FDA label a705cd28-b07a-ac34-e053-2a95a90a6e0d

WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY • When pregnancy is detected, discontinue irbesartan as soon as possible. • Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus. See WARNINGS : Fetal Toxicity .

WARNINGS Fetal Toxicity Pregnancy Category D Use of drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy reduces fetal renal function and increases fetal and neonatal morbidity and death. Resulting oligohydramnios can be associated with fetal lung hypoplasia and skeletal deformations. Potential neonatal adverse effects include skull hypoplasia, anuria, hypotension, renal failure, and death. When pregnancy is detected, discontinue irbesartan as soon as possible. These adverse outcomes are usually associated with use of these drugs in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Most epidemiologic studies examining fetal abnormalities after exposure to antihypertensive use in the first trimester have not distinguished drugs affecting the renin-angiotensin system from other antihypertensive agents. Appropriate management of maternal hypertension during pregnancy is important to optimize outcomes for both mother and fetus. In the unusual case that there is no appropriate alternative to therapy with drugs affecting the renin-angiotensin system for a particular patient, apprise the mother of the potential risk to the fetus. Perform serial ultrasound examinations to assess the intra-amniotic environment. If oligohydramnios is observed, discontinue irbesartan, unless it is considered life saving for the mother. Fetal testing may be appropriate, based on the week of pregnancy. Patients and physicians should be aware, however, that oligohydramnios may not appear until after the fetus has sustained irreversible injury. Closely observe infants with histories of in utero exposure to irbesartan for hypotension, oliguria, and hyperkalemia (see PRECAUTIONS : Pediatric Use ). When pregnant rats were treated with irbesartan from day 0 to day 20 of gestation (oral doses of 50 mg/kg/day, 180 mg/kg/day, and 650 mg/kg/day), increased incidences of renal pelvic cavitation, hydroureter and/or absence of renal papilla were observed in fetuses at doses ≥50 mg/kg/day (approximately equivalent to the maximum recommended human dose [MRHD], 300 mg/day, on a body surface area basis). Subcutaneous edema was observed in fetuses at doses ≥180 mg/kg/day (about 4 times the MRHD on a body surface area basis). As these anomalies were not observed in rats in which irbesartan exposure (oral doses of 50, 150, and 450 mg/kg/day) was limited to gestation days 6 to 15, they appear to reflect late gestational effects of the drug. In pregnant rabbits, oral doses of 30 mg irbesartan/kg/day were associated with maternal mortality and abortion. Surviving females receiving this dose (about 1.5 times the MRHD on a body surface area basis) had a slight increase in early resorptions and a corresponding decrease in live fetuses. Irbesartan was found to cross the placental barrier in rats and rabbits. Radioactivity was present in the rat and rabbit fetus during late gestation and in rat milk following oral doses of radiolabeled irbesartan. Hypotension in Volume- or Salt-Depleted Patients Excessive reduction of blood pressure was rarely seen (<0.1%) in patients with uncomplicated hypertension. Initiation of antihypertensive therapy may cause symptomatic hypotension in patients with intravascular volume- or sodium-depletion, e.g., in patients treated vigorously with diuretics or in patients on dialysis. Such volume depletion should be corrected prior to administration of irbesartan, or a low starting dose should be used (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ). If hypotension occurs, the patient should be placed in the supine position and, if necessary, given an intravenous infusion of normal saline. A transient hypotensive response is not a contraindication to further treatment, which usually can be continued without difficulty once the blood pressure has stabilized.

