Ferinject 50mg Iron/Ml Solution For Injection/Infusion

Informations for option: Ferinject 50mg Iron/Ml Solution For Injection/Infusion, show other option

This medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions. See section 4.8 for how to report adverse reactions.

1 NAME OF THE MEDICINAL PRODUCT

Ferinject 50 mg iron/mL solution for injection/infusion.

2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION

One mL of solution contains 50 mg of iron as ferric carboxymaltose.

Each 2 mL vial contains 100 mg of iron as ferric carboxymaltose.

Each 10 mL vial contains 500 mg of iron as ferric carboxymaltose.

Each 20 mL vial contains 1,000 mg of iron as ferric carboxymaltose.

One mL of solution contains up to 5.5 mg (0.24 mmol) sodium, see section 4.4. For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1.

3 PHARMACEUTICAL FORM

Solution for injection/infusion. Dark brown, non-transparent, aqueous solution.

4 CLINICAL PARTICULARS

4.1 Therapeutic indications

Ferinject is indicated for treatment of iron deficiency when oral iron preparations are ineffective or cannot be used.

The diagnosis of iron deficiency must be based on laboratory tests.

4.2 Posology and method of administration

Monitor carefully patients for signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions during and following each administration of Ferinject.

Ferinject should only be administered when staff trained to evaluate and manage anaphylactic reactions is immediately available, in an environment where full resuscitation facilities can be assured. The patient should be observed for adverse effects for at least 30 minutes following each Ferinject injection (see section 4.4).

Posology

The posology of Ferinject follows a stepwise approach: [1] determination of the individual iron need, [2] calculation and administration of the iron dose(s), and [3] post-iron repletion assessments. These steps are outlined below:

Step 1: Determination of the iron need

The individual iron need for repletion using Ferinject is determined based on the patient’s body weight and haemoglobin (Hb) level. Refer to Table 1 for determination of the iron need:

Table 1: Determination of the iron need

Hb		Patient body weight
g/dL	mmol/L	below 35 kg	35 kg to <70 kg	70 kg and over
<10	<6.2	500 mg	1,500 mg	2,000 mg
10 to 14	6.2 to 8.7	500 mg	1,000 mg	1,500 mg
>14	>8.7	500 mg	500 mg	500 mg

Iron deficiency must be confirmed by laboratory tests as stated in 4.1.

Step 2: Calculation and administration of the individual iron dose(s)

Based on the iron need determined above the appropriate dose(s) of Ferinject should be administered taking into consideration the following:

A single Ferinject dose should not exceed:

• 15 mg iron/kg body weight (for administration by intravenous injection) or 20 mg iron/kg body weight (for administration by intravenous infusion)

• 1,000 mg of iron (20 mL Ferinject)

The maximum recommended dose of Ferinject is 1,000 mg of iron (20 mL Ferinject) per week.

Step 3: Post-iron repletion assessments

Post-iron repletion, regular assessments should be performed to ensure that iron levels are corrected and maintained. Studies have shown that a suitable time point for reassessing iron need is at least 4 weeks post final Ferinject administration. In the event the patient requires further iron repletion, the iron need should be recalculated using Table 1 above.

Special Population - patients with haemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease A single maximum daily injection dose of 200 mg iron should not be exceeded in haemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease patients (see also section 4.4).

Paediatric population

The use of Ferinject has not been studied in children, and therefore is not recommended in children under 14 years.

Method of administration

Ferinject must only be administered by the intravenous route:

• by injection, or

• by infusion, or

Ferinject must not be administered by the subcutaneous or intramuscular route.

during a haemodialysis session undiluted directly into the venous limb of the dialyser.

Intravenous injection

Ferinject may be administered by intravenous injection using undiluted solution. The maximum single dose is 15 mg iron/kg body weight but should not exceed 1,000 mg iron. The administration rates are as shown in Table 2:

Table 2: Administration rates for intravenous injection of Ferinject

Volume of Ferinject required		Equivalent iron dose			Administration rate / Minimum administration time
2	to 4 mL	100	to	200 mg	No minimal prescribed time
>4	to 10 mL	>200	to	500 mg	100 mg iron / min
>10	to 20 mL	>500	to	1,000 mg	15 minutes

Intravenous infusion

Ferinject may be administered by intravenous infusion, in which case it must be diluted. The maximum single dose is 20 mg iron/kg body weight, but should not exceed 1,000 mg iron.

