within 24 hours if refrigerated (2° to 8°C, 36° to 46°F). In the case of admixtures prepared with 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, or Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, the solutions should be used within 6 hours if kept at room temperature (15° to 30°C, 59° to 86°F). Other drugs should not be added to the infusion solution. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration whenever solution and container permit. HOW SUPPLIED Each mL of CAMPTOSAR Injection contains 20 mg irinotecan (on the basis of the trihydrate salt); 45 mg sorbitol; and 0.9 mg lactic acid. When necessary, pH has been adjusted to 3.5 (range, 3.0 to 3.8) with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid. CAMPTOSAR Injection is available in single-dose amber glass vials in the following package sizes: 2 mL NDC 0009-7529-02 5 mL NDC 0009-7529-01 This is packaged in a backing/plastic blister to protect against inadvertent breakage and leakage. The vial should be inspected for damage and visible signs of leaks before removing the backing/plastic blister. If damaged, incinerate the unopened package. Store at controlled room temperature 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Protect from light. It is recommended that the vial (and backing/plastic blister) should remain in the carton until the time of use. Maintain dose level ↓ 25 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 25 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 All dose modifications should be based on the worst preceding toxicity National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (version 1.0) Pretreatment Excludes alopecia, anorexia, asthenia Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Maintain dose level ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 REFERENCES 1. ONS Clinical Practice Committee. Cancer Chemotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice. Pittsburgh, Pa: Oncology Nursing Society; 1999:32-41. 2. Recommendations for the safe handling of parenteral antineoplastic drugs. Washington, DC: Division of Safety, National Institutes of Health; 1983. US Dept of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service publication NIH 83-2621. 3. AMA Council on Scientific Affairs. Guidelines for handling parenteral antineoplastics. JAMA. 1985;253:1590-1592. 4. National Study Commission on Cytotoxic Exposure. Recommendations for handling cytotoxic agents. 1987. Available from Louis P. Jeffrey, Chairman, National Study Commission on Cytotoxic Exposure. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, 179 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. 5. Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. Guidelines and recommendations for safe handling of antineoplastic agents. Med J Australia. 1983;1:426-428. 6. Jones RB, Frank R, Mass T. Safe handling of chemotherapeutic agents: a report from the Mount Sinai Medical Center. CA-A Cancer J for Clin. 1983;33:258-263. 7. American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. ASHP technical assistance bulletin on handling cytotoxic and hazardous drugs. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1990;47:1033-1049. 8. Controlling Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Drugs. (OSHA WorkPractice Guidelines.) Am J Health-SystPharm. 1996;53;1669-1685. Camptosar brand of irinotecan hydrochloride injection Distributed by Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Maintain dose level ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Pharmacia & Upjohn Co Division of Pfizer Inc, NY, NY 10017 Licensed from Yakult Honsha Co., LTD, Japan, and Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., LTD, Japan Revised June 2006 LAB-0134-10.0 13 Camptosar® irinotecan hydrochloride injection For Intravenous Use Only WARNINGS CAMPTOSAR Injection should be administered only under the supervision of a physician who is experienced in the use of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Appropriate management of complications is possible only when adequate diagnostic and treatment facilities are readily available.CAMPTOSAR can induce both early and late forms of diarrhea that appear to be mediated by different mechanisms. Both forms of diarrhea may be severe. Early diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR) may be accompanied by cholinergic symptoms of rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, and intestinal hyperperistalsis that can cause abdominal cramping. Early diarrhea and other cholinergic symptoms may be prevented or ameliorated by atropine (see PRECAUTIONS, General). Late diarrhea (generally occurring more than 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR) can be life threatening since it may be prolonged and may lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, or sepsis. Late diarrhea should be treated promptly with loperamide. Patients with diarrhea should be carefully monitored and given fluid and electrolyte replacement if they become dehydrated or antibiotic therapy if they develop ileus, fever, or severe neutropenia (see WARNINGS). Administration of CAMPTOSAR should be interrupted and subsequent doses reduced if severe diarrhea occurs (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Severe myelosuppression may occur (see WARNINGS). DESCRIPTION CAMPTOSAR Injection (irinotecan hydrochloride injection) is an antineoplastic agent of the topoisomerase I inhibitor class. Irinotecan hydrochloride was clinically investigated as CPT-11. CAMPTOSAR is supplied as a sterile, pale yellow, clear, aqueous solution. It is available in two single-dose sizes: 2 mL-fill vials contain 40 mg irinotecan hydrochloride and 5 mL-fill vials contain 100 mg irinotecan hydrochloride. Each milliliter of solution contains 20 mg of irinotecan hydrochloride (on the basis of the trihydrate salt), 45 mg of sorbitol NF powder, and 0.9 mg of lactic acid, USP. The pH of the solution has been adjusted to 3.5 (range, 3.0 to 3.8) with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid. CAMPTOSAR is intended for dilution with 5% Dextrose Injection, USP (D5W), or 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, prior to intravenous infusion. The preferred diluent is 5% Dextrose Injection, USP. Irinotecan hydrochloride is a semisynthetic derivative of camptothecin, an alkaloid extract from plants such as Camptotheca acuminata or is chemically synthesized. The chemical name is (S)-4,11-diethyl-3,4,12,14-tetrahydro-4-hydroxy-3,14-dioxo1Hpyrano[3’,4’:6,7]-indolizino[1,2-b]quinolin-9-yl-[1,4’bipiperidine]-1’-carboxylate, monohydrochloride, trihydrate. Its structural formula is as follows: Irinotecan hydrochloride is a pale yellow to yellow crystalline powder, with the empirical formula C 33H38N4O6•HCl•3H2O and a molecular weight of 677.19. It is slightly soluble in water and organic solvents. CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Irinotecan is a derivative of camptothecin. Camptothecins interact specifically with the enzyme topoisomerase I which relieves torsional strain in DNA by inducing reversible single-strand breaks. Irinotecan and its active metabolite SN-38 bind to the topoisomerase I-DNA complex and prevent religation of these single-strand breaks. Current research suggests that the cytotoxicity of irinotecan is due to double-strand DNA damage produced during DNA synthesis when replication enzymes interact with the ternary complex formed by topoisomerase I, DNA, and either irinotecan or SN-38. Mammalian cells cannot efficiently repair these double-strand breaks. Irinotecan serves as a water-soluble precursor of the lipophilic metabolite SN-38. SN38 is formed from irinotecan by carboxylesterase-mediated cleavage of the carbamate bond between the camptothecin moiety and the dipiperidino side chain. SN-38 is approximately 1000 times as potent as irinotecan as an inhibitor of topoisomerase I purified from human and rodent tumor cell lines. In vitro cytotoxicity assays show that the potency of SN-38 relative to irinotecan varies from 2- to 2000-fold. However, the plasma area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) values for SN-38 are 2% to 8% of irinotecan and SN-38 is 95% bound to plasma proteins compared to approximately 50% bound to plasma proteins for irinotecan (see Pharmacokinetics). The precise contribution of SN-38 to the activity of CAMPTOSAR is thus unknown. Both irinotecan and SN-38 exist in an active lactone form and an inactive hydroxy acid anion form. A pH-dependent equilibrium exists between the two forms such that an acid pH promotes the formation of the lactone, while a more basic pH favors the hydroxy acid anion form. Administration of irinotecan has resulted in antitumor activity in mice bearing cancers of rodent origin and in human carcinoma xenografts of various histological types. Pharmacokinetics After intravenous infusion of irinotecan in humans, irinotecan plasma concentrations decline in a multiexponential manner, with a mean terminal elimination half-life of about 6 to 12 hours. The mean terminal elimination half-life of the active metabolite SN-38 is about 10 to 20 hours. The half-lives of the lactone (active) forms of irinotecan and SN-38 are similar to those of total irinotecan and SN-38, as the lactone and hydroxy acid forms are in equilibrium. Over the recommended dose range of 50 to 350 mg/m2 , the AUC of irinotecan increases linearly with dose; the AUC of SN-38 increases less than proportionally with dose. Maximum concentrations of the active metabolite SN-38 are generally seen within 1 hour following the end of a 90-minute infusion of irinotecan. Pharmacokinetic parameters for irinotecan and SN-38 following a 90-minute infusion of irinotecan at dose levels of 125 and 340 mg/m2 determined in two clinical studies in patients with solid tumors are summarized in Table 1: Table 1.Summary of Mean (±Standard Deviation) Irinotecan and SN-38 Pharmacokinetic Parameters in Patients with Solid Tumors Dose (mg/m2) Irinotecan SN-38 Cmax AUC0-24 t1/2 Vz CL Cmax AUC0-24 t1/2 (ng/mL) (ng·h/mL) (h) (L/m2) (L/h/m2) (ng/mL) (ng·h/mL) (h) 125 1,660 10,200 5.8a 110 13.3 26.3 229 10.4a (N=64) ±797 ±3,270 ±0.7 ±48.5 ±6.01 ±11.9 ±108 ±3.1 340 3,392 20,604 11.7b 234 13.9 56.0 474 21.0b (N=6) ±874 ±6,027 ±1.0 ±69.6 ±4.0 ±28.2 ±245 ±4.3 Cmax - Maximum plasma concentration AUC0-24 - Area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to 24 hours after the end of the 90-minute infusion t1/2 - Terminal elimination half-life Vz - Volume of distribution of terminal elimination phase CL - Total systemic clearance a Plasma specimens collected for 24 hours following the end of the 90-minute infusion. b Plasma specimens collected for 48 hours following the end of the 90-minute infusion. Because of the longer collection period, these values provide a more accurate reflection of the terminal elimination half-lives of irinotecan and SN-38. Irinotecan exhibits moderate plasma protein binding (30% to 68% bound). SN-38 is highly bound to human plasma proteins (approximately 95% bound). The plasma protein to which irinotecan and SN-38 predominantly binds is albumin. Metabolism and Excretion: The metabolic conversion of irinotecan to the active metabolite SN-38 is mediated by carboxylesterase enzymes and primarily occurs in the liver. SN-38 is subsequently conjugated predominantly by the enzyme UDP-glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) to form a glucuronide metabolite. UGT1A1 activity is reduced in individuals with genetic polymorphisms that lead to reduced enzyme activity such as the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism. Approximately 10% of the North American population is homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele. In a prospective study, in which irinotecan was administered as a single-agent on a once-every-3-week schedule, patients who were homozygous for UGT1A1*28 had a higher exposure to SN-38 than patients with the wild-type UGT1A1 allele (See WARNINGS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). SN-38 glucuronide had 1/50 to 1/100 the activity of SN-38 in cytotoxicity assays using two cell lines in vitro. The disposition of irinotecan has not been fully elucidated in humans. The urinary excretion of irinotecan is 11% to 20%; SN38, <1%; and SN-38 glucuronide, 3%. The cumulative biliary and urinary excretion of irinotecan and its metabolites (SN-38 and SN-38 glucuronide) over a period of 48 hours following administration of irinotecan in two patients ranged from approximately 25% (100 mg/m2 ) to 50% (300 mg/m2 ). Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations Geriatric: In studies using the weekly schedule, the terminal half-life of irinotecan was 6.0 hours in patients who were 65 years or older and 5.5 hours in patients younger than 65 years. Dose-normalized AUC0-24 for SN-38 in patients who were at least 65 years of age was 11% higher than in patients younger than 65 years. No change in the starting dose is recommended for geriatric patients receiving the weekly dosage schedule of irinotecan. The pharmacokinetics of irinotecan given once every 3 weeks has not been studied in the geriatric population; a lower starting dose is recommended in patients 70 years or older based on clinical toxicity experience with this schedule (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Pediatric: See Pediatric Use under PRECAUTIONS. Gender: The pharmacokinetics of irinotecan do not appear to be influenced by gender. Race: The influence of race on the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan has not been evaluated. Hepatic Insufficiency: Irinotecan clearance is diminished in patients with hepatic dysfunction while exposure to the active metabolite SN-38 is increased relative to that in patients with normal hepatic function. The magnitude of these effects is proportional to the degree of liver impairment as measured by elevations in total bilirubin and transaminase concentrations. However, the tolerability of irinotecan in patients with hepatic dysfunction (bilirubin greater than 2 mg/dl) has not been assessed sufficiently, and no recommendations for dosing can be made (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION and PRECAUTIONS: Patients at Particular Risk Sections). Renal Insufficiency: The influence of renal insufficiency on the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan has not been evaluated. Therefore, caution should be undertaken in patients with impaired renal function. Irinotecan is not recommended for use in patients on dialysis. Drug-Drug Interactions 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV): In a phase 1 clinical study involving irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and leucovorin (LV) in 26 patients with solid tumors, the disposition of irinotecan was not substantially altered when the drugs were coadministered. Although the Cmax and AUC0-24 of SN-38, the active metabolite, were reduced (by 14% and 8%, respectively) when irinotecan was followed by 5-FU and LV administration compared with when irinotecan was given alone, this sequence of administration was used in the combination trials and is recommended (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Formal in vivo or in vitro drug interaction studies to evaluate the influence of irinotecan on the disposition of 5-FU and LV have not been conducted. Anticonvulsants: Exposure to irinotecan and its active metabolite SN-38 is substantially reduced in adult and pediatric patients concomitantly receiving the CYP3A4 enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants phenytoin, phenobarbital or carbamazepine. The appropriate starting dose for patients taking these anticonvulsants has not been formally defined. The following drugs are also CYP3A4 inducers: rifampin, rifabutin. For patients requiring anticonvulsant treatment, consideration should be given to substituting non-enzyme inducing anticonvulsants at least 2 weeks prior to initiation of irinotecan therapy. Dexamethasone does not appear to alter the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan. St. John’s Wort: St. John’s Wort is an inducer of CYP3A4 enzymes. Exposure to the active metabolite SN-38 is reduced in patients receiving concomitant St. John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort should be discontinued at least 2 weeks prior to the first cycle of irinotecan, and St. John’s Wort is contraindicated during irinotecan therapy. Ketoconazole: Ketoconazole is a strong inhibitor of CYP3A4 enzymes. Patients receiving concomitant ketoconazole have increased exposure to irinotecan and its active metabolite SN-38. Patients should discontinue ketoconazole at least 1 week prior to starting irinotecan therapy and ketoconazole is contraindicated during irinotecan therapy. Neuromuscular blocking agents. Interaction between irinotecan and neuromuscular blocking agents cannot be ruled out. Irinotecan has anticholinesterase activity, which may prolong the neuromuscular blocking effects of suxamethonium and the neuromuscular blockade of non-depolarizing drugs may be antagonized. Atazanavir sulfate: Coadministration of atazanavir sulfate, a CYP3A4 and UGT1A1 inhibitor has the potential to increase systemic exposure to SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. Physicians should take this into consideration when co-administering these drugs. CLINICAL STUDIES Irinotecan has been studied in clinical trials in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) and as a single agent (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). When given as a component of combination-agent treatment, irinotecan was either given with a weekly schedule of bolus 5-FU/LV or with an every-2-week schedule of infusional 5-FU/LV. Weekly and a once-every-3-week dosage schedules were used for the singleagent irinotecan studies. Clinical studies of combination and single-agent use are described below. First-Line Therapy in Combination with 5-FU/LV for the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Two phase 3, randomized, controlled, multinational clinical trials support the use of CAMPTOSAR Injection as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. In each study, combinations of irinotecan with 5-FU and LV were compared with 5-FU and LV alone. Study 1 compared combination irinotecan/bolus 5FU/LV therapy given weekly with a standard bolus regimen of 5-FU/LV alone given daily for 5 days every 4 weeks; an irinotecan-alone treatment arm given on a weekly schedule was also included. Study 2 evaluated two different methods of administering infusional 5-FU/LV, with or without irinotecan. In both studies, concomitant medications such as antiemetics, atropine, and loperamide were given to patients for prophylaxis and/or management of symptoms from treatment. In Study 2, a 7-day course of fluoroquinolone antibiotic prophylaxis was given in patients whose diarrhea persisted for greater than 24 hours despite loperamide or if they developed a fever in addition to diarrhea. Treatment with oral fluoroquinolone was also initiated in patients who developed an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <500/mm3, even in the absence of fever or diarrhea. Patients in both studies also received treatment with intravenous antibiotics if they had persistent diarrhea or fever or if ileus developed. In both studies, the combination of irinotecan/5-FU/LV therapy resulted in significant improvements in objective tumor response rates, time to tumor progression, and survival when compared with 5-FU/LV alone. These differences in survival were observed in spite of second-line therapy in a majority of patients on both arms, including crossover to irinotecan-containing regimens in the control arm. Patient characteristics and major efficacy results are shown in Table 2. Table 2. Combination Dosage Schedule: Study Results Study 1 Irinotecan + Bolus 5-FU/LV Bolus 5-FU/LV weekly x 4 q daily x 5 q 6 weeks 4 weeks Number of Patients 231 226 Demographics and Treatment Administration Female/Male (%) 34/65 45/54 Median Age in years (range) 62 (25-85) 61 (19-85) Performance Status (%) 0 39 41 1 46 45 2 15 13 Primary Tumor (%) Colon 81 85 Rectum 17 14 Median Time from Diagnosis to Randomization 1.9 1.7 (months, range) (0-161) (0-203) Prior Adjuvant 5-FU Therapy (%) No 89 92 Yes 11 8 Median Duration of Study 5.5 4.1 Treatmenta (months) Median Relative Dose Intensity (%)a Irinotecan 72 — 5-FU 71 86 Efficacy Results Confirmed Objective Tumor 39 21 Response Rateb (%) (p<0.0001)c Median Time to Tumor Progressiond (months) Median Survival (months) 7.0 4.3 Study 2 Irinotecan weekly x 4 q 6 weeks 226 Irinotecan + Infusional 5-FU/LV 198 Infusional 5-FU/LV 187 35/64 61 (30-87) 33/67 62 (27-75) 47/53 59 (24-75) 46 46 8 51 42 7 51 41 8 84 15 55 45 65 35 1.8 (0.1-185) 4.5 (0-88) 2.7 (0-104) 90 10 74 26 76 24 3.9 5.6 4.5 75 — 87 86 — 93 18 35 4.2 6.7 (p=0.004)d 14.8 22 (p<0.005)c 4.4 (p<0.001)d 12.6 (p<0.05)d 12.0 17.4 14.1 (p<0.05)d a Study 1: N=225 (irinotecan/5-FU/LV),N=219 (5-FU/LV),N=223 (irinotecan) Study 2: N=199 (irinotecan/5-FU/LV),N=186 (5-FU/LV) b Confirmed > 4 to 6 weeks after first evidence of objective response c Chi-square test d Log-rank test Improvement was noted with irinotecan-based combination therapy relative to 5-FU/LV when response rates and time to tumor progression were examined across the following demographic and disease-related subgroups (age, gender, ethnic origin, performance status, extent of organ involvement with cancer, time from diagnosis of cancer, prior adjuvant therapy, and baseline laboratory abnormalities). Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the comparison of irinotecan/5-FU/LV versus 5-FU/LV in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. Figure 1. Survival First-Line Irinotecan/5-FU/LV vs 5-FU/LV Study 1 1.0 0.9 Probability 0.8 Irinotecan/5-FU/LV 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 5-FU/LV 0.3 0.2 p<0.05* 0.1 0.0 0 3 *log-rank test 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 Months Figure 2. Survival First-Line Irinotecan/5-FU/LV vs 5-FU/LV Study 2 1.0 0.9 Probability 0.8 Irinotecan/5-FU/LV 0.7 0.6 0.5 5-FU/LV 0.4 0.3 0.2 p<0.05* 0.1 0.0 0 3 *log-rank test 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 Months Second-Line Treatment for Recurrent or Progressive Metastatic Colorectal Cancer After 5-FU-Based Treatment Weekly Dosage Schedule Data from three open-label, single-agent, clinical studies, involving a total of 304 patients in 59 centers, support the use of CAMPTOSAR in the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer of the colon or rectum that has recurred or progressed following treatment with 5-FU-based therapy. These studies were designed to evaluate tumor response rate and do not provide information on actual clinical benefit, such as effects on survival and disease-related symptoms. In each study, CAMPTOSAR was administered in repeated 6-week cycles consisting of a 90minute intravenous infusion once weekly for 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest period. Starting doses of CAMPTOSAR in these trials were 100, 125, or 150 mg/m2 , but the 150-mg/m2 dose was poorly tolerated (due to unacceptably high rates of grade 4 late diarrhea and febrile neutropenia). Study 1 enrolled 48 patients and was conducted by a single investigator at several regional hospitals. Study 2 was a multicenter study conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. All 90 patients enrolled in Study 2 received a starting dose of 125 mg/m2. Study 