Oxybutynin Chloride Extended-Release Tablets USP

Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets uses osmotic pressure to deliver oxybutynin chloride at a controlled rate over approximately 24 hours. The system, which resembles a conventional tablet in appearance, comprises an osmotically active core surrounded by a semipermeable membrane. The unitary tablet core is composed of the drug and excipients (including the osmotically active components). There is a precision-laser drilled orifice in the semipermeable membrane on the side of the tablet. In an aqueous environment, such as the gastrointestinal tract, water permeates through the membrane into the tablet core, causing the drug to go into suspension and the osmotic components to expand. This expansion pushes the drug out through the orifice. The semipermeable membrane controls the rate at which water permeates into the tablet core, which in turn controls the rate of drug delivery. The controlled rate of drug delivery into the gastrointestinal lumen is thus independent of pH or gastrointestinal motility. The function of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets depends on the existence of an osmotic gradient between the contents of the core and the fluid in the gastrointestinal tract. Since the osmotic gradient remains constant, drug delivery remains essentially constant. The biologically inert components of the tablet remain intact during gastrointestinal transit and are eliminated in the feces as an insoluble shell.

USP Drug Release Test 3.

Oxybutynin is associated with anticholinergic central nervous system (CNS) effects (See ADVERSE REACTIONS). A variety of CNS anticholinergic effects have been reported, including hallucinations, agitation, confusion and somnolence. Patients should be monitored for signs of anticholinergic CNS effects, particularly in the first few months after beginning treatment or increasing the dose. If a patient experiences anticholinergic CNS effects, dose reduction or drug discontinuation should be considered.

Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets should be used with caution in patients with preexisting dementia treated with cholinesterase inhibitors due to the risk of aggravation of symptoms.

Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets should be used with caution in patients with hepatic or renal impairment and in patients with myasthenia gravis due to the risk of symptom aggravation.

Patients should be informed that oxybutynin may produce angioedema that could result in life-threatening airway obstruction. Patients should be advised to promptly discontinue oxybutynin therapy and seek immediate medical attention if they experience edema of the tongue, edema of the laryngopharynx, or difficulty breathing.

Patients should be informed that heat prostration (fever and heat stroke due to decreased sweating) can occur when anticholinergics such as oxybutynin chloride are administered in the presence of high environmental temperature.

Because anticholinergic agents such as oxybutynin may produce drowsiness (somnolence) or blurred vision, patients should be advised to exercise caution. Patients should be informed that alcohol may enhance the drowsiness caused by anticholinergic agents such as oxybutynin.

Patients should be informed that Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets should be swallowed whole with the aid of liquids. Patients should not chew, divide, or crush tablets. The medication is contained within a nonabsorbable shell designed to release the drug at a controlled rate. The tablet shell is eliminated from the body; patients should not be concerned if they occasionally notice in their stool something that looks like a tablet. Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets should be taken at approximately the same time each day.

The concomitant use of oxybutynin with other anticholinergic drugs or with other agents which produce dry mouth, constipation, somnolence (drowsiness), and/or other anticholinergic-like effects may increase the frequency and/or severity of such effects. Anticholinergic agents may potentially alter the absorption of some concomitantly administered drugs due to anticholinergic effects on gastrointestinal motility. This may be of concern for drugs with a narrow therapeutic index.

Mean oxybutynin chloride plasma concentrations were approximately 2 fold higher when Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets were administered with ketoconazole, a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor. Other inhibitors of the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme system, such as antimycotic agents (e.g., itraconazole and miconazole) or macrolide antibiotics (e.g., erythromycin and clarithromycin), may alter oxybutynin mean pharmacokinetic parameters (i.e., C_max and AUC). The clinical relevance of such potential interactions is not known. Caution should be used when such drugs are co-administered.

A 24-month study in rats at dosages of oxybutynin chloride of 20, 80, and 160 mg/kg/day showed no evidence of carcinogenicity. These doses are approximately 6, 25, and 50 times the maximum human exposure, based on surface area. Oxybutynin chloride showed no increase of mutagenic activity when tested in Schizosaccharomyces pompholiciformis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Salmonella typhimurium test systems. Reproduction studies with oxybutynin chloride in the mouse, rat, hamster, and rabbit showed no definite evidence of impaired fertility.

It is not known whether oxybutynin is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets are administered to a nursing woman.

