Makena

• Makena auto-injector: Administer subcutaneously using auto-injector at a dose of 275 mg (1.1 mL) once weekly (every 7 days) in the back of either upper arm by a healthcare provider
• Makena (single- and multi-dose vials): Administer intramuscularly at a dose of 250 mg (1 mL) once weekly (every 7 days) in the upper outer quadrant of the gluteus maximus by a healthcare provider
• Begin treatment between 16 weeks, 0 days and 20 weeks, 6 days of gestation
• Continue administration once weekly until week 37 (through 36 weeks, 6 days) of gestation or delivery, whichever occurs first

Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. Makena is a clear, yellow solution. The solution must be clear at the time of use; replace vial if visible particles or crystals are present.

Specific instructions for administration by dosage form:

Makena single-dose or multi-dose vials (intramuscular use only)

Makena single-dose or multi-dose vials are only for intramuscular injection with a syringe into the upper outer quadrant of the gluteus maximus, rotating the injection site to the alternate side from the previous week, using the following preparation and administration procedure:

1. 1.Clean the vial top with an alcohol swab before use.
2. 2.Draw up 1 mL of drug into a 3 mL syringe with an 18 gauge needle.
3. 3.Change the needle to a 21 gauge 1½ inch needle.
4. 4.After preparing the skin, inject in the upper outer quadrant of the gluteus maximus. The solution is viscous and oily. Slow injection (over one minute or longer) is recommended.
5. 5.Applying pressure to the injection site may minimize bruising and swelling.

If the 5 mL multi-dose vial is used, discard any unused product 5 weeks after first use.

Makena auto-injector (subcutaneous use only)

Makena auto-injector is a single-use, pre-filled, disposable device containing a 27 gauge, 0.5 inch needle that delivers one dose subcutaneously in the back of the upper arm.

Because Makena auto-injector is preservative-free, once the cap is removed the device should be used immediately or discarded.

Rotate the injection site to the alternate arm from the previous week. Do not use in areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, scaly, raised, thick, or hard. Avoid areas with scars, tattoos, or stretch marks.

The solution is viscous and oily. The auto-injector takes approximately 15 seconds to deliver the dose; when the viewing window is fully blocked (completely orange), the full dose has been administered.

The “Instructions for Use” contains detailed steps for administering the subcutaneous injection using the auto-injector [see Dosage and Administration (2.3)]. Read the “Instructions for Use” carefully before administering Makena auto-injector.

Discontinue Makena if an arterial or deep venous thrombotic or thromboembolic event occurs.

Allergic reactions, including urticaria, pruritus and angioedema, have been reported with use of Makena or with other products containing castor oil. Consider discontinuing the drug if such reactions occur.

A decrease in glucose tolerance has been observed in some patients on progestin treatment. The mechanism of this decrease is not known. Carefully monitor prediabetic and diabetic women while they are receiving Makena.

Because progestational drugs may cause some degree of fluid retention, carefully monitor women with conditions that might be influenced by this effect (e.g., preeclampsia, epilepsy, migraine, asthma, cardiac or renal dysfunction).

Monitor women who have a history of clinical depression and discontinue Makena if clinical depression recurs.

Carefully monitor women who develop jaundice while receiving Makena and consider whether the benefit of use warrants continuation.

Carefully monitor women who develop hypertension while receiving Makena and consider whether the benefit of use warrants continuation.

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to the rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

In a vehicle (placebo)-controlled clinical trial of 463 pregnant women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery based on obstetrical history, 310 received 250 mg of Makena and 153 received a vehicle formulation containing no drug by a weekly intramuscular injection beginning at 16 to 20 weeks of gestation and continuing until 37 weeks of gestation or delivery, whichever occurred first. [See Clinical Studies (14.1).]

Certain pregnancy-related fetal and maternal complications or events were numerically increased in the Makena-treated subjects as compared to control subjects, including miscarriage and stillbirth, admission for preterm labor, preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and oligohydramnios (Tables 1 and 2).

Common Adverse Reactions:

The most common adverse reaction with intramuscular injection was injection site pain, which was reported after at least one injection by 34.8% of the Makena group and 32.7% of the control group. Table 3 lists adverse reactions that occurred in ≥ 2% of subjects and at a higher rate in the Makena group than in the control group.

In the clinical trial using intramuscular injection, 2.2% of subjects receiving Makena were reported as discontinuing therapy due to adverse reactions compared to 2.6% of control subjects. The most common adverse reactions that led to discontinuation in both groups were urticaria and injection site pain/swelling (1% each).

Pulmonary embolus in one subject and injection site cellulitis in another subject were reported as serious adverse reactions in Makena-treated subjects.