3 was a multicenter study that enrolled 166 patients from 30 institutions. The initial dose in Study 3 was 125 mg/m2 but was reduced to 100 mg/m2 because the toxicity seen at the 125-mg/m2 dose was perceived to be greater than that seen in previous studies. All patients in these studies had metastatic colorectal cancer, and the majority had disease that recurred or progressed following a 5-FU-based regimen administered for metastatic disease. The results of the individual studies are shown in Table 3. Table 3. Weekly Dosage Schedule: Study Results Study 1 48 125a 2 90 125 3 Number of Patients 64 102 Starting Dose (mg/m2/wk x 4) 125 100 Demographics and Treatment Administration Female/Male (%) 46/54 36/64 50/50 51/49 Median Age in years (range) 63 (29-78) 63 (32-81) 61 (42-84) 64 (25-84) Ethnic Origin (%) 91 81 96 79 White 5 11 4 12 African American 2 8 0 8 Hispanic 2 0 0 0 Oriental/Asian Performance Status (%) 0 60 38 59 44 1 38 48 33 51 2 2 14 8 5 Primary Tumor (%) 87 89 71 100 Colon 8 11 29 0 Rectum 5 0 0 0 Unknown Prior 5-FU Therapy (%) 68 73 66 81 For Metastatic Disease 28 27 7 15 ≤ 6 months after Adjuvant 2 0 16 2 > 6 months after Adjuvant 3 0 12 2 Classification Unknown Prior Pelvic/Abdominal Irradiation (%) 0 0 29 3 Yes 4 2 9 0 Other 96 98 62 97 None Duration of Treatment with CAMPTOSAR (median, months) 5 4 4 3 b Relative Dose Intensity (median %) 74 67 73 81 Efficacy Confirmed Objective Response Rate (%)c 21 13 14 9 (95% CI) (9.3 - 32.3) (6.3 - 20.4) (5.5 - 22.6) (3.3 - 14.3) Time to Response (median, months) 2.6 1.5 2.8 2.8 Response Duration (median, months) 6.4 5.9 5.6 6.4 Survival (median, months) 10.4 8.1 10.7 9.3 1-Year Survival (%) 46 31 45 43 a Nine patients received 150 mg/m2 as a starting dose; two (22.2%) responded to CAMPTOSAR. b Relative dose intensity for CAMPTOSAR based on planned dose intensity of 100, 83.3, and 66.7 mg/m2/wk corresponding with 150, 125, and 100 mg/m2 starting doses, respectively. c Confirmed ≥ 4 to 6 weeks after first evidence of objective response. In the intent-to-treat analysis of the pooled data across all three studies, 193 of the 304 patients began therapy at the recommended starting dose of 125 mg/m2. Among these 193 patients, 2 complete and 27 partial responses were observed, for an overall response rate of 15.0% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 10.0% to 20.1%) at this starting dose. A considerably lower response rate was seen with a starting dose of 100 mg/m2. The majority of responses were observed within the first two cycles of therapy, but responses did occur in later cycles of treatment (one response was observed after the eighth cycle). The median response duration for patients beginning therapy at 125 mg/m2 was 5.8 months (range, 2.6 to 15.1 months). Of the 304 patients treated in the three studies, response rates to CAMPTOSAR were similar in males and females and among patients older and younger than 65 years. Rates were also similar in patients with cancer of the colon or cancer of the rectum and in patients with single and multiple metastatic sites. The response rate was 18.5% in patients with a performance status of 0 and 8.2% in patients with a performance status of 1 or 2. Patients with a performance status of 3 or 4 have not been studied. Over half of the patients responding to CAMPTOSAR had not responded to prior 5-FU. Patients who had received previous irradiation to the pelvis responded to CAMPTOSAR at approximately the same rate as those who had not previously received irradiation. Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule Single-Arm Studies: Data from an open-label, single-agent, single-arm, multicenter, clinical study involving a total of 132 patients support a once every-3-week dosage schedule of irinotecan in the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer of the colon or rectum that recurred or progressed following treatment with 5-FU. Patients received a starting dose of 350 mg/m2 given by 30-minute intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks. Among the 132 previously treated patients in this trial, the intent-to-treat response rate was 12.1% (95% CI, 7.0% to 18.1%). Randomized Trials: Two multicenter, randomized, clinical studies further support the use of irinotecan given by the once-every-3-week dosage schedule in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose disease has recurred or progressed following prior 5-FU therapy. In the first study, second-line irinotecan therapy plus best supportive care was compared with best supportive care alone. In the second study, second-line irinotecan therapy was compared with infusional 5-FU-based therapy. In both studies, irinotecan was administered intravenously at a starting dose of 350 mg/m2 over 90 minutes once every 3 weeks. The starting dose was 300 mg/m2 for patients who were 70 years and older or who had a performance status of 2. The highest total dose permitted was 700 mg. Dose reductions and/or administration delays were permitted in the event of severe hematologic and/or nonhematologic toxicities while on treatment. Best supportive care was provided to patients in both arms of Study 1 and included antibiotics, analgesics, corticosteroids, transfusions, psychotherapy, or any other symptomatic therapy as clinically indicated. In both studies, concomitant medications such as antiemetics, atropine, and loperamide were given to patients for prophylaxis and/or management of symptoms from treatment. If late diarrhea persisted for greater than 24 hours despite loperamide, a 7-day course of fluoroquinolone antibiotic prophylaxis was given. Patients in the control arm of the second study received one of the following 5-FU regimens: (1) LV, 200 mg/m 2 IV over 2 hours; followed by 5-FU, 400 mg/m2 IV bolus; followed by 5-FU, 600 mg/m2 continuous IV infusion over 22 hours on days 1 and 2 every 2 weeks; (2) 5-FU, 250 to 300 mg/m2 /day protracted continuous IV infusion until toxicity; (3) 5FU, 2.6 to 3 g/m2 IV over 24 hours every week for 6 weeks with or without LV, 20 to 500 mg/m2 /day every week IV for 6 weeks with 2-week rest between cycles. Patients were to be followed every 3 to 6 weeks for 1 year. A total of 535 patients were randomized in the two studies at 94 centers. The primary endpoint in both studies was survival. The studies demonstrated a significant overall survival advantage for irinotecan compared with best supportive care (p=0.0001) and infusional 5-FU-based therapy (p=0.035) as shown in Figures 3 and 4. In Study 1, median survival for patients treated with irinotecan was 9.2 months compared with 6.5 months for patients receiving best supportive care. In Study 2, median survival for patients treated with irinotecan was 10.8 months compared with 8.5 months for patients receiving infusional 5-FU-based therapy. Multiple regression analyses determined that patients’ baseline characteristics also had a significant effect on survival. When adjusted for performance status and other baseline prognostic factors, survival among patients treated with irinotecan remained significantly longer than in the control populations (p=0.001 for Study 1 and p=0.017 for Study 2). Measurements of pain, performance status, and weight loss were collected prospectively in the two studies; however, the plan for the analysis of these data was defined retrospectively. When comparing irinotecan with best supportive care in Study 1, this analysis showed a statistically significant advantage for irinotecan, with longer time to development of pain (6.9 months versus 2.0 months), time to performance status deterioration (5.7 months versus 3.3 months), and time to > 5% weight loss (6.4 months versus 4.2 months). Additionally, 33.3% (33/99) of patients with a baseline performance status of 1 or 2 showed an improvement in performance status when treated with irinotecan versus 11.3% (7/62) of patients receiving best supportive care (p=0.002). Because of the inclusion of patients with non-measurable disease, intentto-treat response rates could not be assessed. Figure 3. Survival Second-Line Irinotecan vs Best Supportive Care (BSC) Study 1 1.0 0.9 Irinotecan BSC N 189 90 Median follow-up 13 mo Median (mo) 9.2 6.5 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 Irinotecan 0.3 BSC 0.2 p=0.0001* 0.1 0.0 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 Months *log-rank test Figure 4. Survival Second-Line Irinotecan vs Infusional 5-FU Study 2 Irinotecan 5-FU N 127 129 Median follow-up 15 mo Median (mo) 10.8 8.5 1.0 0.9 0.8 Probability Probability 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 Irinotecan 0.4 0.3 5-FU 0.2 p=0.035* 0.1 0.0 0 *log-rank test 3 6 9 Months 12 15 18 21 In the two randomized studies, the EORTC QLQ-C30 instrument was utilized. At the start of each cycle of therapy, patients completed a questionnaire consisting of 30 questions, such as “Did pain interfere with daily activities?” (1 = Not at All, to 4 = Very Much) and “Do you have any trouble taking a long walk?” (Yes or No). The answers from the 30 questions were converted into 15 subscales, that were scored from 0 to 100, and the global health status subscale that was derived from two questions about the patient’s sense of general well being in the past week. In addition to the global health status subscale, there were five functional (i.e., cognitive, emotional, social, physical, role) and nine symptom (i.e., fatigue, appetite loss, pain assessment, insomnia, constipation, dyspnea, nausea/vomiting, financial impact, diarrhea) subscales. The results as summarized in Table 5 are based on patients’ worst post-baseline scores. In Study 1, a multivariate analysis and univariate analyses of the individual subscales were performed and corrected for multivariate testing. Patients receiving irinotecan reported significantly better results for the global health status, on two of five functional subscales, and on four of nine symptom subscales. As expected, patients receiving irinotecan noted significantly more diarrhea than those receiving best supportive care. In Study 2, the multivariate analysis on all 15 subscales did not indicate a statistically significant difference between irinotecan and infusional 5-FU. Table 4. Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule: Study Results Study 1 Study 2 Irinotecan BSCa Irinotecan 5-FU Number of Patients 189 90 127 129 Demographics and Treatment Administration Female/Male (%) 32/68 42/58 43/57 35/65 Median Age in years (range) 59 (22-75) 62 (34-75) 58 (30-75) 58 (25-75) Performance Status (%) 0 47 31 58 54 1 39 46 35 43 2 14 23 8 3 Primary Tumor (%) Colon 55 52 57 62 Rectum 45 48 43 38 Prior 5-FU Therapy (%) For Metastatic Disease 70 63 58 68 As Adjuvant Treatment 30 37 42 32 Prior Irradiation (%) 26 27 18 20 Duration of Study Treatment (median, months) 4.1 -4.2 2.8 (Log-rank test) (p=0.02) Relative Dose Intensity (median %)b 94 -95 81-99 Survival Survival (median, months) 9.2 6.5 10.8 8.5 (Log-rank test) (p=0.0001) (p=0.035) a BSC = best supportive care b Relative dose intensity for irinotecan based on planned dose intensity of 116.7 and 100 mg/m2/wk corresponding with 350 and 300 mg/m2 starting doses, respectively. QLQ-C30 Subscale Global Health Status Table 5. EORTC QLQ-C30: Mean Worst Post-Baseline Scorea Study 1 Study 2 Irinotecan BSC p-value Irinotecan 5-FU 47 37 0.03 53 52 p-value 0.9 Functional Scales Cognitive 77 68 0.07 79 83 0.9 Emotional 68 64 0.4 64 68 0.9 Social 58 47 0.06 65 67 0.9 Physical 60 40 0.0003 66 66 0.9 Role 53 35 0.02 54 57 0.9 Symptom Scales Fatigue 51 63 0.03 47 46 0.9 Appetite Loss 37 57 0.0007 35 38 0.9 Pain Assessment 41 56 0.009 38 34 0.9 Insomnia 39 47 0.3 39 33 0.9 Constipation 28 41 0.03 25 19 0.9 Dyspnea 31 40 0.2 25 24 0.9 Nausea/Vomiting 27 29 0.5 25 16 0.09 Financial Impact 22 26 0.5 24 15 0.3 Diarrhea 32 19 0.01 32 22 0.2 a For the five functional subscales and global health status subscale, higher scores imply better functioning, whereas, on the nine symptom subscales, higher scores imply more severe symptoms. The subscale scores of each patient were collected at each visit until the patient dropped out of the study. INDICATIONS AND USAGE CAMPTOSAR Injection is indicated as a component of first-line therapy in combination with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. CAMPTOSAR is also indicated for patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum whose disease has recurred or progressed following initial fluorouracil-based therapy. CONTRAINDICATIONS CAMPTOSAR Injection is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the drug or its excipients. WARNINGS General Outside of a well-designed clinical study, CAMPTOSAR Injection should not be used in combination with the “Mayo Clinic” regimen of 5-FU/LV (administration for 4-5 consecutive days every 4 weeks) because of reports of increased toxicity, including toxic deaths. CAMPTOSAR should be used as recommended (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION, Table 10). In patients receiving either irinotecan/5-FU/LV or 5-FU/LV in the clinical trials, higher rates of hospitalization, neutropenic fever, thromboembolism, first-cycle treatment discontinuation, and early deaths were observed in patients with a baseline performance status of 2 than in patients with a baseline performance status of 0 or 1. Diarrhea CAMPTOSAR can induce both early and late forms of diarrhea that appear to be mediated by different mechanisms. Early diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR) is cholinergic in nature. It is usually transient and only infrequently is severe. It may be accompanied by symptoms of rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, and intestinal hyperperistalsis that can cause abdominal cramping. Early diarrhea and other cholinergic symptoms may be prevented or ameliorated by administration of atropine (see PRECAUTIONS, General, for dosing recommendations for atropine). Late diarrhea (generally occurring more than 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR) can be life threatening since it may be prolonged and may lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, or sepsis. Late diarrhea should be treated promptly with loperamide (see PRECAUTIONS, Information for Patients, for dosing recommendations for loperamide). Patients with diarrhea should be carefully monitored, should be given fluid and electrolyte replacement if they become dehydrated, and should be given antibiotic support if they develop ileus, fever, or severe neutropenia. After the first treatment, subsequent weekly chemotherapy treatments should be delayed in patients until return of pretreatment bowel function for at least 24 hours without need for antidiarrhea medication. If grade 2, 3, or 4 late diarrhea occurs subsequent doses of CAMPTOSAR should be decreased within the current cycle (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Neutropenia Deaths due to sepsis following severe neutropenia have been reported in patients treated with CAMPTOSAR. Neutropenic complications should be managed promptly with antibiotic support (see PRECAUTIONS). Therapy with CAMPTOSAR should be temporarily omitted during a cycle of therapy if neutropenic fever occurs or if the absolute neutrophil count drops <1000/mm3 . After the patient recovers to an absolute neutrophil count ≥1000/mm3 , subsequent doses of CAMPTOSAR should be reduced depending upon the level of neutropenia observed (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Routine administration of a colony-stimulating factor (CSF) is not necessary, but physicians may wish to consider CSF use in individual patients experiencing significant neutropenia. Patients with Reduced UGT1A1 Activity Individuals who are homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele are at increased risk for neutropenia following initiation of CAMPTOSAR treatment. A reduced initial dose should be considered for patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Heterozygous patients (carriers of one variant allele and one wild-type allele which results in intermediate UGT1A1 activity) may be at increased risk for neutropenia; however, clinical results have been variable and such patients have been shown to tolerate normal starting doses. Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity reactions including severe anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions have been observed. Colitis/Ileus Cases of colitis complicated by ulceration, bleeding, ileus, and infection have been observed. Patients experiencing ileus should receive prompt antibiotic support (see PRECAUTIONS). Renal Impairment/Renal Failure Rare cases of renal impairment and acute renal failure have been identified, usually in patients who became volume depleted from severe vomiting and/or diarrhea. Thromboembolism Thromboembolic events have been observed in patients receiving irinotecan-containing regimens; the specific cause of these events has not been determined. Pregnancy CAMPTOSAR may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Radioactivity related to 14 C-irinotecan crosses the placenta of rats following intravenous administration of 10 mg/kg (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 3 and 0.5 times, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 ). Administration of 6 mg/kg/day intravenous irinotecan to rats (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 2 and 0.2 times, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 ) and rabbits (about one-half the recommended human weekly starting dose on a mg/m2 basis) during the period of organogenesis, is embryotoxic as characterized by increased postimplantation loss and decreased numbers of live fetuses. Irinotecan was teratogenic in rats at doses greater than 1.2 mg/kg/day (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan C max and AUC about 2/3 and 1/40th, respectively, of the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 ) and in rabbits at 6.0 mg/kg/day (about one-half the recommended human weekly starting dose on a mg/m2 basis). Teratogenic effects included a variety of external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities. Irinotecan administered to rat dams for the period following organogenesis through weaning at doses of 6 mg/kg/day caused decreased learning ability and decreased female body weights in the offspring. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of irinotecan in pregnant women. If the drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while receiving this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus. Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant while receiving treatment with CAMPTOSAR. PRECAUTIONS General Care of Intravenous Site: CAMPTOSAR Injection is administered by intravenous infusion. Care should be taken to avoid extravasation, and the infusion site should be monitored for signs of inflammation. Should extravasation occur, flushing the site with sterile water and applications of ice are recommended. Premedication with Antiemetics: Irinotecan is emetigenic. It is recommended that patients receive premedication with antiemetic agents. In clinical studies of the weekly dosage schedule, the majority of patients received 10 mg of dexamethasone given in conjunction with another type of antiemetic agent, such as a 5-HT3 blocker (e.g., ondansetron or granisetron). Antiemetic agents should be given on the day of treatment, starting at least 30 minutes before administration of CAMPTOSAR. Physicians should also consider providing patients with an antiemetic regimen (e.g., prochlorperazine) for subsequent use as needed. Treatment of Cholinergic Symptoms: Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of 0.25 to 1 mg of intravenous or subcutaneous atropine should be considered (unless clinically contraindicated) in patients experiencing rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, abdominal cramping, or diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR). These symptoms are expected to occur more frequently with higher irinotecan doses. Immunosuppressant Effects/Increased Susceptibility to Infections: Administration of live or live-attenuated vaccines in patients immunocompromised by chemotherapeutic agents including CAMPTOSAR, may result in serious or fatal infections. Vaccination with a live vaccine should be avoided in patients receiving irinotecan. Killed or inactivated vaccines may be administered; however, the response to such vaccines may be diminished. Patients at Particular Risk: In patients receiving either irinotecan/5-FU/LV or 5-FU/LV in the clinical trials, higher rates of hospitalization, neutropenic fever, thromboembolism, first-cycle treatment discontinuation, and early deaths were observed in patients with a baseline performance status of 2 than in patients with a baseline performance status of 0 or 1. Patients who had previously received pelvic/abdominal radiation and elderly patients with comorbid conditions should be closely monitored. The use of CAMPTOSAR in patients with significant hepatic dysfunction has not been established. In clinical trials of either dosing schedule, irinotecan was not administered to patients with serum bilirubin >2.0 mg/dL, or transaminase >3 times the upper limit of normal if no liver metastasis, or transaminase >5 times the upper limit of normal with liver metastasis. In clinical trials of the weekly dosage schedule, patients with modestly elevated baseline serum total bilirubin levels (1.0 to 2.0 mg/dL) had a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing first-cycle, grade 3 or 4 neutropenia than those with bilirubin levels that were less than 1.0 mg/dL (50% [19/38] versus 18% [47/226]; p<0.001). (Also see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations: Hepatic Insufficiency). Patients with deficient glucuronidation of bilirubin, such as those with Gilbert’s syndrome, may be at greater risk of myelosuppression when receiving therapy with CAMPTOSAR. Ketoconazole, enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants and St. John’s Wort are known to have drug-drug interactions with irinotecan therapy. (See Drug-Drug Interactions sub-section under CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY) Irinotecan commonly causes neutropenia, leucopenia, and anemia, any of which may be severe and therefore should not be used in patients with severe bone marrow failure. Patients must not be treated with irinotecan until resolution of the bowel obstruction. Patients with hereditary fructose intolerance should not be given CAMPTOSAR, as this product contains sorbitol. Information for Patients Patients and patients’ caregivers should be informed of the expected toxic effects of CAMPTOSAR, particularly of its gastrointestinal complications, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and infection. Each patient should be instructed to have loperamide readily available and to begin treatment for late diarrhea (generally occurring more than 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR) at the first episode of poorly formed or loose stools or the earliest onset of bowel movements more frequent than normally expected for the patient. One dosage regimen for loperamide used in clinical trials consisted of the following (Note: This dosage regimen exceeds the usual dosage recommendations for loperamide.): 4 mg at the first onset of late diarrhea and then 2 mg every 2 hours until the patient is diarrhea-free for at least 12 hours. Loperamide is not recommended to be used for more than 48 consecutive