Anastrozole

Anastrozole is indicated for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

Anastrozole is indicated for the first-line treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Anastrozole is indicated for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following tamoxifen therapy. Patients with ER-negative disease and patients who did not respond to previous tamoxifen therapy rarely responded to Anastrozole.

The dose of Anastrozole is one 1 mg tablet taken once a day. For patients with advanced breast cancer, Anastrozole Tablets should be continued until tumor progression.Anastrozole Tablets can be taken with or without food.

For adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the optimal duration of therapy is unknown. In the ATAC trial, Anastrozole was administered for five years [see Clinical Studies (14.1)].

No dosage adjustment is necessary for patients with renal impairment or for elderly patients [see Use in Specific Populations (8.6)].

No changes in dose are recommended for patients with mild-to-moderate hepatic impairment. Anastrozole Tablets have not been studied in patients with severe hepatic impairment [see Use in Specific Populations (8.7)].

Hypersensitivity

Anastrozole is contraindicated in any patient who has shown a hypersensitivity reaction to the drug or to any of the excipients. Observed reactions include anaphylaxis, angioedema, and urticaria [see Adverse Reactions (6.2)].

In women with pre-existing ischemic heart disease, an increased incidence of ischemic cardiovascular events was observed with Anastrozole in the ATAC trial (17% of patients on Anastrozole and 10% of patients on tamoxifen). Consider risk and benefits of Anastrozole therapy in patients with pre-existing ischemic heart disease [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].

Results from the ATAC trial bone substudy at 12 and 24 months demonstrated that patients receiving Anastrozole had a mean decrease in both lumbar spine and total hip bone mineral density (BMD) compared to baseline. Patients receiving tamoxifen had a mean increase in both lumbar spine and total hip BMD compared to baseline. Consider bone mineral density monitoring in patients treated with Anastrozole Tablets[see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].

During the ATAC trial, more patients receiving Anastrozole were reported to have elevated serum cholesterol compared to patients receiving tamoxifen (9% versus 3.5%, respectively) [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].

Based on findings from animal studies and its mechanism of action, Anastrozole can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Anastrozole caused embryo-fetal toxicities in rats at maternal exposure that were 9 times the human clinical exposure, based on area under the curve (AUC). In rabbits, anastrozole caused pregnancy failure at doses equal to or greater than 16 times the recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis. Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during therapy with Anastrozole and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose [ see Use in Specific Populations  ( 8.1, 8.3) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.1)].

These adverse reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size. Therefore, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The following have been reported in post-approval use of Anastrozole:
• Hepatobiliary events including increases in alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-GT, and bilirubin; hepatitis
• Rash including cases of mucocutaneous disorders such as erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson syndrome
• Cases of allergic reactions including angioedema, urticaria and anaphylaxis [ see Contraindications (4) ]
• Myalgia, trigger finger and hypercalcemia (with or without an increase in parathyroid hormone)

Co-administration of anastrozole and tamoxifen in breast cancer patients reduced anastrozole plasma concentration by 27%. However, the co-administration of anastrozole and tamoxifen did not affect the pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen or N-desmethyltamoxifen. At a median follow-up of 33 months, the combination of Anastrozole and tamoxifen did not demonstrate any efficacy benefit when compared with tamoxifen in all patients as well as in the hormone receptor-positive subpopulation. This treatment arm was discontinued from the trial [ see Clinical Studies (14.1) ]. Based on clinical and pharmacokinetic results from the ATAC trial, tamoxifen should not be administered with anastrozole.

Estrogen-containing therapies should not be used with Anastrozole as they may diminish its pharmacological action.

In a study conducted in 16 male volunteers, anastrozole did not alter the exposure (as measured by Cmax and AUC) and anticoagulant activity (as measured by prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and thrombin time) of both R- and S-warfarin.

Based on in vitro and in vivo results, it is unlikely that co-administration of Anastrozole 1 mg will affect other drugs as a result of inhibition of cytochrome P450 [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

Risk Summary

Based on findings from animal studies and its mechanism of action, Anastrozole may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [ see Clinical Pharmacology (12.1) ]. There are no studies of anastrozole use in pregnant women. Anastrozole caused embryo-fetal toxicities in rats at maternal exposure that were 9 times the human clinical exposure, based on area under the curve (AUC). In rabbits, anastrozole caused pregnancy failure at doses equal to or greater than 16 times the recommended human dose on a mg/m2 basis. Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively.

