SUMMARY OF PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

1    NAME OF THE MEDICINAL PRODUCT

Ropivacaine 2mg/ml Solution for Infusion

2    QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION

Ropivacaine 2mg/ml Solution for Infusion:

1ml contains 2.12mg ropivacaine hydrochloride monohydrate, equivalent to 2mg of ropivacaine hydrochloride.

100ml contain 211.6mg ropivacaine hydrochloride monohydrate, equivalent to 200mg of ropivacaine hydrochloride.

200ml contain 423.2mg ropivacaine hydrochloride monohydrate, equivalent to mg 400mg of ropivacaine hydrochloride.

Excipient: sodium chloride (3.6mg/ml)

For a full list of excipients, see section 6.1.

3    PHARMACEUTICAL FORM

Solution for infusion

Clear, colourless solution with a pH of 3.5 - 6 and an osmolality of 280 - 320 mosmol/kg.

4    CLINICAL PARTICULARS

4.1    Therapeutic indications

Ropivacaine 2mg/ml: is indicated for acute pain management In adults and children above 12 years of age for

•    Continuous epidural infusion or intermittent bolus administration during postoperative or labour pain

•    Field blocks

•    Continuous peripheral nerve block via a continuous infusion or intermittent bolus injections, e.g. postoperative pain management

In infants from 1 year and children up to and including 12 years for

•    Single and continuous peripheral nerve block

In neonates, infants and children up to and including 12 years for (per- and postoperative)

•    Caudal epidural block

•    Continuous epidural infusion

4.2 Posology and method of administration

Ropivacaine 2mg/ml Solution for Infusion should only be used by, or under the supervision of, clinicians experienced in regional anaesthesia.

Posology

Adults and children above 12 years of age:

The following table is a guide to dosage for the more commonly used blocks. The smallest dose required to produce an effective block should be used. The clinician's experience and knowledge of the patient's physical status are of importance when deciding the dose.

ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT	Conc. mg/ml	Volume ml	Dose mg	Onset min.	Duratio n hours
Lumbar epidural administration
Bolus	2.0	10-20	20-40	10-15	0.5-1.5
Intermittent injections (top-up) (e.g. labour pain management)	2.0	10-15 (minimum interval 30 minutes)	20-30
Continuous infusion e.g. labour pain	2.0	6-10 ml/h	12-20 mg/h	n/a	n/a
Postoperative pain management	2.0	6-14 ml/h	12-28 mg/h	n/a	n/a
Thoracic Epidural Administration
Continuous infusion (postoperative pain management)	2.0	6-14 ml/h	12-28 mg/h	n/a	n/a
Field block

e.g. minor nerve blocks and infiltration	2.0	1-100	2.0-200	1-5	2-6
Peripheral nerve block (Femoral or interscalene block)
Continuous infusion or intermittent injections (e.g. postoperative pain management)	2.0	5-10 ml/h	10-20 mg/h	n/a	n/a

n/a = not applicable

The doses in the table above are those considered to be necessary to produce a successful block and should be regarded as guidelines for use in adults. Individual variations in onset and duration occur. The figures in the columns 'Dose' reflect the expected average dose range needed. Standard textbooks should be consulted for both factors affecting specific block techniques and individual patient requirements.

Route of administration

Perineural and epidural use via injection or infusion.

Careful aspiration before and during injection is recommended to prevent intravascular injection. When a large dose is to be injected, a test dose of 3-5ml lidocaine (lignocaine) with adrenaline (epinephrine) is recommended. An inadvertent intravascular injection may be recognised by a temporary increase in heart rate and an accidental intrathecal injection by signs of a spinal block.

Aspiration should be performed prior to and during administration of the main dose, which should be injected slowly or in incremental doses, at a rate of 25-50mg/min, while closely observing the patient’s vital functions and maintaining verbal contact. If toxic symptoms occur, the injection should be stopped immediately.

When prolonged blocks are used, either through continuous infusion or through repeated bolus administration, the risks of reaching a toxic plasma concentration or inducing local neural injury must be considered. Cumulative doses up to 675mg ropivacaine for surgery and postoperative analgesia administered over 24 hours were well tolerated in adults, as were postoperative continuous epidural infusions at rates up to 28 mg/hour for 72 hours. In a limited number of patients higher doses of up to 800mg/day have been administered with relatively few adverse reactions.