hours at these doses, because of the risk of paralytic ileus. During the night, the patient may take 4 mg of loperamide every 4 hours. Premedication with loperamide is not recommended. The use of drugs with laxative properties should be avoided because of the potential for exacerbation of diarrhea. Patients should be advised to contact their physician to discuss any laxative use. Patients should be instructed to contact their physician or nurse if any of the following occur: diarrhea for the first time during treatment; black or bloody stools; symptoms of dehydration such as lightheadedness, dizziness, or faintness; inability to take fluids by mouth due to nausea or vomiting; inability to get diarrhea under control within 24 hours; or fever or evidence of infection. Patients should be warned about the potential for dizziness or visual disturbances which may occur within 24 hours following the administration of CAMPTOSAR, and advised not to drive or operate machinery if these symptoms occur. Patients should be alerted to the possibility of alopecia. Laboratory Tests Careful monitoring of the white blood cell count with differential, hemoglobin, and platelet count is recommended before each dose of CAMPTOSAR. Drug Interactions The adverse effects of CAMPTOSAR, such as myelosuppression and diarrhea, would be expected to be exacerbated by other antineoplastic agents having similar adverse effects. Patients who have previously received pelvic/ abdominal irradiation are at increased risk of severe myelosuppression following the administration of CAMPTOSAR. The concurrent administration of CAMPTOSAR with irradiation has not been adequately studied and is not recommended. Lymphocytopenia has been reported in patients receiving CAMPTOSAR, and it is possible that the administration of dexamethasone as antiemetic prophylaxis may have enhanced the likelihood of this effect. However, serious opportunistic infections have not been observed, and no complications have specifically been attributed to lymphocytopenia. Hyperglycemia has also been reported in patients receiving CAMPTOSAR. Usually, this has been observed in patients with a history of diabetes mellitus or evidence of glucose intolerance prior to administration of CAMPTOSAR. It is probable that dexamethasone, given as antiemetic prophylaxis, contributed to hyperglycemia in some patients. The incidence of akathisia in clinical trials of the weekly dosage schedule was greater (8.5%, 4/47 patients) when prochlorperazine was administered on the same day as CAMPTOSAR than when these drugs were given on separate days (1.3%, 1/80 patients). The 8.5% incidence of akathisia, however, is within the range reported for use of prochlorperazine when given as a premedication for other chemotherapies. It would be expected that laxative use during therapy with CAMPTOSAR would worsen the incidence or severity of diarrhea, but this has not been studied. In view of the potential risk of dehydration secondary to vomiting and/or diarrhea induced by CAMPTOSAR, the physician may wish to withhold diuretics during dosing with CAMPTOSAR and, certainly, during periods of active vomiting or diarrhea. Drug-Laboratory Test Interactions There are no known interactions between CAMPTOSAR and laboratory tests. Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis & Impairment of Fertility Long-term carcinogenicity studies with irinotecan were not conducted. Rats were, however, administered intravenous doses of 2 mg/kg or 25 mg/kg irinotecan once per week for 13 weeks (in separate studies, the 25 mg/kg dose produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC that were about 7.0 times and 1.3 times the respective values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 weekly) and were then allowed to recover for 91 weeks. Under these conditions, there was a significant linear trend with dose for the incidence of combined uterine horn endometrial stromal polyps and endometrial stromal sarcomas. Neither irinotecan nor SN-38 was mutagenic in the in vitro Ames assay. Irinotecan was clastogenic both in vitro (chromosome aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells) and in vivo (micronucleus test in mice). No significant adverse effects on fertility and general reproductive performance were observed after intravenous administration of irinotecan in doses of up to 6 mg/kg/day to rats and rabbits. However, atrophy of male reproductive organs was observed after multiple daily irinotecan doses both in rodents at 20 mg/kg (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about 5 and 1 times, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 weekly) and dogs at 0.4 mg/kg (which in separate studies produced an irinotecan Cmax and AUC about one-half and 1/15th, respectively, the corresponding values in patients administered 125 mg/m2 weekly). Pregnancy Pregnancy Category D—see WARNINGS. Nursing Mothers Radioactivity appeared in rat milk within 5 minutes of intravenous administration of radiolabeled irinotecan and was concentrated up to 65-fold at 4 hours after administration relative to plasma concentrations. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, it is recommended that nursing be discontinued when receiving therapy with CAMPTOSAR. Pediatric Use The effectiveness of irinotecan in pediatric patients has not been established. Results from two open-label, single arm studies were evaluated. One hundred and seventy children with refractory solid tumors were enrolled in one phase 2 trial in which 50 mg/ m2 of irinotecan was infused for 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was experienced by 54 (31.8%) patients. Neutropenia was complicated by fever in 15 (8.8%) patients. Grade 3-4 diarrhea was observed in 35 (20.6%) patients. This adverse event profile was comparable to that observed in adults. In the second phase 2 trial of 21 children with previously untreated rhabdomyosarcoma, 20 mg/m2 of irinotecan was infused for 5 consecutive days on weeks 0, 1, 3 and 4. This single agent therapy was followed by multimodal therapy. Accrual to the single agent irinotecan phase was halted due to the high rate (28.6%) of progressive disease and the early deaths (14%). The adverse event profile was different in this study from that observed in adults; the most significant grade 3 or 4 adverse events were dehydration experienced by 6 patients (28.6%) associated with severe hypokalemia in 5 patients (23.8%) and hyponatremia in 3 patients (14.3%); in addition Grade 3-4 infection was reported in 5 patients (23.8%) (across all courses of therapy and irrespective of causal relationship). Pharmacokinetic parameters for irinotecan and SN-38 were determined in 2 pediatric solid-tumor trials at dose levels of 50 mg/m2 (60-min infusion, n=48) and 125 mg/m2 (90-min infusion, n=6). Irinotecan clearance (mean ± S.D.) was 17.3 ± 6.7 L/h/m2 for the 50mg/m2 dose and 16.2 ± 4.6 L/h/m2 for the 125 mg/m2 dose, which is comparable to that in adults. Dose-normalized SN-38 AUC values were comparable between adults and children. Minimal accumulation of irinotecan and SN-38 was observed in children on daily dosing regimens [daily x 5 every 3 weeks or (daily x 5) x 2 weeks every 3 weeks]. Geriatric Use Patients greater than 65 years of age should be closely monitored because of a greater risk of late diarrhea in this population (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations and ADVERSE REACTIONS, Overview of Adverse Events). The starting dose of CAMPT OS AR i n p at i en t s 7 0 years an d o l d er fo r t h e o n ce-ev ery-3-week-dosage schedule should be 300 mg/m2 (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). ADVERSE REACTIONS Fi rst-L i n e Comb i n ati o n T h erap y A total of 955 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer received the recommended regimens of irinotecan in co m b i n at i o n wi t h 5 -FU/ LV, 5 -FU/ LV al o n e, o r i ri not ecan al one. In t h e t wo phase 3 st udi es, 370 pat i ent s recei ved irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 362 patients received 5-FU/LV alone, and 223 patients received irinotecan alone. (See Table 10 in DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION for recommended combination-agent regimens.) In Study 1, 49 (7.3%) patients died within 30 days of last study treatment: 21 (9.3%) received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 15 (6.8%) received 5-FU/LV alone, and 13 (5.8%) received irinotecan alone. Deaths potentially related to treatment occurred in 2 (0.9%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV (2 neutropenic fever/sepsis), 3 (1.4%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone (1 neutropenic fever/sepsis, 1 CNS bleeding during thrombocytopenia, 1 unknown) and 2 (0.9%) patients who received irinotecan alone (2 neutropenic fever). Deaths from any cause within 60 days of first study treatment were reported for 15 (6.7%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV, 16 (7.3%) patients who received 5FU/LV alone, and 15 (6.7%) patients who received irinotecan alone. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 17 (7.6%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5FU/LV, 14 (6.4%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone, and 26 (11.7%) patients who received irinotecan alone. In Study 2, 10 (3.5%) patients died within 30 days of last study treatment: 6 (4.1%) received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV and 4 (2.8%) received 5-FU/LV alone. There was one potentially treatment-related death, which occurred in a patient who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV (0.7%, neutropenic sepsis). Deaths from any cause within 60 days of first study treatment were reported for 3 (2.1%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV and 2 (1.4%) patients who received 5-FU/LV alone. Discontinuations due to adverse events were reported for 9 (6.2%) patients who received irinotecan in combination with 5FU/LV and 1 (0.7%) patient who received 5-FU/LV alone. The most clinically significant adverse events for patients receiving irinotecan-based therapy were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, neutropenia, and alopecia. The most clinically significant adverse events for patients receiving 5-FU/LV therapy were diarrhea, neutropenia, neutropenic fever, and mucositis. In Study 1, grade 4 neutropenia, neutropenic fever (defined as grade 2 fever and grade 4 neutropenia), and mucositis were observed less often with weekly irinotecan/5-FU/LV than with monthly administration of 5-FU/LV. Tables 6 and 7 list the clinically relevant adverse events reported in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. Table 6. Study 1: Percent (%) of Patients Experiencing Clinically Relevant Adverse Events in Combination Therapiesa Study 1 Irinotecan + Bolus 5-FU/LV Bolus 5-FU/LV Irinotecan weekly x 4 daily x 5 weekly x 4 Adverse Event q 6 weeks q 4 weeks q 6 weeks N=225 N=219 N=223 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 TOTAL Adverse Events 100 53.3 100 45.7 99.6 45.7 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea late 84.9 22.7 69.4 13.2 83.0 31.0 grade 3 -15.1 -5.9 -18.4 grade 4 -7.6 -7.3 -12.6 early 45.8 4.9 31.5 1.4 43.0 6.7 Nausea 79.1 15.6 67.6 8.2 81.6 16.1 Abdominal pain 63.1 14.6 50.2 11.5 67.7 13.0 Vomiting 60.4 9.7 46.1 4.1 62.8 12.1 Anorexia 34.2 5.8 42.0 3.7 43.9 7.2 Constipation 41.3 3.1 31.5 1.8 32.3 0.4 Mucositis 32.4 2.2 76.3 16.9 29.6 2.2 HEMATOLOGIC Neutropenia 96.9 53.8 98.6 66.7 96.4 31.4 grade 3 -29.8 -23.7 -19.3 grade 4 -24.0 -42.5 -12.1 Leukopenia 96.9 37.8 98.6 23.3 96.4 21.5 Anemia 96.9 8.4 98.6 5.5 96.9 4.5 Neutropenic fever -7.1 -14.6 -5.8 Thrombocytopenia 96.0 2.6 98.6 2.7 96.0 1.7 Neutropenic infection -1.8 -0 -2.2 BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia 70.2 19.5 64.4 11.9 69.1 13.9 Pain 30.7 3.1 26.9 3.6 22.9 2.2 Fever 42.2 1.7 32.4 3.6 43.5 0.4 Infection 22.2 0 16.0 1.4 13.9 0.4 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL 87.6 7.1 92.2 8.2 83.9 7.2 ↑ Bilirubin DERMATOLOGIC Exfoliative dermatitis 0.9 0 3.2 0.5 0 0 Rash 19.1 0 26.5 0.9 14.3 0.4 Alopeciab 43.1 -26.5 -46.1 -RESPIRATORY Dyspnea 27.6 6.3 16.0 0.5 22.0 2.2 Cough 26.7 1.3 18.3 0 20.2 0.4 Pneumonia 6.2 2.7 1.4 1.0 3.6 1.3 NEUROLOGIC Dizziness 23.1 1.3 16.4 0 21.1 1.8 Somnolence 12.4 1.8 4.6 1.8 9.4 1.3 Confusion 7.1 1.8 4.1 0 2.7 0 CARDIOVASCULAR Vasodilatation 9.3 0.9 5.0 0 9.0 0 Hypotension 5.8 1.3 2.3 0.5 5.8 1.7 Thromboembolic eventsc 9.3 -11.4 -5.4 -a Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) b Complete hair loss = Grade 2 c Includes angina pectoris, arterial thrombosis, cerebral infarct, cerebrovascular accident, deep thrombophlebitis, embolus lower extremity, heart arrest, myocardial infarct, myocardial ischemia, peripheral vascular disorder, pulmonary embolus, sudden death, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, vascular disorder. Table 7. Study 2: Percent (%) of Patients Experiencing Clinically Relevant Adverse Events in Combination Therapiesa Study 2 Irinotecan + 5-FU/LV 5-FU/LV infusional d 1&2 infusional d 1&2 q 2 weeks q 2 weeks N= 145 N=143 Adverse Event Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 Grade 1-4 Grade 3&4 TOTAL Adverse Events 100 72.4 100 39.2 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea late 72.4 14.4 44.8 6.3 grade 3 -10.3 -4.2 grade 4 -4.1 -2.1 Cholinergic syndromeb 28.3 1.4 0.7 0 Nausea 66.9 2.1 55.2 3.5 Abdominal pain 17.2 2.1 16.8 0.7 Vomiting 44.8 3.5 32.2 2.8 Anorexia 35.2 2.1 18.9 0.7 Constipation 30.3 0.7 25.2 1.4 Mucositis 40.0 4.1 28.7 2.8 HEMATOLOGIC Neutropenia 82.5 46.2 47.9 13.4 grade 3 -36.4 -12.7 grade 4 -9.8 -0.7 Leukopenia 81.3 17.4 42.0 3.5 Anemia 97.2 2.1 90.9 2.1 Neutropenic fever -3.4 -0.7 Thrombocytopenia 32.6 0 32.2 0 Neutropenic infection -2.1 -0 BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia 57.9 9.0 48.3 4.2 Pain 64.1 9.7 61.5 8.4 Fever 22.1 0.7 25.9 0.7 Infection 35.9 7.6 33.6 3.5 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL 19.1 3.5 35.9 10.6 ↑ Bilirubin DERMATOLOGIC Hand & foot syndrome 10.3 0.7 12.6 0.7 Cutaneous signs 17.2 0.7 20.3 0 Alopeciac 56.6 -16.8 -RESPIRATORY Dyspnea 9.7 1.4 4.9 0 CARDIOVASCULAR Hypotension 3.4 1.4 0.7 0 Thromboembolic eventsd 11.7 -5.6 -a Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) b Includes rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, abdominal cramping or diarrhea (occurring during or shortly after infusion of irinotecan) c Complete hair loss = Grade 2 d Includes angina pectoris, arterial thrombosis, cerebral infarct, cerebrovascular accident, deep thrombophlebitis, embolus lower extremity, heart arrest, myocardial infarct, myocardial ischemia, peripheral vascular disorder, pulmonary embolus, sudden death, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, vascular disorder. Second-Line Single-Agent Therapy Weekly Dosage Schedule In three clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, 304 patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum that had recurred or progressed following 5FU-based therapy were treated with CAMPTOSAR. Seventeen of the patients died within 30 days of the administration of CAMPTOSAR; in five cases (1.6%, 5/304), the deaths were potentially drug-related. These five patients experienced a constellation of medical events that included known effects of CAMPTOSAR. One of these patients died of neutropenic sepsis without fever. Neutropenic fever occurred in nine (3.0%) other patients; these patients recovered with supportive care. One hundred nineteen (39.1%) of the 304 patients were hospitalized a total of 156 times because of adverse events; 81 (26.6%) patients were hospitalized for events judged to be related to administration of CAMPTOSAR. The primary reasons for drug-related hospitalization were diarrhea, with or without nausea and/or vomiting (18.4%); neutropenia/leukopenia, with or without diarrhea and/or fever (8.2%); and nausea and/or vomiting (4.9%). Adjustments in the dose of CAMPTOSAR were made during the cycle of treatment and for subsequent cycles based on individual patient tolerance. The first dose of at least one cycle of CAMPTOSAR was reduced for 67% of patients who began the studies at the 125-mg/m2 starting dose. Within-cycle dose reductions were required for 32% of the cycles initiated at the 125-mg/m2 dose level. The most common reasons for dose reduction were late diarrhea, neutropenia, and leukopenia. Thirteen (4.3%) patients discontinued treatment with CAMPTOSAR because of adverse events. The adverse events in Table 8 are based on the experience of the 304 patients enrolled in the three studies described in the CLINICAL STUDIES, Studies Evaluating the Weekly Dosage Schedule, section. Table 8. Adverse Events Occurring in >10% of 304 Previously Treated Patients with Metastatic Carcinoma of the Colon or Rectuma Body System & Event % of Patients Reporting NCI Grades 1-4 NCI Grades 3 & 4 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea (late)b 88 7-9 stools/day (grade 3) ≥10 stools/day (grade 4) Nausea 86 Vomiting 67 Anorexia 55 Diarrhea (early)c 51 Constipation 30 Flatulence 12 Stomatitis 12 Dyspepsia 10 HEMATOLOGIC Leukopenia 63 Anemia 60 Neutropenia 54 500 to <1000/mm3 (grade 3) <500/mm3 (grade 4) BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia 76 Abdominal cramping/pain 57 Fever 45 Pain 24 Headache 17 Back pain 14 Chills 14 Minor infectiond 14 Edema 10 Abdominal enlargement 10 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL 30 ↓ Body weight Dehydration 15 13 ↑ Alkaline phosphatase 10 ↑ SGOT DERMATOLOGIC Alopecia 60 Sweating 16 Rash 13 RESPIRATORY Dyspnea 22 17 ↑ Coughing Rhinitis 16 NEUROLOGIC Insomnia 19 Dizziness 15 CARDIOVASCULAR Vasodilation (flushing) 11 a Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) b Occurring > 24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR c Occurring ≤24 hours after administration of CAMPTOSAR d Primarily upper respiratory infections e Not applicable; complete hair loss = NCI grade 2 31 (16) (14) 17 12 6 8 2 0 1 0 28 7 26 (15) (12) 12 16 1 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 4 4 1 NAe 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 Once-Every-3-Week Dosage Schedule A total of 535 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose disease had recurred or progressed following prior 5-FU therapy participated in the two phase 3 studies: 316 received irinotecan, 129 received 5-FU, and 90 received best supportive care. Eleven (3.5%) patients treated with irinotecan died within 30 days of treatment. In three cases (1%, 3/316), the deaths were potentially related to irinotecan treatment and were attributed to neutropenic infection, grade 4 diarrhea, and asthenia, respectively. One (0.8%, 1/129) patient treated with 5-FU died within 30 days of treatment; this death was attributed to grade 4 diarrhea. Hospitalizations due to serious adverse events (whether or not related to study treatment) occurred at least once in 60% (188/316) of patients who received irinotecan, 63% (57/90) who received best supportive care, and 39% (50/129) who received 5-FUbased therapy. Eight percent of patients treated with irinotecan and 7% treated with 5FU-based therapy discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Of the 316 patients treated with irinotecan, the most clinically significant adverse events (all grades, 1-4) were diarrhea (84%), alopecia (72%), nausea (70%), vomiting (62%), cholinergic symptoms (47%), and neutropenia (30%). Table 9 lists the grade 3 and 4 adverse events reported in the patients enrolled to all treatment arms of the two studies described in the CLINICAL STUDIES, Studies Evaluating the Once-Every-3Week Dosage Schedule, section. Table 9. Percent Of Patients Experiencing Grade 3 & 4 Adverse Events In Comparative Studies Of Once-Every-3-Week Irinotecan Therapya Study 1 Study 2 Irinotecan Irinotecan BSC b N=90 N=127 N=189 Adverse Event TOTAL Grade 3/4 Adverse Events 79 67 69 GASTROINTESTINAL Diarrhea 22 6 22 Vomiting 14 8 14 Nausea 14 3 11 Abdominal pain 14 16 9 Constipation 10 8 8 Anorexia 5 7 6 Mucositis 2 1 2 HEMATOLOGIC Leukopenia/Neutropenia 22 0 14 Anemia 7 6 6 Hemorrhage 5 3 1 Thrombocytopenia 1 0 4 Infection without grade 3/4 neutropenia 8 3 1 with grade 3/4 neutropenia 1 0 2 Fever without grade 3/4 neutropenia 2 1 2 with grade 3/4 neutropenia 2 0 4 BODY AS A WHOLE Pain 19 22 17 Asthenia 15 19 13 METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL Hepatic c 9 7 9 DERMATOLOGIC Hand & foot syndrome 0 0 0 Cutaneous signs d 2 0 1 RESPIRATORY e 10 8 5 NEUROLOGIC f 12 13 9 CARDIOVASCULAR g 9 3 4 OTHER h 32 28 12 a Severity of adverse events based on NCI CTC (version 1.0) b BSC = best supportive care c Hepatic includes events such as ascites and jaundice d Cutaneous signs include events such as rash e Respiratory includes events such as dyspnea and cough f Neurologic includes events such as somnolence g Cardiovascular includes events such as dysrhythmias, ischemia, and mechanical cardiac dysfunction h Other includes events such as accidental injury, hepatomegaly, syncope, vertigo, and weight loss 5-FU N=129 54 11 5 4 8 6 4 5 2 3 3 2 4 0 0 2 13 12 6 5 3 7 4 2 14 Overview of Adverse Events Gastrointestinal: Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are common adverse events following treatment with CAMPTOSAR and can be severe. When observed, nausea and vomiting usually occur during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR. In the clinical studies testing the every 3-week-dosage schedule, the median time to the onset of late diarrhea was 5 days after irinotecan infusion. In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, the median time to onset of late diarrhea was 11 days following administration of CAMPTOSAR. For patients starting treatment at the 125-mg/m2 weekly dose, the median duration of any grade of late diarrhea was 3 days. Among those patients treated at the 125-mg/m2 weekly dose who experienced grade 3 or 4 late diarrhea, the median duration of the entire episode of diarrhea was 7 days. The frequency of grade 3 or 4 late diarrhea was somewhat greater in patients starting treatment at 125 mg/m2 than in patients given a 100-mg/m2 weekly starting dose (34% [65/193] versus 23% [24/102]; p=0.08). The frequency of grade 3 and 4 late diarrhea by age was significantly greater in patients ≥65 years than in patients <65 years (40% [53/133] versus 23% [40/171]; p=0.002). In one study of the weekly dosage treatment, the frequency of grade 3 and 4 late diarrhea was significantly greater in male than in female patients (43% [25/58] versus 16% [5/32]; p=0.01), but there were no gender differences in the frequency of grade 3 and 4 late diarrhea in the other two studies of the weekly dosage treatment schedule. Colonic ulceration, sometimes with gastrointestinal bleeding, has been observed in association with administration of CAMPTOSAR. Hematology: CAMPTOSAR commonly causes neutropenia, leukopenia (including lymphocytopenia), and anemia. Serious thrombocytopenia is uncommon. When evaluated in the trials of weekly administration, the frequency of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia was significantly higher in patients who received previous pelvic/abdominal irradiation than in those who had not received such irradiation (48% [13/27] versus 24% [67/277]; p=0.04). In these same studies, patients with baseline serum total bilirubin levels of 1.0 mg/dL or more also had a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing first-cycle grade 3 or 4 neutropenia than those