Tacrolimus: Package Insert and Label Information (Page 4 of 10)
Heart Transplantation
The incidence of adverse reactions was determined based on two trials in primary orthotopic heart transplantation. In a trial conducted in Europe, 314 patients received a regimen of antibody induction, corticosteroids and azathioprine (AZA) in combination with Tacrolimus (n=157) or cyclosporine (n=157) for 18 months. The trial population had a mean age of 51 years (range 18 to 65), the distribution was 82% male, and the composition was White (96%), Black (3%) and other (1%).
The most common adverse reactions (≥ 15%) observed in tacrolimus-treated heart transplant patients are: abnormal renal function, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, CMV infection, tremor, hyperglycemia, leukopenia, infection, anemia, bronchitis, pericardial effusion, urinary tract infection and hyperlipemia.
Adverse reactions in heart transplant patients in the European trial are presented below:
Table 8. Heart Transplantation: Adverse Reactions Occurring in ≥ 15% of Patients Treated with Tacrolimus Capsules USP in Conjunction with Azathioprine (AZA)
Tacrolimus Capsules USP/AZA (n=157) | Cyclosporine/AZA (n=157) | |
Cardiovascular System | ||
Hypertension | 62% | 69% |
Pericardial Effusion | 15% | 14% |
Body as a Whole | ||
CMV Infection | 32% | 30% |
Infection | 24% | 21% |
Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders | ||
Diabetes Mellitus | 26% | 16% |
Hyperglycemia | 23% | 17% |
Hyperlipemia | 18% | 27% |
Hemic and Lymphatic System | ||
Anemia | 50% | 36% |
Leukopenia | 48% | 39% |
Urogenital System | ||
Kidney Function Abnormal | 56% | 57% |
Urinary Tract Infection | 16% | 12% |
Respiratory System | ||
Bronchitis | 17% | 18% |
Nervous System | ||
Tremor | 15% | 6% |
In the European trial, the cyclosporine trough concentrations were above the pre-defined target range (i.e., 100 to 200 ng/mL) at Day 122 and beyond in 32 to 68% of the patients in the cyclosporine treatment arm, whereas the tacrolimus trough concentrations were within the pre-defined target range (i.e., 5 to 15 ng/mL) in 74 to 86% of the patients in the tacrolimus treatment arm.
In a U.S. trial, the incidence of adverse reactions was based on 331 heart transplant patients that received corticosteroids and tacrolimus in combination with sirolimus (n=109), tacrolimus in combination with MMF (n=107) or cyclosporine modified in combination with MMF (n=115) for 1 year. The trial population had a mean age of 53 years (range 18 to 75), the distribution was 78% male, and the composition was White (83%), Black (13%) and other (4%).
Only selected targeted treatment-emergent adverse reactions were collected in the U.S. heart transplantation trial. Those reactions that were reported at a rate of 15% or greater in patients treated with tacrolimus and MMF include the following: any target adverse reactions (99%), hypertension (89%), hyperglycemia requiring antihyperglycemic therapy (70%), hypertriglyceridemia (65%), anemia (hemoglobin <10.0 g/dL) (65%), fasting blood glucose >140 mg/dL (on two separate occasions) (61%), hypercholesterolemia (57%), hyperlipidemia (34%), WBCs <3000 cells/mcL (34%), serious bacterial infections (30%), magnesium <1.2 mEq/L (24%), platelet count <75,000 cells/mcL (19%), and other opportunistic infections (15%).
Other targeted treatment-emergent adverse reactions in tacrolimus-treated patients occurred at a rate of less than 15%, and include the following: Cushingoid features, impaired wound healing, hyperkalemia, Candida infection, and CMV infection/syndrome.
New Onset Diabetes After Transplant
Kidney Transplant
New Onset Diabetes After Transplant (NODAT) is defined as a composite of fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dL, HbA1C ≥ 6%, insulin use ≥ 30 days or oral hypoglycemic use. In a trial in kidney transplant patients (Study 2), NODAT was observed in 75% in the tacrolimus-treated and 61% in the Neoral-treated patients without pre-transplant history of diabetes mellitus (Table 9) [see Clinical Studies (14.1)].
Table 9. Incidence of New Onset Diabetes After Transplant at 1 year in Kidney Transplant Recipients in a Phase 3 Trial (Study 2)
Parameter | Treatment Group | |
Tacrolimus Capsules USP / MMF(n = 212) | Neoral / MMF(n = 212) | |
NODAT | 112/150 (75%) | 93/152 (61%) |
Fasting Plasma Glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL | 96/150 (64%) | 80/152 (53%) |
HbA1C ≥ 6% | 59/150 (39%) | 28/152 (18%) |
Insulin Use ≥ 30 days | 9/150 (6%) | 4/152 (3%) |
Oral Hypoglycemic Use | 15/150 (10%) | 5/152 (3%) |
In early trials of Tacrolimus, Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus (PTDM) was evaluated with a more limited criteria of “use of insulin for 30 or more consecutive days with < 5 day gap” in patients without a prior history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Data are presented in Tables 10 to 13. PTDM was reported in 20% of Tacrolimus/Azathioprine (AZA)-treated kidney transplant patients without pre-transplant history of diabetes mellitus in a Phase 3 trial (Table 10). The median time to onset of PTDM was 68 days. Insulin dependence was reversible in 15% of these PTDM patients at one year and in 50% at 2 years post-transplant. Black and Hispanic kidney transplant patients were at an increased risk of development of PTDM (Table 11).