For treatment of postoperative pain, the following technique can be recommended: Unless preoperatively instituted, an epidural block with ropivacaine 7.5mg/ml is induced via an epidural catheter. Analgesia is maintained with ropivacaine 2 mg/ml infusion. Infusion rates of 6-14ml (12-28mg), per hour provide adequate analgesia with only slight and non-progressive motor block in most cases of moderate to severe postoperative pain. The maximum duration of epidural block is 3 days. However, close monitoring of analgesic effect should be performed in order to remove the catheter as soon as the pain condition allows it. With this technique a significant reduction in the need for opioids has been observed.

In clinical studies an epidural infusion of ropivacaine 2mg/ml alone or mixed with fentanyl 1-4pg/ml has been given for postoperative pain management for up to 72 hours. The combination of ropivacaine and fentanyl provided improved pain relief but caused opioid side effects. The combination of ropivacaine and fentanyl has been investigated only for ropivacaine 2mg/ml.

When prolonged peripheral nerve blocks are applied, either through continuous infusion or through repeated injections, the risks of reaching a toxic plasma concentration or inducing local neural injury must be considered. In clinical studies, femoral nerve block was established with 300 mg ropivacaine 7.5mg/ml and interscalene block with 225mg ropivacaine 7.5mg/ml, respectively, before surgery. Analgesia was then maintained with ropivacaine 2mg/ml. Infusion rates or intermittent injections of 10-20mg per hour for 48 hours provided adequate analgesia and were well tolerated.

Renal impairment

Normally there is no need to modify the dose in patients with impaired renal function when used for single dose or short-term treatment (see section 4.4 and 5.2)

Hepatic impairment

Ropivacaine hydrochloride is metabolized in the liver and should therefore be used with caution in patients with sever liver disease. Repeated doses may need to be reduced due to delayed elimination (see section 4.4 and 5.2)

Paediatric patients 0 to 12 years of age (up to 25kg bodyweight)

ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT (per- and postoperative)	Concentration mg/ml	Volume ml/kg	Dose mg/kg
Single Caudal Epidural Block Blocks below T12 Children up to 25 kg bodyweight	2.0	1	2
Continuous epidural infusion Children up to 25 kg bodyweight

Newborn to 6 months Bolus dosea) Infusion up to 72 hours	2.0 2.0	0.5-1 0.1ml/kg/h	1-2 0.2mg/kg/h
6 to 12 months Bolus dose a)	2.0	0.5-1	1-2
Infusion up to 72 hours	2.0	0.2ml/kg/h	0.4mg/kg/h
1 to 12 years Bolus dose b)	2.0	0.5-1	1-2
Infusion up to 72 hours	2.0	0.2ml/kg/h	0.4mg/kg/h

The dose in the table should be regarded as guidelines for use in paediatrics.

Individual variations occur. In children with a high body weight a gradual reduction of the dosage is often necessary and should be based on the ideal body weight. The volume for single caudal epidural block and the volume for epidural bolus doses should not exceed 25 mL in any patient. Standard textbooks should be consulted for factors affecting specific block techniques and for individual patient requirements.

a Doses in the low end of the dose interval are recommended for thoracic epidural blocks while doses in the high end are recommended for lumbar or caudal epidural blocks.³

b Recommended for lumbar epidural blocks. It is good practice to reduce the bolus dose for thoracic epidural analgesia

Infants and children aged 1-12 years:

The proposed ropivacaine doses for peripheral block in infants and children provide guidelines for use in children without severe disease. More conservative doses and close monitoring are recommended for children with severe disease.

Single injections for peripheral nerve block (e.g. ilioinguinal nerve block, brachial plexus block) should not exceed 2,5-3,0 mg/kg.

Continuous infusion for peripheral nerve block are recommended at 0,2-0,6 mg/kg/h (0,1-0,3 ml/kg/h) up to 72 h.

The use of ropivacaine in premature children has not been documented.

For children with a higher bodyweight than 25 kg no data is available to give detailed recommendations.

Method of administration

Careful aspiration before and during injection is recommended to prevent intravascular injection. The patient’s vital functions should be observed closely during the injection. If toxic symptoms occur, the injection should be stopped immediately.

