6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following clinically significant adverse reactions associated with eltrombopag are described in other sections. 5) ] Across all indications, the most common adverse reactions (≥ 20% in any indication) were: anemia, nausea, pyrexia, alanine aminotransferase increased, cough, fatigue, headache, and diarrhea.
gov/medwatch. 1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared with rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Persistent or Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia Adults In clinical trials, hemorrhage was the most common serious adverse reaction and most hemorrhagic reactions followed discontinuation of eltrombopag. 4) ] . 1) ] . Eltrombopag was administered to 330 patients for at least 6 months and 218 patients for at least 1 year.
Table 8 presents the most common adverse drug reactions (experienced by greater than or equal to 3% of patients receiving eltrombopag) from the three placebo-controlled trials, with a higher incidence in eltrombopag versus placebo.
Table 8:
Adverse Reactions (≥ 3%) From Three Placebo-controlled Trials in Adults With Persistent or Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia Adverse reaction Eltrombopag 50 mg n = 241 (%) Placebo n = 128 (%) Nausea 9 3 Diarrhea 9 7 Upper respiratory tract infection 7 6 Vomiting 6 < 1 Urinary tract infection a 5 4 Increased ALT 5 3 Myalgia 5 2 Oropharyngeal pain 4 3 Increased AST 4 2 Pharyngitis 4 2 Back pain 3 2 Influenza 3 2 Paresthesia 3 2 Rash 3 2 Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase.
a Includes PTs of urinary tract infection, cystitis, urinary tract infection bacterial, and bacteriuria. In the three controlled clinical persistent or chronic ITP trials, alopecia, musculoskeletal pain, blood alkaline phosphatase increased, and dry mouth were the adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients treated with eltrombopag and in no patients who received placebo.
Among 302 patients with persistent or chronic ITP who received eltrombopag in the single-arm extension trial, the adverse reactions occurred in a pattern similar to that seen in the placebo-controlled trials. Table 9 presents the most common treatment-related adverse reactions (experienced by greater than or equal to 3% of patients receiving eltrombopag) from the extension trial.
Table 9:
Treatment-related Adverse Reactions ( > 3%) From Extension Trial in Adults With Persistent or Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia Adverse reaction Eltrombopag 50 mg n = 302 (%) Headache 10 ALT increased 5 AST increased 5 Cataract 5 Fatigue 5 Blood bilirubin increased 4 Nausea 4 Hyperbilirubinemia 3 Diarrhea 3 Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase.
In the three controlled persistent or chronic ITP trials, serum liver test abnormalities (predominantly Grade 2 or less in severity) were reported in 11% and 7% of patients for eltrombopag and placebo, respectively. Four patients (1%) treated with eltrombopag and three patients in the placebo group (2%) discontinued treatment due to hepatobiliary laboratory abnormalities.
Seventeen of the patients treated with eltrombopag in the controlled trials with hepatobiliary laboratory abnormalities were re-exposed to eltrombopag in the extension trial. Eight of these patients again experienced liver test abnormalities (less than or equal to Grade 3) resulting in discontinuation of eltrombopag in one patient.
In the extension persistent or chronic ITP trial, six additional patients had eltrombopag discontinued due to liver test abnormalities (less than or equal to Grade 3). In the three controlled persistent or chronic ITP trials, cataracts developed or worsened in 7% of patients treated with eltrombopag and 7% of patients in the placebo group.
All patients had documented, preexisting risk factors for cataractogenesis, including corticosteroid use. In the extension trial, cataracts developed or worsened in 11% of patients who underwent ocular examination prior to therapy with eltrombopag.
Seventy-two percent of patients had preexisting risk factors, including corticosteroid use. The safety of eltrombopag was also assessed in all patients treated in 7 adult persistent or chronic ITP clinical trials (N = 763 eltrombopag-treated patients and 179 placebo-treated patients).
Thromboembolic events were reported in 6% of eltrombopag-treated patients versus 0% of placebo-treated patients and thrombotic microangiopathy with acute renal failure was reported in < 1% of eltrombopag-treated patients versus 0% of placebo-treated patients.