For infusion, Ferinject must only be diluted in sterile 0.9% m/V sodium chloride solution as shown in Table 3. Note: for stability reasons, Ferinject should not be diluted to concentrations less than 2 mg iron/mL (not including the volume of the ferric carboxymaltose solution).

Table 3: Dilution plan of Ferinject for intravenous infusion

				Maximum amount of	Minimum administration time
Volume of Ferinject required	Equivalent iron dose			sterile 0.9% m/V sodium chloride solution	Minimum administration time
2 to 4 mL	100	to	200 mg	50 mL	-
>4 to 10 mL	>200	to	500 mg	100 mL	6 minutes
>10 to 20 mL	>500	to	1,000 mg	250 mL	15 minutes

4.3 Contraindications

The use of Ferinject is contraindicated in cases of:

• hypersensitivity to the active substance, to Ferinject or to any of its excipients listed in section 6.1

• known serious hypersensitivity to other parental iron products

• anaemia not attributed to iron deficiency, e.g. other microcytic anaemia

• evidence of iron overload or disturbances in the utilisation of iron

4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use

Hypersensitivity reactions

Parenterally administered iron preparations can cause hypersensitivity reactions including serious and potentially fatal anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions. Hypersensitivity reactions have also been reported after previously uneventful doses of parenteral iron complexes.

The risk is enhanced for patients with known allergies including drug allergies, including patients with a history of severe asthma, eczema or other atopic allergy.

There is also an increased risk of hypersensitivity reactions to parenteral iron complexes in patients with immune or inflammatory conditions (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis).

Ferinject should only be administered when staff trained to evaluate and manage anaphylactic reactions are immediately available, in an environment where full resuscitation facilities can be assured. Each patient should be observed for adverse effects for at least 30 minutes following each Ferinject injection. If hypersensitivity reactions or signs of intolerance occur during administration, the treatment must be stopped immediately. Facilities for cardio respiratory resuscitation and equipment for handling acute anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions should be available, including an injectable 1:1000 adrenaline solution. Additional treatment with antihistamines and/or corticosteroids should be given as appropriate.

Hepatic or renal impairment

In patients with liver dysfunction, parenteral iron should only be administered after careful benefit/risk assessment. Parenteral iron administration should be avoided in patients with hepatic dysfunction where iron overload is a precipitating factor, in particular Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT). Careful monitoring of iron status is recommended to avoid iron overload.

No safety data on haemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease patients receiving single doses of more than 200 mg iron are available.

Infection

Parenteral iron must be used with caution in case of acute or chronic infection, asthma, eczema or atopic allergies. It is recommended that the treatment with Ferinject is stopped in patients with ongoing bacteraemia. Therefore, in patients with chronic infection a benefit/risk evaluation has to be performed, taking into account the suppression of erythropoiesis.

Extravasation

Caution should be exercised to avoid paravenous leakage when administering Ferinject. Paravenous leakage of Ferinject at the injection site may lead to irritation of the skin and potentially long lasting brown discolouration at the site of injection. In case of paravenous leakage, the administration of Ferinject must be stopped immediately.

Excipients

One mL of undiluted Ferinject contains up to 5.5 mg (0.24 mmol) of sodium. This has to be taken into account in patients on a sodium-controlled diet.

Paediatric population

The use of Ferinject has not been studied in children.

4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction

The absorption of oral iron is reduced when administered concomitantly with parenteral iron preparations. Therefore, if required, oral iron therapy should not be started for at least 5 days after the last injection of Ferinject.

4.6 Fertility, pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy

There are no adequate and well-controlled trials of Ferinject in pregnant women. A careful benefit/risk evaluation is required before use during pregnancy and Ferinject should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary.

Iron deficiency occurring in the first trimester of pregnancy can in many cases be treated with oral iron. Treatment with Ferinject should be confined to the second and third trimester if the benefit is judged to outweigh the potential risk for both the mother and the foetus.

Animal data suggest that iron released from Ferinject can cross the placental barrier and that its use during pregnancy may influence skeletal development in the fetus (see section 5.3).