A single caudal epidural injection of ropivacaine 2mg/ml produces adequate postoperative analgesia below T12 in the majority of patients when a dose of 2mg/kg is used in a volume of 1ml/kg. The volume of the caudal epidural injection may be adjusted to achieve a different distribution of sensory block, as recommended in standard textbooks. In children over 4 years old, doses up to 3mg/kg of a concentration of ropivacaine 3mg/ml have been studied. However, this concentration is associated with a higher incidence of motor block.

Fractionation of the calculated local anaesthetic dose is recommended, whatever route of administration.

4.3 Contraindications

•    Hypersensitivity to ropivacaine, to other local anaesthetics of the amide type or to any of the excipients.

•    General contraindications related to epidural or regional anaesthesia, regardless of the local anaesthetic used, should be taken into account.

•    Intravenous regional anaesthesia.

•    Obstetric paracervical anaesthesia.

•    Hypovolemia.

4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use

Regional anaesthetic procedures should always be performed in a properly equipped and staffed area. Equipment and medicinal products necessary for monitoring and emergency resuscitation should be immediately available. Patients receiving major blocks should be in an optimal clinical condition and have an intravenous line inserted before the blocking procedure. The clinician responsible should take the necessary precautions to avoid intravascular injection (see section 4.2) and be appropriately trained and familiar with diagnosis and treatment of undesirable effects, systemic toxicity and other complications (see sections 4.8 and 4.9) such as inadvertent subarachnoid injection, which may produce a high spinal block with apnoea and hypotension. Convulsions have occurred most often after brachial plexus block and epidural block. This is likely to be the result of either accidental intravascular injection or over-rapid absorption from the injection site.

Caution is required to prevent injections in inflamed areas.

Cardiovascular

Patients treated with anti-arrhythmic drugs class III (eg, amiodarone) should be under close surveillance and ECG monitoring considered, since cardiac effects may be additive.

There have been rare reports of cardiac arrest during the use of ropivacaine for epidural anaesthesia or peripheral nerve blockade, especially after unintentional accidental intravascular administration in elderly patients and in patients with concomitant heart disease. In some instances, resuscitation has been difficult. Should cardiac arrest occur, prolonged resuscitative efforts may be required to improve the possibility of a successful outcome.

Head and neck blocks

Certain local anaesthetic procedures, such as injections in the head and neck regions, may be associated with a higher frequency of serious adverse reactions, regardless of the local anaesthetic used.

Major peripheral nerve blocks

Major peripheral nerve blocks may imply the administration of a large volume of local anaesthetic in highly vascularized areas, often close to large vessels where there is an increased risk of intravascular injection and/or rapid systemic absorption, which can lead to high plasma concentrations.

Hypersensitivity

A possible cross - hypersensitivity with other amide - type local anaesthetics should be taken into account, see section 4.3.

Hypovolaemia

Patients with hypovolaemia due to any cause can develop sudden and severe hypotension during epidural anaesthesia, regardless of the local anaesthetic used.

Patients in poor general health

Patients in poor general condition due to ageing or other compromising factors such as partial or complete heart conduction block, advanced liver disease or severe renal dysfunction require special attention, although regional anaesthesia is frequently indicated in these patients.

Patients with hepatic and renal impairment

Ropivacaine is metabolized in the liver and should therefore be used with caution in patients with severe liver disease; repeated doses may need to be reduced due to delayed elimination. Normally there is no need to modify the dose in patients with impaired renal function when used for single dose or short-term treatment. Acidosis and reduced plasma protein concentration, frequently seen in patients with chronic renal failure, may increase the risk of systemic toxicity.

Acute porphyria

Ropivacaine solution for injection and infusion is possibly porphyrinogenic and should only be prescribed to patients with acute porphyria when no safer alternative is available. Appropriate precautions should be taken in the case of vulnerable patients, according to standard textbooks and/or in consultation with disease area experts.

Prolonged administration

Prolonged administration of ropivacaine should be avoided in patients concomitantly treated with strong CYP1A2 inhibitors, such as fluvoxamine and enoxacin (see section 4.5).

This medicinal product contains 0.16mmol (3.6mg) sodium per ml.

To be taken into consideration by patients on a controlled sodium diet.

Paediatric patients

Neonates may need special attention due to immaturity of metabolic pathways. The large variations in plasma concentrations of ropivacaine observed in clinical trials in neonates suggest that there may be an increased risk of systemic toxicity in this age group, especially during continuous epidural infusion.