The safety and efficacy of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets were studied in 60 children in a 24-week, open-label trial. Patients were aged 6-15 years, all had symptoms of detrusor overactivity in association with a neurological condition (e.g., spina bifida), all used clean intermittent catheterization, and all were current users of oxybutynin chloride. Study results demonstrated that administration of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets 5 to 20 mg/day was associated with an increase from baseline in mean urine volume per catheterization from 108 mL to 136 mL, an increase from baseline in mean urine volume after morning awakening from 148 mL to 189 mL, and an increase from baseline in the mean percentage of catheterizations without a leaking episode from 34% to 51%.

Urodynamic results were consistent with clinical results. Administration of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets resulted in an increase from baseline in mean maximum cystometric capacity from 185 mL to 254 mL, a decrease from baseline in mean detrusor pressure at maximum cystometric capacity from 44 cm H₂O to 33 cm H₂O, and a reduction in the percentage of patients demonstrating uninhibited detrusor contractions (of at least 15 cm H₂O) from 60% to 28%.

Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets are not recommended in pediatric patients who can not swallow the tablet whole without chewing, dividing, or crushing, or in children under the age of 6 (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

The rate and severity of anticholinergic effects reported by patients less than 65 years old and those 65 years and older were similar (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacokinetics, Special Populations: Geriatric).

The safety and efficacy of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets were evaluated in a total of 580 participants who received Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets in 4 clinical trials (429 patients) and four pharmacokinetic studies (151 healthy volunteers). The 429 patients were treated with 5-30 mg/day for up to 4.5 months. Three of the 4 clinical trials allowed dose adjustments based on efficacy and adverse events and one was a fixed dose escalation design. Safety information is provided for 429 patients from these three controlled clinical studies and one open label study in the first column of Table 3 below.

Adverse events from two additional fixed dose, active controlled, 12 week treatment duration, postmarketing studies, in which 576 patients were treated with Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets 10 mg/day, are also listed in Table 3 (second column). The adverse events are reported regardless of causality.

The most common adverse events reported by the 429 patients receiving 5-30 mg/day Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets were the expected side effects of anticholinergic agents. The incidence of dry mouth was dose-related.

The discontinuation rate for all adverse events was 6.8% in the 429 patients from the 4 studies of efficacy and safety who received 5-30 mg/day. The most frequent adverse event causing early discontinuation of study medication was nausea (1.9%), while discontinuation due to dry mouth was 1.2%.

In addition, the following adverse events were reported by ≥1 to < 5% of all patients who received Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets in the 6 adjustable and fixed dose efficacy and safety studies. Infections and infestations: nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, bronchitis, cystitis; Psychiatric disorders: insomnia, depression, nervousness, confusional state; Nervous System Disorders: dysgeusia; Cardiac disorders: palpitations; Vascular disorders: hypertension; Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders: nasal dryness, cough, pharyngolaryngeal pain, dry throat; Gastrointestinal Disorders: gastroesophageal reflux disease, abdominal pain, loose stools, flatulence, vomiting; Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders: dry skin, pruritis; Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders: back pain, arthralgia, pain in extremity; Renal and urinary disorders: urinary retention, urinary hesitation, dysuria; General disorders and administration site conditions: fatigue, edema peripheral, asthenia, chest pain; Investigations: blood pressure increased.

Because postmarketing reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The following additional adverse drug reactions have been reported from worldwide postmarketing experience with Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets: Psychiatric Disorders: psychotic disorder, agitation, hallucinations; Nervous System Disorders: convulsions; Cardiac Disorders: arrhythmia; tachycardia; QT interval prolongation, Vascular Disorders: flushing; Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: rash; Renal and Urinary Disorders: impotence; General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: hypersensitivity reactions, including angioedema with airway obstruction, urticaria, and face edema; rare anaphylactic reactions requiring hospitalization for emergency treatment; Injury, poisoning and procedural complications: fall.

Additional adverse events reported with some other oxybutynin chloride formulations include: cycloplegia, mydriasis, and suppression of lactation.

The recommended starting dose of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets is 5 or 10 mg once daily at approximately the same time each day. Dosage may be adjusted in 5-mg increments to achieve a balance of efficacy and tolerability (up to a maximum of 30 mg/day). In general, dosage adjustment may proceed at approximately weekly intervals.

The recommended starting dose of Oxybutynin chloride extended-release tablets is 5 mg once daily at approximately the same time each day. Dosage may be adjusted in 5-mg increments to achieve a balance of efficacy and tolerability (up to a maximum of 20 mg/day).

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15-30°C (59-86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature]. Protect from moisture and humidity.