Data

Animal Data

In animal reproduction studies, pregnant rats and rabbits received anastrozole during organogenesis at doses equal to or greater than 0.1 and 0.02 mg/kg/day, respectively, (about 1 and 1/3 the recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis, respectively). In both species, anastrozole crossed the placenta, and there was increased pregnancy loss (increased pre- and/or post-implantation loss, increased resorption, and decreased numbers of live fetuses). In rats, these effects were dose related, and placental weights were significantly increased at doses equal to or greater than 0.1 mg/kg/day. Fetotoxicity, including delayed fetal development (i.e., incomplete ossification and depressed fetal body weights), occurred in rats at anastrozole doses of 1 mg/kg/day that produced peak plasma levels 19 times higher than serum levels in humans at the therapeutic dose (AUC _0-24hr 9 times higher). In rabbits, anastrozole caused pregnancy failure at doses equal to or greater than 1.0 mg/kg/day (about 16 times the recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis).

Risk Summary
There are no data on the presence of anastrozole or its metabolites in human milk, or its effects on the breast-fed child or on milk production. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the tumorigenicity shown for anastrozole in animal studies, or the potential for serious adverse reactions in the breast-fed child from Anastrozole, advise lactating women not to breastfeed during treatment with Anastrozole and for 2 weeks after the last dose.

Pregnancy Testing
Verify the pregnancy status of females of reproductive potential prior to initiation of Anastrozole.
Contraception
Females
Based on animal studies, Anastrozole can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [ see Use in Specific Populations (8.1) ]. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Anastrozole Tablets and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose.
Infertility
Females
Based on studies in female animals, Anastrozole may impair fertility in females of reproductive potential [ see Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1) ].

Clinical studies in pediatric patients included a placebo-controlled trial in pubertal boys of adolescent age with gynecomastia and a single-arm trial in girls with McCune-Albright Syndrome and progressive precocious puberty. The efficacy of Anastrozole Tablets in the treatment of pubertal gynecomastia in adolescent boys and in the treatment of precocious puberty in girls with McCune-Albright Syndrome has not been demonstrated.

Gynecomastia Study

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study enrolled 80 boys with pubertal gynecomastia aged 11 to 18 years. Patients were randomized to a daily regimen of either Anastrozole tablets 1 mg or placebo. After 6 months of treatment there was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of patients who experienced a≥50% reduction in gynecomastia (primary efficacy analysis). Secondary efficacy analyses (absolute change in breast volume, the percentage of patients who had any reduction in the calculated volume of gynecomastia, breast pain resolution) were consistent with the primary efficacy analysis. Serum estradiol concentrations at Month 6 of treatment were reduced by 15.4% in the Anastrozole group and 4.5% in the placebo group.

Adverse reactions that were assessed as treatment-related by the investigators occurred in 16.3% of the Anastrozole-treated patients and 8.1% of the placebo-treated patients with the most frequent being acne (7% Anastrozole and 2.7% placebo) and headache (7%Anastrozole and 0% placebo); all other adverse reactions showed small differences between treatment groups. One patient treated with Anastrozole tablets discontinued the trial because of testicular enlargement. The mean baseline-subtracted change in testicular volume after 6 months of treatment was + 6.6 ± 7.9 cm ³ in the Anastrozole-treated patients and + 5.2 ± 8.0 cm ³ in the placebo group.

McCune-Albright Syndrome Study

A multi-center, single-arm, open-label study was conducted in 28 girls with McCune-Albright Syndrome and progressive precocious puberty aged 2 to <10 years. All patients received a 1 mg daily dose of Anastrozole tablets. The trial duration was 12 months. Patients were enrolled on the basis of a diagnosis of typical (27/28) or atypical (1/27) McCune-Albright Syndrome, precocious puberty, history of vaginal bleeding, and/or advanced bone age. Patients’ baseline characteristics included the following: a mean chronological age of 5.9 ± 2.0 years, a mean bone age of 8.6 ± 2.6 years, a mean growth rate of 7.9 ± 2.9 cm/year and a mean Tanner stage for breast of 2.7 ± 0.81. Compared to pre-treatment data there were no on-treatment statistically significant reductions in the frequency of vaginal bleeding days, or in the rate of increase of bone age (defined as a ratio between the change in bone age over the change of chronological age). There were no clinically significant changes in Tanner staging, mean ovarian volume, mean uterine volume and mean predicted adult height. A small but statistically significant reduction of growth rate from 7.9 ± 2.9 cm/year to 6.5 ± 2.8 cm/year was observed but the absence of a control group precludes attribution of this effect to treatment or to other confounding factors such as variations in endogenous estrogen levels commonly seen in McCune-Albright Syndrome patients.