The recommended doses in neonates are based on limited clinical data.

When ropivacaine is used in this patient group, regular monitoring of systemic toxicity (e.g. by signs of CNS toxicity, ECG, blood oxygen saturation value) and local neurotoxicity (e.g. prolonged recovery) is required, which should be continued after ending infusion, due to a slow elimination in neonates. The safety and efficacy of ropivacaine 2 mg/ml for peripheral nerve blocks has not been established for infants < 1 year. The safety and efficacy of ropivacaine 2 mg/ml for field blocks has not been established for children <12 years.

4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction

Ropivacaine 2mg/ml Solution for Infusion should be used with caution in patients receiving other local anaesthetics or agents structurally related to amide-type local anaesthetics, e.g. certain anti-arrhythmics, such as lidocaine and mexiletine, since the systemic toxic effects are additive. Simultaneous use of ropivacaine with general anaesthetics or opioids may potentiate each other’s (adverse) effects. Specific interaction studies with ropivacaine and anti-arrhythmic drugs class III (e.g. amiodarone) have not been performed, but caution is advised (see also section 4.4).

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 is involved in the formation of 3-hydroxy-ropivacaine, the major metabolite. In vivo, the plasma clearance of ropivacaine was reduced by up to 77 % during co-administration of fluvoxamine, a selective and potent CYP1A2 inhibitor. Thus strong inhibitors of CYP1A2, such as fluvoxamine and enoxacin given concomitantly during prolonged administration of ropivacaine, can interact with ropivacaine. Prolonged administration of ropivacaine should be avoided in patients concomitantly treated with strong CYP1A2 inhibitors (see also section 4.4).

In vivo, the plasma clearance of ropivacaine was reduced by 15 % during coadministration of ketoconazole, a selective and potent inhibitor of CYP3A4. However, the inhibition of this isozyme is not likely to have clinical relevance.

In vitro, ropivacaine is a competitive inhibitor of CYP2D6 but does not seem to inhibit this isozyme at clinically attained plasma concentrations.

4.6    Fertility, pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy

Apart from epidural administration for obstetrical use, there are no adequate data on the use of ropivacaine in human pregnancy. Experimental animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to pregnancy, embryonic/foetal development, parturition or postnatal development (see section 5.3).

Lactation

There are no data available concerning the excretion of ropivacaine into human milk.

4.7    Effects on ability to drive and use machines

No data available . Depending on the dose, local anaesthetics may have a minor influence on mental function and coordination even in the absence of overt CNS toxicity and may temporarily impair locomotion and alertness.

4.8    Undesirable effects

General

The adverse reaction profile for ropivacaine is similar to those for other long acting local anaesthetics of the amide type.

Adverse drug reactions should be distinguished from the physiological effects of the nerve block itself e.g. a decrease in blood pressure and bradycardia during spinal/epidural block.

Table 1:Table of adverse drug reactions

The frequencies used in the table are: very common (>1/10), common (>1/100 to <1/10), uncommon (>1/1,000 to <1/100), rare (>1/10,000 to < 1/1,000) and very rare (<1/10,000).

System Organ Class	Frequency	Undesirable effect
Psychiatric disorders	Uncommon	Anxiety
Nervous System disorders	Common	Paraesthesia, Dizziness, Headache
	Uncommon	Symptoms of CNS toxicity (Convulsions, Grand mal convulsions, Seizures, Light headedness, Circumoral paraesthesia, Numbness of the tongue, Hyperacusis, Tinnitus, Visual disturbances, Dysarthria, Muscular twitching, Tremor)*, Hypoaesthesia
Cardiac disorders	Common	Bradycardia, Tachycardia
	Rare	Cardiac arrest, Cardiac arrhythmias
Vascular disorders	Very common	Hypotensiona
	Common	Hypertension
	Uncommon	Syncope
Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal disorders	Uncommon	Dyspnoea
Gastrointestinal disorders	Very common	Nausea
	Common	Vomiting
Renal and Urinary disorders	Common	Urinary retention
General disorders and Administration site conditions	Common	Temperature elevation, Rigor, Back pain
	Uncommon	Hypothermia
	Rare	Allergic reactions (anaphylactic reactions, angioneurotic oedema and urticaria)

a Hypotension is less frequent in children (>1/100). b Vomiting is more frequent in children. (>1/10).