4) ] . Pediatric Patients The data described below reflect median exposure to eltrombopag of 91 days for 107 pediatric patients (aged 1 to 17 years) with persistent or chronic ITP, of whom 53% were female, across the randomized phase of two placebo-controlled trials.
Table 10 presents the most common adverse drug reactions (experienced by greater than or equal to 3% of pediatric patients 1 year and older receiving eltrombopag) across the two placebo-controlled trials, with a higher incidence for eltrombopag versus placebo.
Table 10:
Adverse Reactions (≥ 3%) With a Higher Incidence for Eltrombopag Versus Placebo From Two Placebo-controlled Trials in Pediatric Patients 1 Year and Older With Persistent or Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia Adverse reaction Eltrombopag n = 107 (%) Placebo n = 50 (%) Upper respiratory tract infection 17 6 Nasopharyngitis 12 4 Cough 9 0 Diarrhea 9 2 Pyrexia 9 8 Abdominal pain 8 4 Oropharyngeal pain 8 2 Toothache 6 0 ALT increased a 6 0 Rash 5 2 AST increased 4 0 Rhinorrhea 4 0 Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase.
a Includes adverse reactions or laboratory abnormalities > 3 x ULN. In the two controlled clinical persistent or chronic ITP trials, cataracts developed or worsened in 2 (1%) patients treated with eltrombopag. Both patients had received chronic oral corticosteroids, a risk factor for cataractogenesis.
Chronic Hepatitis C-associated Thrombocytopenia In the two placebo-controlled trials, 955 patients with chronic hepatitis C-associated thrombocytopenia received eltrombopag. Table 11 presents the most common adverse drug reactions (experienced by greater than or equal to 10% of patients receiving eltrombopag compared with placebo).
Table 11:
Adverse Reactions (≥ 10% and Greater Than Placebo) From Two Placebo-controlled Trials in Adults With Chronic Hepatitis C Adverse reaction Eltrombopag + Peginterferon/Ribavirin n = 955 (%) Placebo + Peginterferon/Ribavirin n = 484 (%) Anemia 40 35 Pyrexia 30 24 Fatigue 28 23 Headache 21 20 Nausea 19 14 Diarrhea 19 11 Decreased appetite 18 14 Influenza-like illness 18 16 Insomnia a 16 15 Asthenia 16 13 Cough 15 12 Pruritus 15 13 Chills 14 9 Myalgia 12 10 Alopecia 10 6 Peripheral edema 10 5 a Includes PTs of insomnia, initial insomnia, and poor quality sleep.
Rash was reported in 9% and 7% of patients receiving eltrombopag and placebo, respectively. In the two controlled clinical trials in patients with chronic hepatitis C, hyperbilirubinemia was reported in 8% of patients receiving eltrombopag compared with 3% for placebo.
5 x ULN was reported in 76% and 50% of patients receiving eltrombopag and placebo, respectively. ALT or AST greater than or equal to 3 x ULN was reported in 34% and 38% of patients for eltrombopag and placebo, respectively. In the two controlled clinical trials in patients with chronic hepatitis C, cataracts developed or worsened in 8% of patients treated with eltrombopag and 5% of patients treated with placebo.
The safety of eltrombopag was also assessed in all patients treated with eltrombopag in the two controlled trials, including patients who initially received eltrombopag in the pre-antiviral treatment phase of the trial and were later randomized to the placebo arm (N = 1,520 eltrombopag-treated patients).
4% of placebo-treated patients. Severe Aplastic Anemia First-Line Treatment of Severe Aplastic Anemia The safety of eltrombopag was established based upon a single-arm trial of 153 patients with severe aplastic anemia who had not received prior definitive immunosuppressive therapy.
3) ] . Among the 153 patients who were dosed in this trial, 92 patients were evaluable for safety of the concurrent use of eltrombopag, h-ATG and cyclosporine at the recommended dose and schedule. In this cohort, eltrombopag was administered at up to 150 mg once daily on Day 1 to Month 6 (D1-M6) in combination with h-ATG on Days 1 to 4 and cyclosporine for 6 months, followed by low dose of cyclosporine (maintenance dose) for an additional 18 months for patients who achieved a hematologic response at 6 months.