Two clinical studies were conducted in healthy post-menopausal women, comparing Makena administered via subcutaneous auto-injector to Makena administered as an intramuscular injection. In the first study, injection site pain occurred in 3/30 (10%) of subjects who used the subcutaneous auto-injector vs. 2/30 (7%) of subjects receiving intramuscular injection. In the second study, injection site pain occurred in 20/59 (34%) of subjects who used the subcutaneous auto-injector vs. 5/61 (8%) of subjects receiving intramuscular injection.

The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of Makena. Because these 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.

• Body as a whole: Local injection site reactions (including erythema, urticaria, rash, irritation, hypersensitivity, warmth); fatigue; fever; hot flashes/flushes
• Digestive disorders: Vomiting
• Infections: Urinary tract infection
• Nervous system disorders: Headache, dizziness
• Pregnancy, puerperium and perinatal conditions: Cervical incompetence, premature rupture of membranes
• Reproductive system and breast disorders: Cervical dilation, shortened cervix
• Respiratory disorders: Dyspnea, chest discomfort
• Skin: Rash

Risk Summary

Makena is indicated to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women with a singleton pregnancy who have a history of singleton spontaneous preterm birth. Fetal, neonatal, and maternal risks are discussed throughout labeling. Data from the placebo-controlled clinical trial and the infant follow-up safety study [see Clinical Studies (14.1, 14.2)] did not show a difference in adverse developmental outcomes between children of Makena-treated women and children of control subjects. However, these data are insufficient to determine a drug-associated risk of adverse developmental outcomes as none of the Makena-treated women received the drug during the first trimester of pregnancy. In animal reproduction studies, intramuscular administration of hydroxyprogesterone caproate to pregnant rats during gestation at doses 5 times the human dose equivalent based on a 60-kg human was not associated with adverse developmental outcomes.

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

Reproduction studies of hydroxyprogesterone caproate administered to various animal species have been reported in the literature. In nonhuman primates, embryolethality was reported in rhesus monkeys administered hydroxyprogesterone caproate up to 2.4 and 24 times the human dose equivalent, but not in cynomolgus monkeys administered hydroxyprogesterone caproate at doses up to 2.4 times the human dose equivalent, every 7 days between days 20 and 146 of gestation. There were no teratogenic effects in either strain of monkey.

Reproduction studies have been performed in mice and rats at doses up to 95 and 5, respectively, times the human dose and have revealed no evidence of impaired fertility or harm to the fetus due to hydroxyprogesterone caproate.

Risk Summary

Low levels of progestins are present in human milk with the use of progestin-containing products, including hydroxyprogesterone caproate. Published studies have reported no adverse effects of progestins on the breastfed child or on milk production.

Makena is not indicated for use in women under 16 years of age. Safety and effectiveness in patients less than 16 years of age have not been established. A small number of women under age 18 years were studied; safety and efficacy are expected to be the same in women aged 16 years and above as for users 18 years and older [See Clinical Studies (14)].

No studies have been conducted to examine the pharmacokinetics of Makena in patients with hepatic impairment. Makena is extensively metabolized and hepatic impairment may reduce the elimination of Makena.

Hydroxyprogesterone caproate is a synthetic progestin. The mechanism by which hydroxyprogesterone caproate reduces the risk of recurrent preterm birth is not known.

No specific pharmacodynamic studies were conducted with Makena.

Absorption: Female patients with a singleton pregnancy received intramuscular doses of 250 mg hydroxyprogesterone caproate for the reduction of preterm birth starting between 16 weeks 0 days and 20 weeks 6 days. All patients had blood drawn daily for 7 days to evaluate pharmacokinetics.

For all three groups, peak concentration (C_max) and area under the curve (AUC_{(1-7 days)}) of the mono-hydroxylated metabolites were approximately 3-8-fold lower than the respective parameters for the parent drug, hydroxyprogesterone caproate. While di-hydroxylated and tri-hydroxylated metabolites were also detected in human plasma to a lesser extent, no meaningful quantitative results could be derived due to the absence of reference standards for these multiple hydroxylated metabolites. The relative activity and significance of these metabolites are not known.

The elimination half-life of hydroxyprogesterone caproate, as evaluated from 4 patients in the study who reached full-term in their pregnancies, was 16.4 (±3.6) days. The elimination half-life of the mono-hydroxylated metabolites was 19.7 (±6.2) days.

In a single-dose, open-label, randomized, parallel design bioavailability study in 120 healthy post-menopausal women, comparable systemic exposure of hydroxyprogesterone caproate was seen when Makena was administered subcutaneously with the auto-injector (1.1 mL) in the back of the upper arm and when Makena was dosed intramuscularly (1 mL) in the upper outer quadrant of the gluteus maximus.