*These symptoms usually occur because of inadvertent intravascular injection, overdose or rapid absorption, see section 4.9.

Class-related adverse drug reactions

Neurological complications

Neuropathy and spinal cord dysfunction (e.g. anterior spinal artery syndrome, arachnoiditis, cauda equina), which may result in rare cases of permanent sequelae, have been associated with regional anaesthesia, regardless of the local anaesthetic used.

Total spinal block

Total spinal block may occur if an epidural dose is inadvertently administered intrathecally.

Acute systemic toxicity

Systemic toxic reactions primarily involve the central nervous system (CNS) and the cardiovascular system (CVS). Such reactions are caused by high blood concentration of a local anaesthetic, which may appear due to (accidental) intravascular injection, overdose or exceptionally rapid absorption from highly vascularized areas, see also section 4.4. CNS reactions are similar for all amide local anaesthetics, while cardiac reactions are more dependent on the drug, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Central nervous system toxicity

Central nervous system toxicity is a graded response with symptoms and signs of escalating severity. Initially symptoms such as visual or hearing disturbances, perioral numbness, dizziness, light-headedness, tingling and paraesthesia are seen. Dysarthria, muscular rigidity and muscular twitching are more serious and may precede the onset of generalised convulsions. These signs must not be mistaken for neurotic behaviour. Unconsciousness and grand mal convulsions may follow, which may last from a few seconds to several minutes. Hypoxia and hypercarbia occur rapidly during convulsions due to the increased muscular activity, together with the interference with respiration. In severe cases even apnoea may occur. The respiratory and metabolic acidosis increases and extends the toxic effects of local anaesthetics.

Recovery follows the redistribution of the local anaesthetic drug from the central nervous system and subsequent metabolism and excretion. Recovery may be rapid unless large amounts of the drug have been injected.

Cardiovascular system toxicity

Cardiovascular toxicity indicates a more severe situation. Hypotension, bradycardia, arrhythmia and even cardiac arrest may occur as a result of high systemic concentrations of local anaesthetics. In volunteers the intravenous infusion of ropivacaine resulted in signs of depression of conductivity and contractility.

Cardiovascular toxic effects are generally preceded by signs of toxicity in the central nervous system, unless the patient is receiving a general anaesthetic or is heavily sedated with drugs such as benzodiazepines or barbiturates.

Paediatric population:

•    Frequency, type and severity of adverse reactions in children are expected to be the same as in adults except for hypotension which happens less often in children (< 1 in 10) and vomiting which happens more often in children (> 1 in 10).

•    In children, early signs of local anaesthetic toxicity may be difficult to detect since they may not be able to verbally express them. See also section 4.4.

Treatment of acute systemic toxicity See section 4.9 Overdose.

4.9 Overdose

Symptoms:

Acute systemic toxicity

Accidental intravascular injections of local anaesthetics may cause immediate (within seconds to a few minutes) systemic toxic reactions. In the event of overdose, peak plasma concentrations may not be reached for one to two hours, depending on the site of the injection, and signs of toxicity may thus be delayed. (See section 4.8 Acute systemic toxicity, Central nervous system toxicity and Cardiovascular system toxicity).

Treatment of acute toxicity

If signs of acute systemic toxicity appear, injection of the local anaesthetic should be stopped immediately and CNS symptoms (convulsions, CNS depression) must

promptly be treated with appropriate airway/respiratory support and the administration of anticonvulsant drugs.

If circulatory arrest should occur, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be instituted. Optimal oxygenation and ventilation and circulatory support as well as treatment of acidosis are of vital importance.

If cardiovascular depression occurs (hypotension, bradycardia), appropriate treatment with intravenous fluids, vasopressor, and/or inotropic agents should be considered. Children should be given doses commensurate with age and weight.

Should cardiac arrest occur, a successful outcome may require prolonged resuscitative efforts.

5 PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Anesthetics, local, Amides, ATC code: N01B B09

Ropivacaine is a long-acting, amide-type local anaesthetic with both anaesthetic and analgesic effects. At high doses it produces surgical anaesthesia, while at lower doses it produces sensory block (analgesia) with limited and non-progressive motor block.