ADVERSE REACTIONS Hypertension Irbesartan has been evaluated for safety in more than 4300 patients with hypertension and about 5000 subjects overall. This experience includes 1303 patients treated for over 6 months and 407 patients for 1 year or more. Treatment with irbesartan was well-tolerated, with an incidence of adverse events similar to placebo. These events generally were mild and transient with no relationship to the dose of irbesartan. In placebo-controlled clinical trials, discontinuation of therapy due to a clinical adverse event was required in 3.3% of patients treated with irbesartan, versus 4.5% of patients given placebo. In placebo-controlled clinical trials, the following adverse event experiences reported in at least 1% of patients treated with irbesartan (n=1965) and at a higher incidence versus placebo (n=641), excluding those too general to be informative and those not reasonably associated with the use of drug because they were associated with the condition being treated or are very common in the treated population, include: diarrhea (3% vs. 2%), dyspepsia/heartburn (2% vs. 1%), and fatigue (4% vs. 3%). The following adverse events occurred at an incidence of 1% or greater in patients treated with irbesartan, but were at least as frequent or more frequent in patients receiving placebo: abdominal pain, anxiety/nervousness, chest pain, dizziness, edema, headache, influenza, musculoskeletal pain, pharyngitis, nausea/vomiting, rash, rhinitis, sinus abnormality, tachycardia and urinary tract infection. Irbesartan use was not associated with an increased incidence of dry cough, as is typically associated with ACE inhibitor use. In placebo-controlled studies, the incidence of cough in irbesartan-treated patients was 2.8% versus 2.7% in patients receiving placebo. The incidence of hypotension or orthostatic hypotension was low in irbesartan- treated patients (0.4%), unrelated to dosage, and similar to the incidence among placebo-treated patients (0.2%). Dizziness, syncope, and vertigo were reported with equal or less frequency in patients receiving irbesartan compared with placebo. In addition, the following potentially important events occurred in less than 1% of the 1965 patients and at least 5 patients (0.3%) receiving irbesartan in clinical studies, and those less frequent, clinically significant events (listed by body system). It cannot be determined whether these events were causally related to irbesartan: Body as a Whole : fever, chills, facial edema, upper extremity edema Cardiovascular: flushing, hypertension, cardiac murmur, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, arrhythmic/conduction disorder, cardio-respiratory arrest, heart failure, hyper-tensive crisis Dermatologic : pruritus, dermatitis, ecchymosis, erythema face, urticaria Endocrine/Metabolic/Electrolyte Imbalances : sexual dysfunction, libido change, gout Gastrointestinal: constipation, oral lesion, gastroenteritis, flatulence, abdominal distention Musculoskeletal/Connective Tissue : extremity swelling, muscle cramp, arthritis, muscle ache, musculoskeletal chest pain, joint stiffness, bursitis, muscle weakness Nervous System: sleep disturbance, numbness, somnolence, emotional disturbance, depression, paresthesia, tremor, transient ischemic attack, cerebrovascular accident Renal/Genitourinary: abnormal urination, prostate disorder Respiratory: epistaxis, tracheobronchitis, congestion, pulmonary congestion, dyspnea, wheezing Special Senses: vision disturbance, hearing abnormality, ear infection, ear pain, conjunctivitis, other eye disturbance, eyelid abnormality, ear abnormality Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients In clinical studies in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetic renal disease, the adverse drug experiences were similar to those seen in patients with hypertension with the exception of an increased incidence of orthostatic symptoms (dizziness, orthostatic dizziness, and orthostatic hypotension) observed in IDNT (proteinuria ≥900 mg/day, and serum creatinine ranging from 1 to 3 mg/dL). In this trial, orthostatic symptoms occurred more frequently in the irbesartan group (dizziness 10.2%, orthostatic dizziness 5.4%, orthostatic hypotension 5.4%) than in the placebo group (dizziness 6%, orthostatic dizziness 2.7%, orthostatic hypotension 3.2%). Post-Marketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of irbesartan. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or to establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Decisions to include these reactions in labeling are typically based on one or more of the following factors: (1) seriousness of the reaction, (2) frequency of reporting, or (3) strength of causal connection to irbesartan. The following have been reported: urticaria; angioedema (involving swelling of the face, lips, pharynx, and/or tongue); increased liver function tests; jaundice; hepatitis; hyperkalemia, and thrombocytopenia. Impaired renal function, including cases of renal failure, has been reported. Cases of increased CPK and rhabdomyolysis have been reported in patients receiving angiotensin II receptor blockers. Laboratory Test Findings Hypertension In controlled clinical trials, clinically important differences in laboratory tests were rarely associated with administration of irbesartan. Creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen: Minor increases in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) or serum creatinine were observed in less than 0.7% of patients with essential hypertension treated with irbesartan alone versus 0.9% on placebo. (See PRECAUTIONS : Impaired Renal Function . ) Hematologic: Mean decreases in hemoglobin of 0.2 g/dL were observed in 0.2% of patients receiving irbesartan compared to 0.3% of placebo-treated patients. Neutropenia (<1000 cells/mm 3 ) occurred at similar frequencies among patients receiving irbesartan (0.3%) and placebo-treated patients (0.5%). Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Hyperkalemia: In IDNT (proteinuria ≥900 mg/day, and serum creatinine ranging from 1 to 3 mg/dL), the percent of patients with hyperkalemia (>6 mEq/L) was 18.6% in the irbesartan group versus 6% in the placebo group. Discontinuations due to hyperkalemia in the irbesartan group were 2.1% versus 0.4% in the placebo group.