Distribution: Hydroxyprogesterone caproate binds extensively to plasma proteins including albumin and corticosteroid binding globulins.

Metabolism: In vitro studies have shown that hydroxyprogesterone caproate can be metabolized by human hepatocytes, both by phase I and phase II reactions. Hydroxyprogesterone caproate undergoes extensive reduction, hydroxylation and conjugation. The conjugated metabolites include sulfated, glucuronidated and acetylated products. In vitro data indicate that the metabolism of hydroxyprogesterone caproate is predominantly mediated by CYP3A4 and CYP3A5. The in vitro data indicate that the caproate group is retained during metabolism of hydroxyprogesterone caproate.

Excretion: Both conjugated metabolites and free steroids are excreted in the urine and feces, with the conjugated metabolites being prominent. Following intramuscular administration to pregnant women at 10-12 weeks gestation, approximately 50% of a dose was recovered in the feces and approximately 30% recovered in the urine.

Hydroxyprogesterone caproate has not been adequately evaluated for carcinogenicity.

No reproductive or developmental toxicity or impaired fertility was observed in a multigenerational study in rats. Hydroxyprogesterone caproate administered intramuscularly, at gestational exposures up to 5 times the recommended human dose, had no adverse effects on the parental (F₀) dams, their developing offspring (F₁), or the latter offspring's ability to produce a viable, normal second (F₂) generation.

In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle (placebo)-controlled clinical trial, the safety and effectiveness of Makena for the reduction of the risk of spontaneous preterm birth was studied in women with a singleton pregnancy (age 16 to 43 years) who had a documented history of singleton spontaneous preterm birth (defined as delivery at less than 37 weeks of gestation following spontaneous preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes). At the time of randomization (between 16 weeks, 0 days and 20 weeks, 6 days of gestation), an ultrasound examination had confirmed gestational age and no known fetal anomaly. Women were excluded for prior progesterone treatment or heparin therapy during the current pregnancy, a history of thromboembolic disease, or maternal/obstetrical complications (such as current or planned cerclage, hypertension requiring medication, or a seizure disorder).

A total of 463 pregnant women were randomized to receive either Makena (N=310) or vehicle (N=153) at a dose of 250 mg administered weekly by intramuscular injection starting between 16 weeks, 0 days and 20 weeks, 6 days of gestation, and continuing until 37 weeks of gestation or delivery. Demographics of the Makena-treated women were similar to those in the control group, and included: 59.0% Black, 25.5% Caucasian, 13.9% Hispanic and 0.6% Asian. The mean body mass index was 26.9 kg/m².

The proportions of women in each treatment arm who delivered at < 37 (the primary study endpoint), < 35, and < 32 weeks of gestation are displayed in Table 5.

Compared to controls, treatment with Makena reduced the proportion of women who delivered preterm at < 37 weeks. The proportions of women delivering at < 35 and < 32 weeks also were lower among women treated with Makena. The upper bounds of the confidence intervals for the treatment difference at < 35 and < 32 weeks were close to zero. Inclusion of zero in a confidence interval would indicate the treatment difference is not statistically significant. Compared to the other gestational ages evaluated, the number of preterm births at < 32 weeks was limited.

After adjusting for time in the study, 7.5% of Makena-treated subjects delivered prior to 25 weeks compared to 4.7% of control subjects; see Figure 1.

Figure 1 Proportion of Women Remaining Pregnant as a Function of Gestational Age

The rates of fetal losses and neonatal deaths in each treatment arm are displayed in Table 6. Due to the higher rate of miscarriages and stillbirths in the Makena arm, there was no overall survival difference demonstrated in this clinical trial.

A composite neonatal morbidity/mortality index evaluated adverse outcomes in live births. It was based on the number of neonates who died or experienced respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, grade 3 or 4 intraventricular hemorrhage, proven sepsis, or necrotizing enterocolitis. Although the proportion of neonates who experienced 1 or more events was numerically lower in the Makena arm (11.9% vs. 17.2%), the number of adverse outcomes was limited and the difference between arms was not statistically significant.

Infants born to women enrolled in this study, and who survived to be discharged from the nursery, were eligible for participation in a follow-up safety study. Of 348 eligible offspring, 79.9% enrolled: 194 children of Makena-treated women and 84 children of control subjects. The primary endpoint was the score on the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), which evaluates communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal/social parameters. The proportion of children whose scores met the screening threshold for developmental delay in each developmental domain was similar for each treatment group.