Five patients (18%) experienced adverse reactions that were considered possibly related to Anastrozole tablets. These were nausea, acne, pain in an extremity, increased alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase, and allergic dermatitis.

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients

Following 1 mg once daily multiple administration in pediatric patients, the mean time to reach the maximum anastrozole concentration was 1 hr. The mean (range) disposition parameters of anastrozole in pediatric patients were described by a CL/F of 1.54 L/h (0.77-4.53 L/h) and V/F of 98.4 L (50.7-330.0 L). The terminal elimination half-life was 46.8 h, which was similar to that observed in postmenopausal women treated with anastrozole for breast cancer. Based on a population pharmacokinetic analysis, the pharmacokinetics of anastrozole was similar in boys with pubertal gynecomastia and girls with McCune-Albright Syndrome.

In studies 0030 and 0027, about 50% of patients were 65 or older. Patients≥65 years of age had moderately better tumor response and time to tumor progression than patients < 65 years of age regardless of randomized treatment. In studies 0004 and 0005, 50% of patients were 65 or older. Response rates and time to progression were similar for the over 65 and younger patients.

In the ATAC study, 45% of patients were 65 years of age or older. The efficacy of Anastrozole compared to tamoxifen in patients who were 65 years or older (N=1413 for Anastrozole and N=1410 for tamoxifen, the hazard ratio for disease-free survival was 0.93 [95% CI: 0.80, 1.08]) was less than efficacy observed in patients who were less than 65 years of age (N=1712 for Anastrozole and N=1706 for tamoxifen, the hazard ratio for disease-free survival was 0.79 [95% CI: 0.67, 0.94]).

The pharmacokinetics of anastrozole are not affected by age.

Since only about 10% of anastrozole is excreted unchanged in the urine, the renal impairment does not influence the total body clearance. Dosage adjustment in patients with renal impairment is not necessary [see Dosage and Administration (2.1)and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] .

The plasma anastrozole concentrations in the subjects with hepatic cirrhosis were within the range of concentrations seen in normal subjects across all clinical trials. Therefore, dosage adjustment is also not necessary in patients with stable hepatic cirrhosis. Anastrozole has not been studied in patients with severe hepatic impairment [ se e Dosage and Administration (2.2) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

The growth of many cancers of the breast is stimulated or maintained by estrogens.
In postmenopausal women, estrogens are mainly derived from the action of the aromatase enzyme, which converts adrenal androgens (primarily androstenedione and testosterone) to estrone and estradiol. The suppression of estrogen biosynthesis in peripheral tissues and in the cancer tissue itself can therefore be achieved by specifically inhibiting the aromatase enzyme.
Anastrozole is a selective non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor. It significantly lowers serum estradiol concentrations and has no detectable effect on formation of adrenal corticosteroids or aldosterone.

A conventional carcinogenesis study in rats at doses of 1.0 to 25 mg/kg/day (about 10 to 243 times the daily maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis) administered by oral gavage for up to 2 years revealed an increase in the incidence of hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma and uterine stromal polyps in females and thyroid adenoma in males at the high dose. A dose-related increase was observed in the incidence of ovarian and uterine hyperplasia in females. At 25 mg/kg/day, plasma AUC _0-24hr levels in rats were 110 to 125 times higher than the level exhibited in postmenopausal volunteers at the recommended dose. A separate carcinogenicity study in mice at oral doses of 5 to 50 mg/kg/day (about 24 to 243 times the daily maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis) for up to 2 years produced an increase in the incidence of benign ovarian stromal, epithelial and granulosa cell tumors at all dose levels. A dose-related increase in the incidence of ovarian hyperplasia was also observed in female mice. These ovarian changes are considered to be rodent-specific effects of aromatase inhibition and are of questionable significance to humans. The incidence of lymphosarcoma was increased in males and females at the high dose. At 50 mg/kg/day, plasma AUC levels in mice were 35 to 40 times higher than the level exhibited in postmenopausal volunteers at the recommended dose.

Anastrozole has not been shown to be mutagenic in in vitro tests (Ames and E. coli bacterial tests, CHO-K1 gene mutation assay) or clastogenic either in vitro (chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes) or in vivo (micronucleus test in rats).