with bilirubin levels that were less than 1.0 mg/dL (50% [19/38] versus 18% [47/266]; p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the frequency of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia by age or gender. In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, neutropenic fever (concurrent NCI grade 4 neutropenia and fever of grade 2 or greater) occurred in 3% of the patients; 6% of patients received G-CSF for the treatment of neutropenia. NCI grade 3 or 4 anemia was noted in 7% of the patients receiving weekly treatment; blood transfusions were given to 10% of the patients in these trials. Body as a Whole: Asthenia, fever, and abdominal pain are generally the most common events of this type. Cholinergic Symptoms: Patients may have cholinergic symptoms of rhinitis, increased salivation, miosis, lacrimation, diaphoresis, flushing, and intestinal hyperperistalsis that can cause abdominal cramping and early diarrhea. If these symptoms occur, they manifest during or shortly after drug infusion. They are thought to be related to the anticholinesterase activity of the irinotecan parent compound and are expected to occur more frequently with higher irinotecan doses. Hepatic: In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, NCI grade 3 or 4 liver enzyme abnormalities were observed in fewer than 10% of patients. These events typically occur in patients with known hepatic metastases. Dermatologic: Alopecia has been reported during treatment with CAMPTOSAR. Rashes have also been reported but did not result in discontinuation of treatment. Respiratory: Severe pulmonary events are infrequent. In the clinical studies evaluating the weekly dosage schedule, NCI grade 3 or 4 dyspnea was reported in 4% of patients. Over half the patients with dyspnea had lung metastases; the extent to which malignant pulmonary involvement or other preexisting lung disease may have contributed to dyspnea in these patients is unknown. Interstitial pulmonary disease presenting as pulmonary infiltrates is uncommon during irinotecan therapy. Interstitial pulmonary disease can be fatal. Risk factors possibly associated with the development of interstitial pulmonary disease include pre-existing lung disease, use of pneumotoxic drugs, radiation therapy, and colony stimulating factors. Patients with risk factors should be closely monitored for respiratory symptoms before and during irinotecan therapy. Neurologic: Insomnia and dizziness can occur, but are not usually considered to be directly related to the administration of CAMPTOSAR. Dizziness may sometimes represent symptomatic evidence of orthostatic hypotension in patients with dehydration. Cardiovascular: Vasodilation (flushing) may occur during administration of CAMPTOSAR. Bradycardia may also occur, but has not required intervention. These effects have been attributed to the cholinergic syndrome sometimes observed during or shortly after infusion of CAMPTOSAR. Thromboembolic events have been observed in patients receiving CAMPTOSAR; the specific cause of these events has not been determined. Other Non-U.S. Clinical Trials Irinotecan has been studied in over 1100 patients in Japan. Patients in these studies had a variety of tumor types, including cancer of the colon or rectum, and were treated with several different doses and schedules. In general, the types of toxicities observed were similar to those seen in U.S. trials with CAMPTOSAR. There is some information from Japanese trials that patients with considerable ascites or pleural effusions were at increased risk for neutropenia or diarrhea. A potentially life-threatening pulmonary syndrome, consisting of dyspnea, fever, and a reticulonodular pattern on chest x-ray, was observed in a small percentage of patients in early Japanese studies. The contribution of irinotecan to these preliminary events was difficult to assess because these patients also had lung tumors and some had preexisting nonmalignant pulmonary disease. As a result of these observations, however, clinical studies in the United States have enrolled few patients with compromised pulmonary function, significant ascites, or pleural effusions. Post-Marketing Experience The following events have been identified during postmarketing use of CAMPTOSAR in clinical practice. Myocardial ischemic events have been observed following irinotecan therapy predominantly in patients with underlying cardiac disease, other known risk factors for cardiac disease or previous cytotoxic chemotherapy (See also Table 7, thromboembolic events). Infrequent cases of ulcerative and ischemic colitis have been observed. This can be complicated by ulceration, bleeding, ileus, obstruction, and infection, including typhlitis. Patients experiencing ileus should receive prompt antibiotic support (see PRECAUTIONS). Rare cases of megacolon and intestinal perforation have been reported. Rare cases of symptomatic pancreatitis or asymptomatic elevated pancreatic enzymes have been observed. Hypersensitivity reactions including severe anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions have also been observed (see WARNINGS). Rare cases of hyponatremia mostly related with diarrhea and vomiting have been reported. Increases in serum levels of transaminases (i.e., AST and ALT) in the absence of progressive liver metastasis; transient increase of amylase and occasionally transient increase of lipase have been very rarely reported. Infrequent cases of renal insufficiency including acute renal failure, hypotension or circulatory failure have been observed in patients who experienced episodes of dehydration associated with diarrhea and/or vomiting, or sepsis (see WARNINGS). Early effects such as muscular contraction or cramps and paresthesia have been reported. Hiccups have been reported. OVERDOSAGE In U.S. phase 1 trials, single doses of up to 345 mg/m 2 of irinotecan were administered to patients with various cancers. Single doses of up to 750 mg/m 2 of irinotecan have been given in non-U.S. trials. The adverse events in these patients were similar to those reported with the recommended dosage and regimen. There have been reports of overdosage at doses up to approximately twice the recommended therapeutic dose, which may be fatal. The most significant adverse reactions reported were severe neutropenia and severe diarrhea. There is no known antidote for overdosage of CAMPTOSAR. Maximum supportive care should be instituted to prevent dehydration due to diarrhea and to treat any infectious complications. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Dosage in Patients with Reduced UGT1A1 Activity When administered in combination with other agents, or as a single-agent, a reduction in the starting dose by at least one level of CAMPTOSAR should be considered for patients known to be homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and WARNINGS). However, the precise dose reduction in this patient population is not known and subsequent dose modifications should be considered based on individual patient tolerance to treatment (see Tables 10-13). Combination-Agent Dosage Dosage Regimens CAMPTOSAR Injection in Combination with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Leucovorin (LV) C A M P T O S A R s h o u l d b e a d m i n i s t e r e d a s a n i n t r a v e n o u s infusion over 90 minutes (see Preparation of Infusion Solution). For all regimens, the dose of LV should be administered immediately after CAMPTOSAR, with the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f 5-FU to occur immediately after receipt of LV. CAMPTOSAR should be used as recommended; the currently recommended regimens are shown in Table 10. Regimen 1 6-wk cycle with bolus 5-FU/LV (next cycle begins on day 43) Table 10. Combination-Agent Dosage Regimens & Dose Modificationsa 125 mg/m2 IV over 90 min, d 1,8,15,22 CAMPTOSAR 20 mg/m2 IV bolus, d 1,8,15,22 LV 500 mg/m2 IV bolus, d 1,8,15,22 5-FU Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels (mg/m2) Dose Level -1 Starting Dose Dose Level -2 Regimen 2 6-wk cycle with infusional 5-FU/LV (next cycle begins on day 43) CAMPTOSAR 125 100 75 LV 20 20 20 5-FU 500 400 300 CAMPTOSAR LV 5-FU Bolus 5-FU Infusionb 2 180 mg/m IV over 90 min, d 1,15,29 200 mg/m2 IV over 2 h, d 1,2,15,16,29,30 400 mg/m2 IV bolus, d 1,2,15,16,29,30 600 mg/m2 IV over 22 h, d 1,2,15,16,29,30 Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels (mg/m2) Starting Dose Dose Level -1 Dose Level -2 CAMPTOSAR 180 150 120 LV 200 200 200 5-FU Bolus 400 320 240 5-FU Infusionb 600 480 360 a Dose reductions beyond dose level –2 by decrements of ≈20% may be warranted for patients continuing to experience toxicity. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. b Infusion follows bolus administration. Dosing for patients with bilirubin >2 mg/dL cannot be recommended b e c a u s e t h e r e is insufficient information to recommend a dose in these patients. It i s r e c o m m e n d e d t h a t p a t i e n t s r e c e i v e premedication with antiemetic agents. Prophylactic or t h e r a p e u t i c a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f a t r o p i n e s h o u l d b e consi dered i n pat i ent s ex peri enci ng chol i nergi c sym pt om s . S ee PRECAUTIONS, General. Dose Modifications Patients should be carefully monitored for toxicity and assessed prior to each treatment. Doses of CAMPTOSAR and 5-FU should be modified as necessary to accommod a t e i n d i v i d u a l p a t i e n t t o l e r a n c e t o t r e a t m e n t . B a s e d o n the recommended dose-levels described in Table 10, C o m b i n a t i o n - A g e n t D o s a g e R e g i m e n s & Dose Modifications, subsequent doses should be adjusted as s u g g e s t e d in Table 11, Recommended Dose Modifications for C o m b i n a t i o n S c h e d u l e s . A l l d o s e m o d i f i c a t i o n s s h o u l d b e based on the worst preceding toxicity. After the first t r e a t m e n t , p a t i e n t s w i t h a c t i v e d i a r r h e a s h o u l d r e t u r n t o pre-treatment bowel function without requiring anti-diarrhea medications for at least 24 hours before the n e x t c h e m o t h e r a p y a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . A new cycle of therapy should not begi n until the tox i city has recovered to NCI grade 1 or less. Treatment maybe delayed 1 to 2 w e e k s t o a l l o w f o r r e c o v e r y f r o m t r e a t m en t -rel at ed t o x i ci t y. If t h e p at i en t h as n o t reco v ered , c o n s i d e r a t i o n s h o u l d b e g i v e n t o discontinuing therapy. Provided intolerable tox i city does not d e v e l o p , t r e a t m e n t with additional cycles of CAMPTOSAR/5-FU/LV may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to e x p e r i e n c e c l i n i c a l benefit. Table 11. Recommended Dose Modifications for CAMPTOSAR/5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)/Leucovorin (LV) Combination Schedules Patients should return to pre-treatment bowel function without requiring antidiarrhea medications for at least 24 hours before the next chemotherapy administration. A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the granulocyte count has recovered to ≥1500/mm3, and the platelet count has recovered to ≥100,000/mm3, and treatment-related diarrhea is fully resolved. Treatment should be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatment-related toxicities. If the patient has not recovered after a 2week delay, consideration should be given to discontinuing therapy Toxicity During a Cycle of Therapy At the Start of Subsequent Cycles NCI CTC Gradea (Value) of Therapyb No toxicity Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Neutropenia 1 (1500 to 1999/mm3) Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Maintain dose