The mechanism is a reversible reduction of the membrane permeability of the nerve fibre to sodium ions. Consequently the depolarization velocity is decreased and the stimulation threshold increased, resulting in a local blockade of nerve impulses.

The most characteristic property of ropivacaine is its long duration of action. Latency onset and duration of the local anaesthetic effect are dependent upon the administration site and dose, but are not influenced by the presence of a vasoconstrictor (e.g. adrenaline [epinephrine]).

For details concerning the onset and duration of action, see the table of dosages in section 4.2.

Healthy volunteers exposed to intravenous infusions tolerated ropivacaine well at low doses and with the expected CNS symptoms at the maximum tolerated dose. Clinical experience with this active substance indicates a wide therapeutic margin when adequately used in recommended doses.

5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties

Ropivacaine has a chiral centre and is available as the pure S-(-)-enantiomer. It is highly lipid soluble. All metabolites have a local anaesthetic effect but of considerably lower potency and shorter duration than that of ropivacaine.

The plasma concentration of ropivacaine depends upon the dose, the route of administration and the vascularity of the injection site tissue. Ropivacaine follows linear pharmacokinetics and the peak plasma concentration is proportional to the dose.

Ropivacaine shows complete and biphasic absorption from the epidural space with half-lives of the fast and the slow phases of the order of 14 min and 4 h in adults. The slow absorption is the rate-limiting factor in the elimination of ropivacaine, which explains why the apparent measured terminal half-life is longer after epidural than after intravenous administration. Ropivacaine also shows biphasic absorption from the caudal epidural space in children.

Ropivacaine has a mean total plasma clearance in the order of 440 ml/min, a renal clearance of 1 ml/min, a volume of distribution at steady state of 47 litres and a terminal half-life of 1.8 h after intravenous administration. Ropivacaine has a mean hepatic extraction ratio of about 0.4. It is mainly bound to a-1 acidic glycoprotein in plasma with an unbound fraction of about 6 %.

An increase in total plasma concentrations during continuous epidural and interscalene infusion has been observed, related to a postoperative increase of a-1 acidic glycoprotein.

Variations in the unbound, i.e. pharmacologically active fraction have been much less than in total plasma concentration.

Since ropivacaine has a mean to low hepatic extraction ratio, its rate of elimination should depend on the unbound plasma concentration. A postoperative increase in AAG will decrease the unbound fraction due to increased protein binding, which will decrease the total clearance and result in an increase in total plasma concentrations, as seen in paediatric and adult studies. The unbound clearance of ropivacaine remains unchanged as illustrated by the stable unbound concentrations during postoperative infusion. It is the unbound plasma fraction that is related to systemic pharmacodynamic effects and toxicity.

Ropivacaine readily crosses the placental barrier and equilibrium is rapidly reached in regard to the unbound concentration. The degree of plasma protein binding in the foetus is less than in the mother, which results in lower total plasma concentrations in the foetus than in the mother.

Ropivacaine is extensively metabolized, predominantly by aromatic hydroxylation. In total, 86 % of the dose is excreted in the urine after intravenous administration, of which only about 1 % is unchanged drug. The principal metabolite is 3-hydroxy-ropivacaine (about 37 %) which is excreted in the urine, in mainly conjugated form. Urinary excretion of 4-hydroxy-ropivacaine, the N-dealkylated metabolite (PPX) and the 4-hydroxy-dealkylated metabolite accounts for about 1-3 % of the dose. Conjugated and unconjugated 3-hydroxy-ropivacaine appears in only just detectable concentrations in plasma.

A similar pattern of metabolites has been found in children over one year of age. There is no evidence of in vivo racemisation of ropivacaine.

Paediatrics

The pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine was characterized in a pooled population PK analysis on data in 192 children between 0 and 12 years. Unbound ropivacaine and PPX clearance and ropivacaine unbound volume of distribution depend on both body weight and age until maturity of liver function, after which they depend largely on body weight. This appears to be the case for unbound ropivacaine by the age of 3 years, for PPX by the age of 1 year and for the unbound ropivacaine volume of distribution by the age of 2 years. The PPX unbound volume of distribution depends only on body weight. As PPX has a longer half-life and a lower clearance, it may accumulate during epidural infusion.

Unbound ropivacaine clearance (Cl_u) in children above 6 months has reached values typical of the range of those in adults. Total ropivacaine clearance (CL) values displayed in the table below are those not affected by the postoperative increase in AAG.