Oral administration of anastrozole to female rats (from 2 weeks before mating to pregnancy day 7) produced significant incidence of infertility and reduced numbers of viable pregnancies at 1 mg/kg/day (about 10 times the recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis and 9 times higher than the AUC _0-24hr found in postmenopausal volunteers at the recommended dose). Pre-implantation loss of ova or fetus was increased at doses equal to or greater than 0.02 mg/kg/day (about one-fifth the recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis). Recovery of fertility was observed following a 5-week non-dosing period which followed 3 weeks of dosing. It is not known whether these effects observed in female rats are indicative of impaired fertility in humans.

Multiple-dose studies in rats administered anastrozole for 6 months at doses equal to or greater than 1 mg/kg/day (which produced plasma anastrozole C _ssmax and AUC _0-24hr that were 19 and 9 times higher than the respective values found in postmenopausal volunteers at the recommended dose) resulted in hypertrophy of the ovaries and the presence of follicular cysts. In addition, hyperplastic uteri were observed in 6-month studies in female dogs administered doses equal to or greater than 1 mg/kg/day (which produced plasma anastrozole C _ssmax and AUC _0-24hr that were 22 times and 16 times higher than the respective values found in postmenopausal women at the recommended dose). It is not known whether these effects on the reproductive organs of animals are associated with impaired fertility in premenopausal women.

A multicenter, double-blind trial (ATAC) randomized 9,366 postmenopausal women with operable breast cancer to adjuvant treatment with Anastrozole 1 mg daily, tamoxifen 20 mg daily, or a combination of the two treatments for five years or until recurrence of the disease.

The primary endpoint of the trial was disease-free survival (i.e., time to occurrence of a distant or local recurrence, or contralateral breast cancer or death from any cause). Secondary endpoints of the trial included distant disease-free survival, the incidence of contralateral breast cancer and overall survival. At a median follow-up of 33 months, the combination of Anastrozole and tamoxifen did not demonstrate any efficacy benefit when compared with tamoxifen in all patients as well as in the hormone receptor positive subpopulation. This treatment arm was discontinued from the trial. Based on clinical and pharmacokinetic results from the ATAC trial, tamoxifen should not be administered with anastrozole [see Drug Interactions (7.1)].

Demographic and other baseline characteristics were similar among the three treatment groups ( see Table 7).

Table 7 - Demographic and Baseline Characteristics for ATAC Trial

Patients in the two monotherapy arms of the ATAC trial were treated for a median of 60 months (5 years) and followed for a median of 68 months. Disease-free survival in the intent-to-treat population was statistically significantly improved [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.97, p=0.0127] in the Anastrozole arm compared to the tamoxifen arm. In the hormone receptor-positive subpopulation representing about 84% of the trial patients, disease-free survival was also statistically significantly improved (HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.94, p=0.0049) in the Anastrozole arm compared to the tamoxifen arm.

Figure 1 — Disease-Free Survival Kaplan Meier Survival Curve for all Patients Randomized to Anastrozole or Tamoxifen Monotherapy in the ATAC trial (Intent-to-Treat)

figure 1

Figure 2 — Disease-free Survival for Hormone Receptor-Positive Subpopulation of Patients Randomized toAnastrozole or Tamoxifen Monotherapy in the ATAC Trial

figure 2

The survival data with 68 months follow-up is presented in Table 9.

In the group of patients who had previous adjuvant chemotherapy (N=698 for Anastrozole and N=647 for tamoxifen), the hazard ratio for disease-free survival was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.73 to 1.13) in the Anastrozole arm compared to the tamoxifen arm.

The frequency of individual events in the intent-to-treat population and the hormone receptor-positive subpopulation are described in Table 8.

Table 8 - All Recurrence and Death Events ^*

A summary of the study efficacy results is provided in Table 9.

Table 9 - ATAC Efficacy Summary*

10-year median follow-up Efficacy Results from the ATAC Trial

In a subsequent analysis of the ATAC trial, patients in the two monotherapy arms were followed for a median of 120 months (10years). Patients received study treatment for a median of 60 months (5 years) ( see Table 10).

Table 10 - Efficacy Summary

Figure 3 - Disease-Free Survival Kaplan Meier Survival Curve for all Patients Randomized to Anastrozole or Tamoxifen Monotherapy in the ATAC Trial (Intent-to-Treat) ^(a)

figure 3

^a The proportion of patients with 120 months’ follow-up was 29.4%.