Breast-feeding

Clinical studies showed that transfer of iron from Ferinject to human milk was negligible (<1%). Based on limited data on breast-feeding women it is unlikely that Ferinject represents a risk to the breast-fed child.

Fertility

There are no data on the effect of Ferinject on human fertility. Fertility was unaffected following Ferinject treatment in animal studies (see section 5.3).

4.7 Effects on ability to drive and use machines

Ferinject is unlikely to impair the ability to drive and use machines.

4.8 Undesirable effects

Table 4 presents the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported during clinical studies in which 6,755 patients received Ferinject, as well as those reported from the post-marketing experience (see table footnotes for details).

The most commonly reported ADR is nausea (occurring in 3.1% of the patients), followed by headache, dizziness, and hypertension. Injection site reactions categorised as common in Table 3 are comprised of several ADRs which individually have been reported with a frequency of either uncommon or rare. Hypophosphataemia (common) may occur. In clinical trials the minimum values were obtained after approximately 2 weeks, and 4 to 12 weeks following Ferinject treatment the values had returned to those within the range of baseline. The most serious ADR is anaphylactoid reactions with a frequency of rare.

Table 4: Adverse drug reactions observed during clinical trials and post

marketing experience

System Organ Class	Common (>1/100 to <1/10)	Uncommon (>1/1000 to <1/100)	Rare (>1/10000 to <1/1000)
Immune system disorders		Hypersensitivity	Anaphylactoid reactions
Nervous system disorders	Headache, dizziness	Paraesthesia, dysgeusia	Loss of consciousness ^;
Psychiatric disorders			Anxiety⁽⁴⁾
Cardiac disorders		Tachycardia
Vascular disorders	Hypertension	Hypotension, flushing	Phlebitis, (4) syncope , presyncope ^;
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal		Dyspnoea	Bronchospasm⁽⁴⁾

System Organ Class	Common (>1/100 to <1/10)	Uncommon (>1/1000 to <1/100)	Rare (>1/10000 to <1/1000)
disorders
Gastrointestinal disorders	Nausea	Vomiting, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, constipation, diahorrea	Flatulence
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders		Pruritus, urticaria, erythema, rash⁽¹⁾	Angioedema⁽⁴⁾, pallor⁽³⁾, and face oedema⁽³⁾
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders		Myalgia, back pain, arthralgia, muscle spasms
General disorders and administration site conditions	Injection site reactions⁽²⁾	Pyrexia, fatigue, chest pain, oedema peripheral, chills	Rigors, malaise, influenza like illness⁽⁴⁾
Investigations	Alanine aminotransferase increased	Aspartate aminotransferase increased, gamma-glutamyltransferase increased, blood lactate dehydrogenase increased, blood alkaline phosphatase increased
Metabolism and nutritional disorders	Hypophosphataemia

1 Includes the following preferred terms: rash (individual ADR frequency determined as uncommon) and rash erythematous, -generalised, -macular, -maculo-papular, -pruritic (all individual ADRs have frequencies determined to be rare).

2 Includes the following preferred terms: infusion site burning, -pain, -bruising, -discolouration, -extravasation, -irritation, -reaction, (all individual ADRs have frequencies determined to be uncommon) and -paraesthesia (individual ADR frequency determined to be rare).

3 ADRs exclusively reported in the post-marketing setting.

4 ADRs reported in the post-marketing setting which were also observed in the clinical setting.

Note: ADR = Adverse drug reaction.

Reporting of suspected adverse reactions

Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via:

United Kingdom

Yellow Card Scheme

Website: www.mhra.gov .uk/yellowcard

Malta

ADR Reporting The Medicines Authority Post-Licensing Directorate 203 Level 3, Rue D'Argens GZR-1368 Gzira

Website: www.medicinesauthority.gov.mt e-mail: postlicensing.medicinesauthoritv@,gov.mt

4.9 Overdose

Administration of Ferinject in quantities exceeding the amount needed to correct iron deficit at the time of administration may lead to accumulation of iron in storage sites eventually leading to haemosiderosis. Monitoring of iron parameters such as serum ferritin and transferrin saturation may assist in recognising iron accumulation. If iron accumulation has occurred, treat according to standard medical practice, e.g. consider the use of an iron chelator.

5. PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Iron trivalent, parenteral preparation, ATC code: B03AC

Ferinject solution for injection/infusion is a colloidal solution of the iron complex ferric carboxymaltose.

The complex is designed to provide, in a controlled way, utilisable iron for the iron transport and storage proteins in the body (transferrin and ferritin, respectively).

Red cell utilisation of ⁵⁹Fe from radio-labelled Ferinject ranged from 91% to 99% in patients with iron deficiency (ID) and 61% to 84% in patients with renal anaemia at 24 days postdose.

Ferinject treatment of patients with ID anaemia results in an increase in reticulocyte count and serum ferritin levels to within normal ranges.

Clinical efficacy and safety

The efficacy and safety of Ferinject has been studied in different therapeutic areas necessitating intravenous iron to correct iron deficiency. The main studies are described in more detail below.

Nephrology

Haemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease

Study VIT-IV-CL-015 was an open-label, randomised parallel group study comparing Ferinject (n=97) to iron sucrose (n=86) in subjects with ID anaemia undergoing haemodialysis. Subjects received Ferinject or iron sucrose 2-3 times per week in single doses of 200 mg iron directly into the dialyser until the individually calculated cumulative iron dose was reached (mean cumulative dose of iron as Ferinject:

1,700 mg). The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of patients reaching an increase in Hb of >1.0 g/dL at 4 weeks after baseline. At 4 weeks after baseline,

44.1% responded to treatment with Ferinject (i.e. Hb increase of >1.0 g/dL) compared to 35.3% for iron sucrose (p=0.2254).

Non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease

Study 1VIT04004 was an open-label, randomised active-control study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of Ferinject (n=147) vs. oral iron (n=103). Subjects in the Ferinject group received 1,000 mg of iron at baseline and 500 mg of iron at days 14 and 28, if TSAT was <30% and serum ferritin was <500 ng/mL at the respective visit. Subjects in the oral iron arm received 65 mg iron TID as ferrous sulphate from baseline to day 56. Subjects were followed-up until day 56. The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of subjects achieving an increase in Hb of >1.0 g/dL anytime between baseline and end of study or time of intervention. This was achieved by 60.54% of subjects receiving Ferinject vs. 34.7% of subjects in the oral iron group (p<0.001). Mean haemoglobin change to day 56/end of study was 1.0 g/dL in the Ferinject group and 0.7 g/dL in the oral iron group (p=0.034, 95% CI: 0.0, 0.7).

Inflammatory bowel disease

Study VIT-CL-IV-008 was a randomised, open-label study which compared the efficacy of Ferinject vs. oral ferrous sulphate in reducing ID anaemia in subjects with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Subjects received either Ferinject (n=111) in single doses of up to 1,000 mg iron once per week until the individually calculated iron dose (per Ganzoni formula) was reached (mean cumulative iron dose: 1,490 mg), or 100 mg iron BID as ferrous sulphate (n=49) for 12 weeks. Subjects receiving Ferinject showed a mean increase in Hb from baseline to Week 12 of 3.83 g/dL, which was non-inferior to 12 weeks of twice daily therapy with ferrous sulphate (3.75 g/dL, p=0.8016).

Study FER-IBD-07-COR was a randomised, open-label study comparing the efficacy of Ferinject vs. iron sucrose in subjects with remitting or mild IBD. Subjects receiving Ferinject were dosed according to a simplified dosing grid using baseline Hb and body weight (see Section 4.2) in single doses up to 1,000 mg iron, whereas subjects receiving iron sucrose were dosed according to individually calculated iron doses using the Ganzoni formula in doses of 200 mg iron until the cumulative iron dose was reached. Patients were followed-up for 12 weeks. 65.8% of patients receiving Ferinject (n=240; mean cumulative iron dose: 1,414 mg) vs. 53.6% receiving iron sucrose (n=235; mean cumulative dose 1,207 mg; p=0.004) had responded at Week 12 (defined as Hb increase >2 g/dL). 83.8% of Ferinject-treated patients vs. 75.9% of iron sucrose-treated patients achieved a Hb increase >2 g/dL or had Hb within normal limits at Week 12 (p=0.019).