Table 10. Incidence of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus and Insulin Use at 2 Years in Kidney Transplant Recipients in a Phase 3 Trial using Azathioprine (AZA)
| ||
Status of PTDM * | Tacrolimus Capsules USP/AZA | CsA/AZA |
Patients without pretransplant history of diabetes mellitus. | 151 | 151 |
New onset PTDM †, 1st Year | 30/151 (20%) | 6/151 (4%) |
Still insulin dependent at one year in those without prior history of diabetes. | 25/151 (17%) | 5/151 (3%) |
New onset PTDM ‡ post 1 year | 1 | 0 |
Patients with PTDM § at 2 years | 16/151 (11%) | 5/151 (3%) |
Table 11. Development of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus by Race or Ethnicity and by Treatment Group During First Year Post Kidney Transplantation in a Phase 3 Trial
| ||
Patient Race | Patients Who Developed PTDM * | |
Tacrolimus Capsules USP | Cyclosporine | |
Black | 15/41 (37%) | 3 (8%) |
Hispanic | 5/17 (29%) | 1 (6%) |
Caucasian | 10/82 (12%) | 1 (1%) |
Other | 0/11 (0%) | 1 (10%) |
Total | 30/151 (20%) | 6 (4%) |
Liver Transplant
Insulin-dependent PTDM was reported in 18% and 11% of tacrolimus-treated liver transplant patients and was reversible in 45% and 31% of these patients at 1 year post-transplant, in the U.S. and European randomized trials, respectively, (Table 12). Hyperglycemia was associated with the use of Tacrolimus Capsules USP in 47% and 33% of liver transplant recipients in the U.S. and European randomized trials, respectively, and may require treatment [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].
Table 12. Incidence of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus and Insulin Use at 1 Year in Liver Transplant Recipients
| ||||
Status of PTDM * | US Trial | European Trial | ||
Tacrolimus Capsules USP | Cyclosporine | Tacrolimus Capsules USP | Cyclosporine | |
Patients at risk † | 239 | 236 | 239 | 249 |
New Onset PTDM ‡ | 42 (18%) | 30 (13%) | 26 (11%) | 12 (5%) |
Patients still on insulin at 1 year | 23 (10%) | 19 (8%) | 18 (8%) | 6 (2%) |
Heart Transplant
Insulin-dependent PTDM was reported in 13% and 22% of tacrolimus-treated heart transplant patients receiving mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or azathioprine (AZA) and was reversible in 30% and 17% of these patients at one year post-transplant, in the U.S. and European randomized trials, respectively (Table 13). Hyperglycemia defined as two fasting plasma glucose levels ≥126 mg/dL was reported with the use of tacrolimus plus MMF or AZA in 32% and 35% of heart transplant recipients in the U.S. and European randomized trials, respectively, and may require treatment [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].
Table 13. Incidence of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus and Insulin Use at 1 Year in Heart Transplant Recipients
| ||||
Status of PTDM * | US Trial | European Trial | ||
Tacrolimus Capsules USP/MMF | Cyclosporine/MMF | Tacrolimus Capsules USP/AZA | Cyclosporine/AZA | |
Patients at risk † | 75 | 83 | 132 | 138 |
New Onset PTDM ‡ | 10 (13%) | 6 (7%) | 29 (22%) | 5 (4%) |
Patients still on insulin at 1 year § | 7 (9%) | 1 (1%) | 24 (18%) | 4 (3%) |
Less Frequently Reported Adverse Reactions (>3% and <15%)
The following adverse reactions were reported in either liver, kidney and/or heart transplant recipients who were treated with tacrolimus in clinical trials.
Nervous System [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8)]
Abnormal dreams, agitation, amnesia, anxiety, confusion, convulsion, crying, depression, elevated mood, emotional lability, encephalopathy, haemorrhagic stroke, hallucinations, hypertonia, incoordination, monoparesis, myoclonus, nerve compression, nervousness, neuralgia, neuropathy, paralysis flaccid, psychomotor skills impaired, psychosis, quadriparesis, somnolence, thinking abnormal, vertigo, writing impaired
DrugInserts.com provides trustworthy package insert and label information about marketed drugs as submitted by manufacturers to the US Food and Drug Administration. Package information is not reviewed or updated separately by DrugInserts.com. Every individual package label entry contains a unique identifier which can be used to secure further details directly from the US National Institutes of Health and/or the FDA.