Figure 4 - Disease-Free Survival for Hormone Receptor-Positive Subpopulation of Patients Randomized toAnastrozole or Tamoxifen Monotherapy in the ATAC Trial ^(b)

figure 4

^bThe proportion of patients with 120 months’ follow-up was 29.8%.

Two double-blind, controlled clinical studies of similar design (0030, a North American study and 0027, a predominately European study) were conducted to assess the efficacy of Anastrozole compared with tamoxifen as first-line therapy for hormone receptor positive or hormone receptor unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women. A total of 1021 patients between the ages of 30 and 92 years old were randomized to receive trial treatment. Patients were randomized to receive 1 mg of Anastrozole once daily or 20 mg of tamoxifen once daily. The primary endpoints for both trials were time to tumor progression, objective tumor response rate, and safety.

Demographics and other baseline characteristics, including patients who had measurable and no measurable disease, patients who were given previous adjuvant therapy, the site of metastatic disease and ethnic origin were similar for the two treatment groups for both trials. The following table summarizes the hormone receptor status at entry for all randomized patients in trials 0030 and 0027.

Table 11 — Demographic and Other Baseline Characteristics

For the primary endpoints, trial 0030 showed that Anastrozole had a statistically significant advantage over tamoxifen (p=0.006) for time to tumor progression; objective tumor response rates were similar for Anastrozole and tamoxifen. Trial 0027 showed that Anastrozole and tamoxifen had similar objective tumor response rates and time to tumor progression (see Table 12 and Figures 5 and 6).

Table 12 below summarizes the results of trial 0030 and trial 0027 for the primary efficacy endpoints.

Table 12 – Efficacy Results of First-line Treatment

Figure 5 - Kaplan-Meier probability of time to disease progression for all randomized patients (intent-to-treat) in Trial 0030

figure 5

Figure 6 - Kaplan-Meier probability of time to progression for all randomized patients (intent-to-treat) in Trial 0027

figure 6

Results from the secondary endpoints were supportive of the results of the primary efficacy endpoints. There were too few deaths occurring across treatment groups of both trials to draw conclusions on overall survival differences.

Anastrozole was studied in two controlled clinical trials (0004, a North American study; 0005, a predominately European study) in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer who had disease progression following tamoxifen therapy for either advanced or early breast cancer. Some of the patients had also received previous cytotoxic treatment. Most patients were ER-positive; a smaller fraction were ER-unknown or ER-negative; the ER-negative patients were eligible only if they had a positive response to tamoxifen. Eligible patients with measurable and non-measurable disease were randomized to receive either a single daily dose of 1 mg or 10 mg of Anastrozole or megestrol acetate 40 mg four times a day. The studies were double-blinded with respect to Anastrozole. Time to progression and objective response (only patients with measurable disease could be considered partial responders) rates were the primary efficacy variables. Objective response rates were calculated based on the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) criteria. The rate of prolonged (more than 24 weeks) stable disease, the rate of progression, and survival were also calculated.

Both trials included over 375 patients; demographics and other baseline characteristics were similar for the three treatment groups in each trial. Patients in the 0005 trial had responded better to prior tamoxifen treatment. Of the patients entered who had prior tamoxifen therapy for advanced disease (58% in Trial 0004; 57% in Trial 0005), 18% of these patients in Trial 0004 and 42% in Trial 0005 were reported by the primary investigator to have responded. In Trial 0004, 81% of patients were ER-positive, 13% were ER-unknown, and 6% were ER-negative. In Trial 0005, 58% of patients were ER-positive, 37% were ER-unknown, and 5% were ER-negative. In Trial 0004, 62% of patients had measurable disease compared to 79% in Trial 0005. The sites of metastatic disease were similar among treatment groups for each trial. On average, 40% of the patients had soft tissue metastases; 60% had bone metastases; and 40% had visceral (15% liver) metastases.

Efficacy results from the two studies were similar as presented in Table 13. In both studies there were no significant differences between treatment arms with respect to any of the efficacy parameters listed in the table below.

Table 13 – Efficacy Results of Second-line Treatment

*Surviving Patients

When data from the two controlled trials are pooled, the objective response rates and median times to progression and death were similar for patients randomized to Anastrozole 1 mg and megestrol acetate. There is, in this data, no indication that Anastrozole 10 mg is superior to Anastrozole 1 mg

Table 14 – Pooled Efficacy Results of Second-line Treatment

Storage

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