Women’s health

Post partum

Study VIT-IV-CL-009 was a randomised open-label non-inferiority study comparing the efficacy of Ferinject (n=227) vs. ferrous sulphate (n=117) in women suffering from postpartum anaemia. Subjects received either Ferinject in single doses of up to 1,000 mg iron until their individually calculated cumulative iron dose (per Ganzoni formula) was reached, or 100 mg of iron as oral ferrous sulphate BID for 12 weeks. Patients were followed-up for 12 weeks. The mean change in Hb from baseline to Week 12 was 3.37 g/dL in the Ferinject group (n=179; mean cumulative iron dose: 1,347 mg) vs. 3.29 g/dL in the ferrous sulphate group (n=89), showing non-inferiority between the treatments.

5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties

Positron emission tomography demonstrated that ⁵⁹Fe and ⁵²Fe from Ferinject was rapidly eliminated from the blood, transferred to the bone marrow, and deposited in the liver and spleen.

After administration of a single dose of Ferinject of 100 to 1,000 mg of iron in ID patients, maximum total serum iron levels of 37 pg/mL up to 333 pg/mL are obtained after 15 minutes to 1.21 hours respectively. The volume of the central compartment corresponds well to the volume of the plasma (approximately 3 litres).

The iron injected or infused was rapidly cleared from the plasma, the terminal half-life ranged from 7 to 12 hours, the mean residence time (MRT) from 11 to 18 hours. Renal elimination of iron was negligible.

5.3 Preclinical safety data

Preclinical data revealed no special hazard for humans based on conventional studies of safety pharmacology, repeat dose toxicity and genotoxicity. Preclinical studies indicate that iron released from Ferinject does cross the placental barrier and is excreted in milk in limited, controlled amounts. In reproductive toxicology studies using iron replete rabbits Ferinject was associated with minor skeletal abnormalities in the fetus. In a fertility study in rats, there were no effects on fertility for either male or female animals. No long-term studies in animals have been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of Ferinject. No evidence of allergic or immunotoxic potential has been observed. A controlled in-vivo test demonstrated no crossreactivity of Ferinject with anti-dextran antibodies. No local irritation or intolerance was observed after intravenous administration.

6 PHARMACEUTICAL PARTICULARS

6.1 List of excipients

Sodium hydroxide (for pH adjustment)

Hydrochloric acid (for pH adjustment)

Water for injections

6.2 Incompatibilities

This medicinal product must not be mixed with other medicinal products except those mentioned in section 6.6.

The compatibility with containers other than polyethylene and glass is not known.

6.3 Shelf life

Shelf life of the product as packaged for sale:

3 years.

Shelf life after first opening of the container:

From a microbiological point of view, preparations for parenteral administration should be used immediately.

Shelf life after dilution with sterile 0.9% m/V sodium chloride solution:

From a microbiological point of view, preparations for parenteral administration should be used immediately after dilution with sterile 0.9% m/V sodium chloride solution.

6.4 Special precautions for storage

Store in the original package in order to protect from light. Do not store above 30 °C. Do not freeze.

6.5 Nature and contents of container

Ferinject is supplied in a vial (type I glass) with a stopper (bromobutyl rubber) and an aluminium cap as:

- 2 mL solution containing 100 mg iron. Available in pack sizes of 1, 2 and 5 vials.

- 10 mL solution containing 500 mg iron. Available in pack sizes of 1, 2 and 5 vials.

- 20 mL solution containing 1,000 mg iron. Available in a pack size of 1 vial.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

6.6 Special precautions for disposal

Inspect vials visually for sediment and damage before use. Use only those containing sediment-free, homogeneous solution.

Each vial of Ferinject is intended for single use only. Any unused product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.

Ferinject must only be mixed with sterile 0.9% m/V sodium chloride solution. No other intravenous dilution solutions and therapeutic agents should be used, as there is the potential for precipitation and/or interaction. For dilution instructions, see section 4.2.

7 MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER

Vifor France

100-101 Terrasse Boieldieu Tour Franklin La Defense 8 92042 Paris La Defense Cedex France

Tel. +33 (0)1 41 06 58 90 Fax +33 (0)1 41 06 58 99

8 MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBER(S)

PL 15240/0002

9 DATE OF FIRST AUTHORISATION/RENEWAL OF THE

AUTHORISATION

18/06/2012

10 DATE OF REVISION OF THE TEXT

25/10/2016