The median duration of exposure to eltrombopag in this cohort was 183 days with 70% of patients exposed for > 24 weeks. Table 12 presents the most common adverse reactions (experienced by greater than or equal to 5% of patients) associated with eltrombopag in the D1-M6 cohort.
Table 12:
Adverse Reactions (≥ 5%) From One Open-label Trial in First-Line Treatment of Patients With Severe Aplastic Anemia Adverse Reaction Eltrombopag n = 92 (%) ALT increased 29 AST increased 17 Blood bilirubin increased 17 Rash 8 Skin discoloration including hyperpigmentation 5 Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase.
In the eltrombopag D1-M6 cohort, ALT increased (29%), AST increased (17%) and blood bilirubin increased (17%) were reported more frequently than in patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia (see Table 13). New or worsening liver function laboratory abnormalities (CTCAE Grade 3 and Grade 4) in the eltrombopag D1-M6 cohort were 15% and 2% for AST, 26% and 4% for ALT and 12% and 1% for bilirubin, respectively.
5 x ULN and ALT or AST > 3 x ULN with total bilirubin > 2 x ULN were reported in 44% and 32% of patients, respectively, in the eltrombopag D1-M6 cohort. Pediatric Patients A total of 34 pediatric patients (2 patients 2 to 5 years of age, 12 patients 6 to 11 years of age and 20 patients 12 to 16 years of age) were enrolled in this single-arm trial of which 26 pediatric patients were enrolled in the eltrombopag D1-M6 cohort.
In this cohort, the most frequent serious adverse reactions (experienced by ≥ 10% of patients) were upper respiratory tract infection (12% in patients age 2 to 16 years compared to 5% in patients 17 years of age and older, respectively) and rash (12% compared to 2%).
The most common adverse reactions (experienced by ≥ 10% of patients) associated with eltrombopag were ALT increased (23% in patients age 2 to 16 years compared to 32% in patients 17 years of age and older, respectively), blood bilirubin increased (12% compared to 20%), AST increased (12% compared to 20%) and rash (12% compared to 6%).
Cytogenetic Abnormalities In this trial, patients had bone marrow aspirates evaluated for cytogenetic abnormalities. 1 months. Across all cohorts, clonal cytogenetic evolution occurred in 15 out of 153 (10%) patients. 1 months; 4 patients had chromosomal aberrations which were of unclear significance; 3 patients had a deletion of chromosome 13; and 1 patient had a follow-up bone marrow assessment at 5 years with features of dysplasia with hypercellularity concerning for potential development of MDS.
It is unclear whether these findings occurred due to the underlying disease, the immunosuppressive therapy, and/or treatment with eltrombopag. Refractory Severe Aplastic Anemia In the single-arm, open-label trial, 43 patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia received eltrombopag.
Eleven patients (26%) were treated for greater than 6 months and 7 patients (16%) were treated for greater than 1 year. The most common adverse reactions (greater than or equal to 20%) were nausea, fatigue, cough, diarrhea, and headache.
Table 13:
Adverse Reactions (≥ 10%) From One Open-label Trial in Adults With Refractory Severe Aplastic Anemia Adverse reaction Eltrombopag n = 43 (%) Nausea 33 Fatigue 28 Cough 23 Diarrhea 21 Headache 21 Pain in extremity 19 Pyrexia 14 Dizziness 14 Oropharyngeal pain 14 Abdominal pain 12 Muscle spasms 12 Transaminases increased 12 Arthralgia 12 Rhinorrhea 12 Rash and hyperbilirubinemia were reported in 7% of patients; cataract was reported in 2% of patients.
5 x ULN were reported in 5% of patients. 5 x ULN occurred in 14% of patients. In this trial, patients had bone marrow aspirates evaluated for cytogenetic abnormalities. Eight patients had a new cytogenetic abnormality reported on therapy, including 5 patients who had complex changes in chromosome 7.
2 Post-marketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of eltrombopag. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate the frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders:
Skin discoloration, including hyperpigmentation and skin yellowing.