Median bodyweight for respective age from WHO d Unbound ropivacaine clearance Ropivacaine unbound volume of distribution Total ropivacaine clearance Ropivacaine terminal half life PPX terminal half life

The simulated mean unbound maximal plasma concentration (Cu_max) after a single caudal block tended to be higher in new-born infants and the time to Cumax (tmax) decreased with increasing age (see table below). Simulated mean unbound plasma concentrations at the end of a 72 h continuous epidural infusion at recommended dose rates also showed higher levels in neonates as compared to those in infants and children (see also section 4.4).

Simulated mean and observed ranges of unbound Cu_max after a single caudal block:

Age group	Dose (mg/kg)	Cu max (mg/L)	T max	Cu max (mg/L)
0-1 months	2.00	0.0582	2.00	0.05-0.08 (n=5)
1-6 months	2.00	0.0375	1.50	0.02-0.09
6-12 months	2.00	0.0283	1.00	(n=18) 0.01-0.05 (n=9)
1-10 years	2.00	0.0221	0.50	0.01-0.05 (n=60)

^a Unbound maximal plasma concentration ^b Time to unbound maximal plasma concentration

^c Observed and dose normalised unbound maximal plasma concentration

At 6 months, the breakpoint for change in the recommended dose rate for continuous epidural infusion, unbound ropivacaine clearance has reached 34 % and unbound PPX 71 % of its mature value. The systemic exposure is higher in neonates and also higher in infants between 1 and 6 months compared to older children, which is related to the immaturity of their liver function. However, this is partly compensated for by the recommended 50 % lower dose rate for continuous infusion in infants below 6 months.

Simulations based on the sum of unbound plasma concentrations of ropivacaine and PPX, based on the PK parameters and their variance in the population analysis, indicate that for a single caudal block the recommended dose must be increased by a factor of 2.7 in the youngest group and a factor of 7.4 in the 1-10 year group in order for the upper prediction 90 % confidence interval limit to touch the threshold for systemic toxicity. Corresponding factors for the continuous epidural infusion are 1.8 and 3.8 respectively.

5.3 Preclinical safety data

Based on conventional studies of safety pharmacology, single and repeated dose toxicity, reproduction toxicity, mutagenic potential and local tolerability, no hazards for humans were identified other than those which can be expected on the basis of the pharmacodynamic action of high doses of ropivacaine (e.g. CNS signs, including convulsions, and cardiotoxicity).

6    PHARMACEUTICAL PARTICULARS

6.1    List of excipients

sodium chloride

sodium hydroxide (for pH adjustment) hydrochloric acid (3.6 %) (for pH adjustment) water for injections

6.2    Incompatibilities

In alkaline solutions precipitation may occur as ropivacaine shows poor solubility at pH> 6.

See also section 6.6.

6.3 Shelf life

Bags:

2 years

In-use shelf-life:

From a microbiological point of view, the product should be used immediately. If not used immediately, in-use storage times and conditions prior to use are the responsibility of the user and would normally not be longer than 24 hours at 2-8 °C.

6.4 Special precautions for storage

Do not store above 30°C.

Do not freeze.

For storage after opening, see section 6.3.

6.5 Nature and contents of container

Polypropylene bag packed sterile in blister pouch or see through pouch.

Pack sizes:

5 x 100 ml bags (PP)

5 x 200 ml bags (PP)

20 x 100 ml bags (PP) [hospital pack]

20 x 200 ml bags (PP) [hospital pack]

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

6.6 Special precautions for disposal

Handling

Ropivacaine 2mg/ml Solution for Infusion products are preservative free and are intended for single use only. Discard any unused solutions.

The medicinal product should be visually examined before use. The solution should only be used if it is clear and practically free from particulate matter and if the container is undamaged.

The intact container must not be re-autoclaved. A bag in a pouch should be chosen when a sterile outside is required.

Disposal

Any unused product or waste material should be disposed in accordance with local requirements.

7    MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER

Actavis Group PTC ehf Reykjavikurvegi 76-78 Hafnarfjordur Iceland

8    MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBER(S)

PL 30306/0303

9    DATE OF FIRST AUTHORISATION/RENEWAL OF THE AUTHORISATION

26/08/2010

10    DATE OF REVISION OF THE TEXT

21/09/2012