level 2 (1000 to 1499/mm3) ↓ 1 dose level 3 (500 to 999/mm3) ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 1 dose level 3 4 (<500/mm ) ↓ 2 dose levels Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 2 dose levels Neutropenic fever Omit dose until resolved, then ↓ 2 dose levels Dose modifications for leukopenia or thrombocytopenia during a cycle of therapy and at the start of Other hematologic toxicities subsequent cycles of therapy are also based on NCI toxicity criteria and are the same as recommended for neutropenia above. Diarrhea Delay dose until resolved to baseline, then give same dose Maintain dose level 1 (2-3 stools/day > pretxc) Maintain dose level 2 (4-6 stools/day > pretx) Omit dose until resolved to baseline, then ↓ 1 dose level 3 (7-9 stools/day > pretx) ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to baseline, then ↓ 1 dose level 4 (≥10 stools/day > pretx) ↓ 2 dose levels Omit dose until resolved to baseline, then ↓ 2 dose levels Other nonhematologic toxicitiesd Maintain dose level Maintain dose level 1 Maintain dose level 2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 1, then ↓ 1 dose level 3 ↓ 1 dose level Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 1 dose level 4 ↓ 2 dose levels Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 2 dose levels For mucositis/stomatitis decrease only 5-FU, not CAMPTOSAR. For mucositis/stomatitis decrease only 5-FU, not CAMPTOSAR National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (version 1.0) b Relative to the starting dose used in the previous cycle c Pretreatment d Excludes alopecia, anorexia, asthenia a Single-Agent Dosage Schedules Dosage Regimens CAMPTOSAR should be administered as an intravenous infusion o v e r 9 0 m i n u t e s f o r b o t h t h e w e e k l y a n d o n c e - every-3-week dosage schedules (see Preparation of Infusion Solution). Single-agent dosage regimens are shown in Table 12. Weekly Regimena Table 12. Single-Agent Regimens of CAMPTOSAR and Dose Modifications 125 mg/m2 IV over 90 min, d 1,8,15,22 then 2-wk rest Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levelsc (mg/m2) b Once-Every-3-Week Regimen Starting Dose Dose Level -1 125 100 2 Dose Level -2 75 c 350 mg/m IV over 90 min, once every 3 wks Starting Dose & Modified Dose Levels (mg/m2) Starting Dose Dose Level -1 Dose Level -2 350 300 250 a Subsequent doses may be adjusted as high as 150 mg/m2 or to as low as 50 mg/m2 in 25 to 50 mg/m2 decrements depending upon individual patient tolerance. b Subsequent doses may be adjusted as low as 200 mg/m2 in 50 mg/m2 decrements depending upon individual patient tolerance. c Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. A reduction in the starting dose by one dose level of C A M P T O S A R m a y b e c o n s i d e r e d f o r p a t i e n t s w i t h a n y o f the following conditions: age ≥65 years, prior pelvic/abdominal radiotherapy, performance status of 2, o r i n creas ed b i l i ru b i n l ev el s . Do s i n g fo r p at i en t s wi t h bilirubin >2 mg/dL cannot be recommended because there is insufficient information to recommend a dose in these patients. It is recommended that patients receive premedication with antiemetic agents. Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of atropine should be considered in p at i en t s ex peri enci ng chol i n ergi c sym p t o m s . S ee P R ECAUTIONS, General. Dose Modifications Patients should be carefully monitored for toxicity and doses of CAMPTOSAR should be modified as necessary to accom m odat e i n di vi dual pat i ent t o l erance t o t r e a t m e n t . Bas e d o n r e c o m m e n d e d d o s e- l e v e l s d e s c r i b e d i n T a b l e 1 2 , S i n gl e - A gen t R e gi m e n s o f C A M P T OS AR an d Do s e Modifications, subsequent doses should be adjusted as suggested in Table 13, Recommended Dose Modifications for Single-Agent Schedules. All dose modifications should be based on the worst preceding toxicity. A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the toxicity has recovered to NCI grade 1 or less. Treatment may be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatm en t rel at ed t o x i ci t y. If t h e p at i en t h as n o t reco v ered , consideration should be given to discontinuing this combination therapy. Provided intolerable toxicity does not develop, treatment with additional cycles of CAMPTOSAR may be continued indefinitely as long as patients continue to experience clinical benefit. Table 13. Recommended Dose Modifications For Single-Agent Schedulesa A new cycle of therapy should not begin until the granulocyte count has recovered to ≥1500/mm3, and the platelet count has recovered to ≥100,000/mm3, and treatment-related diarrhea is fully resolved. Treatment should be delayed 1 to 2 weeks to allow for recovery from treatmentrelated toxicities. If the patient has not recovered after a 2-week delay, consideration should be given to discontinuing CAMPTOSAR. At the Start of the Next Cycles of Therapy During a Cycle of Therapy (After Adequate Recovery), Compared with Worst Toxicity b the Starting Dose in the Previous Cyclea NCI Grade (Value) Weekly Weekly Once Every 3 Weeks No toxicity Maintain dose level Maintain dose level ↑ 25 mg/m2 up to a maximum dose of 150 mg/m2 Neutropenia 1 (1500 to 1999/mm3) Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Maintain dose level 2 (1000 to 1499/mm3) ↓ 25 mg/m2 3 3 (500 to 999/mm ) ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 25 mg/m2 4 (<500/mm3) ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 Neutropenic fever ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 when resolved Dose modifications for leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia during a cycle of therapy and at the start of subsequent Other hematologic cycles of therapy are also based on NCI toxicity criteria and are the same as recommended for neutropenia above. toxicities Diarrhea Maintain dose level 1 (2-3 stools/day > pretxc) Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Maintain dose level Maintain dose level 2 (4-6 stools/day > pretx) ↓ 25 mg/m2 3 (7-9 stools/day > pretx) ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 25 mg/m2 4 (≥10 stools/day > pretx) ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2 then ↓ 50 mg/m2 Other nonhematologicd toxicities Maintain dose level 1 Maintain dose level Maintain dose level 2 ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 3 ↓ 25 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 25 mg/m2 4 Omit dose until resolved to ≤ grade 2, then ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 ↓ 50 mg/m2 a All dose modifications should be based on the worst preceding toxicity b National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (version 1.0) c Pretreatment d Excludes alopecia, anorexia, asthenia Prep arati o n & Ad mi n i strati on Precau ti o n s As with other potentially toxic anticancer agents, care should be exercised in the handling and preparation of infusion solutions prepared from CAMPTOSAR Injection. The use of gloves is recommended. If a solution of CAMPTOSAR contacts the skin, wash the skin immediately and t h o r o u gh l y w i t h s o a p a n d w a t e r . If C AM P TOS AR co n t act s the mucous membranes, flush thoroughly with water. Several published guidelines for handling and disposal of anticancer agents are available.1-7 Preparation of Infusion Solution Inspect vial contents for particulate matter and repeat inspection when drug product is withdrawn from vial into syringe. CAMPTOSAR Injection must be diluted prior to infusion. CAMPTOSAR should be diluted in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, (preferred) or 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, to a final concentration range of 0.12 to 2.8 mg/mL. In most clinical trials, CAMPTOSAR was administered in 2 5 0 m L t o 5 0 0 m L o f 5 % D e x t r o s e In j e c t i o n , U S P . T h e s o l u t i o n i s p h ys i c a l l y a n d c h e m i c a l l y s t a b l e f o r u p to 24 hours at room temperature (approximately 25°C) a n d i n a m b i e n t f l u o r e s c e n t l i g h t i n g . S o l u t i o n s d i l u t e d i n 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, and stored at refrigerated temperatures (approximately 2° to 8°C), and protected from light are physically and chemically stable for 48 hours. Refrigeration of admixtures using 0.9% Sodium C h l o r i d e In j e c t i o n , U S P , i s n o t r e c o m m e n d e d d u e t o a l o w and sporadic incidence of visible particulates. Freezing CAMPTOSAR and admixtures of CAMPTOSAR may result in p r e c i p i t a t i o n o f t h e d r u g a n d s h o u l d b e avoided. Because of possible microbial contamination during d i l u t i o n , i t i s advisable to use the admixture prepared with 5%Dex trose Injection, USP, within 24 hours if refrigerated (2° to 8°C, 36° to 46°F). In the case of admixtures prepared with 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, or Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, the solutions should be used within 6 hours if kept at room temperature (15° to 30°C, 5 9 ° t o 8 6 ° F ) . Other drugs should not be added to the infusion solution. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration whenever solution and container permit. HOW SUPPLIED Each mL of CAMPTOSAR Injection contains 20 mg irinotecan (on the basis of the trihydrate salt); 45 mg sorbitol; and 0.9 mg lactic acid. When necessary, pH has been adjusted to 3.5 (range, 3.0 to 3.8) with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid. CAMPTOSAR Injection is available in single-dose amber glass vials in the following package sizes: 2 mL NDC 0009-7529-02 5 mL NDC 0009-7529-01 The vial should be inspected for damage and visible signs of leaks before removing from the carton. If damaged, incinerate the unopened package. Store at controlled room temperature 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Protect from light. It is recommended that the vial should remain in the carton until the time of use. Rx only REFERENCES 1. ONS Clinical Practice Committee. Cancer Chemotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice. Pittsburgh, Pa: Oncology Nursing Society; 1999:3241. 2. Recommendations for the safe handling of parenteral antineoplastic drugs. Washington, DC: Division of Safety, National Institutes of Health; 1983. US Dept of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service publication NIH 83-2621. 3. AMA Council on Scientific Affairs. Guidelines for handling parenteral antineoplastics. JAMA. 1985;253:1590-1592. 4. National Study Commission on Cytotoxic Exposure. Recommendations for handling cytotoxic agents. 1987. Available from Louis P. Jeffrey, Chairman, National Study Commission on Cytotoxic Exposure. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, 179 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. 5. Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. Guidelines and recommendations for safe handling of antineoplastic agents. Med J Australia. 1983;1:426-428. 6. Jones RB, Frank R, Mass T. Safe handling of chemotherapeutic agents: a report from the Mount Sinai Medical Center. CA-A Cancer J for Clin. 1983;33:258-263. 7. American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. ASHP technical assistance bulletin on handling cytotoxic and hazardous drugs. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1990;47:1033-1049. 8. Controlling Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Drugs. (OSHA Work-Practice Guidelines). Am J Health-SystPharm. 1996;53;1669-1685. Licensed from Yakult Honsha Co., LTD, Japan, and Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., LTD, Japan Revised July 2008 LAB-0134-13.0 © 2007 Current Medicine Group LLC CQ278602A