Zinecard

Overdose

There have been no instances of drug overdose in the clinical studies sponsored by either Pharmacia & Upjohn Company or the National Cancer Institute. The maximum dose administered during the cardioprotective trials was 1000 mg/m² every three weeks.

Disposition studies with ZINECARD have not been conducted in cancer patients undergoing dialysis, but retention of a significant dose fraction ( > 0.4) of the unchanged drug in the plasma pool, minimal tissue partitioning or binding, and availability of greater than 90% of the systemic drug levels in the unbound form suggest that it could be removed using conventional peritoneal or hemodialysis.

There is no known antidote for dexrazoxane. Instances of suspected overdose should be managed with good supportive care until resolution of myelosuppression and related conditions is complete. Management of overdose should include treatment of infections, fluid regulation, and maintenance of nutritional requirements.

Contraindications

ZINECARD should not be used with chemotherapy regimens that do not contain an anthracycline.

Undesirable effects

ZINECARD at a dose of 500 mg/m² has been administered in combination with FAC in randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies to patients with metastatic breast cancer. The dose of doxorubicin was 50 mg/m² in each of the trials. Courses were repeated every three weeks, provided recovery from toxicity had occurred. Table 3 below lists the incidence of adverse experiences for patients receiving FAC with either ZINECARD or placebo in the breast cancer studies. Adverse experiences occurring during courses 1 through 6 are displayed for patients receiving ZINECARD or placebo with FAC beginning with their first course of therapy (columns 1 and 3, respectively).  Adverse experiences occurring at course 7 and beyond for patients who received placebo with FAC during the first six courses and who then received either ZINECARD or placebo with FAC are also displayed (columns 2 and 4, respectively).

Table 3

The adverse experiences listed above are likely attributable to the FAC regimen with the exception of pain on injection that was observed mainly on the ZINECARD arm.

Patients receiving FAC with ZINECARD experienced more severe leukopenia, granulocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia at nadir than patients receiving FAC without ZINECARD, but recovery counts were similar for the two groups of patients.

Some patients receiving FAC + ZINECARD or FAC + placebo experienced marked abnormalities in hepatic or renal function tests, but the frequency and severity of abnormalities in bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, BUN, and creatinine were similar for patients receiving FAC with or without ZINECARD.

Therapeutic indications

ZINECARD is indicated for reducing the incidence and severity of cardiomyopathy associated with doxorubicin administration in women with metastatic breast cancer who have received a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 300 mg/m² and who will continue to receive doxorubicin therapy to maintain tumor control. It is not recommended for use with the initiation of doxorubicin therapy (see WARNINGS).

Pharmacokinetic properties

The pharmacokinetics of dexrazoxane have been studied in advanced cancer patients with normal renal and hepatic function. Generally, the pharmacokinetics of dexrazoxane can be adequately described by a two-compartment open model with firstorder elimination. Dexrazoxane has been administered as a 15 minute infusion over a dose range of 60 to 900 mg/m² with 60 mg/m² of doxorubicin, and at a fixed dose of 500 mg/m² with 50 mg/m² doxorubicin. The disposition kinetics of dexrazoxane are doseindependent, as shown by linear relationship between the area under plasma concentration-time curves and administered doses ranging from 60 to 900 mg/m². The mean peak plasma concentration of dexrazoxane was 36.5 μg/mL at the end of the 15 minute infusion of a 500 mg/m² dose of ZINECARD administered 15 to 30 minutes prior to the 50 mg/m² doxorubicin dose. The important pharmacokinetic parameters of dexrazoxane are summarized in Table 1:

Table 1: SUMMARY OF MEAN (%CVa) DEXRAZOXANE PHARMACOKINETIC PARAMETERS AT A DOSAGE RATIO OF 10:1 OF ZINECARD: DOXORUBICIN

Following a rapid distributive phase (~0.2 to 0.3 hours), dexrazoxane reaches postdistributive equilibrium within two to four hours. The estimated steady-state volume of distribution of dexrazoxane suggests its distribution primarily in the total body water (25 L/m²). The mean systemic clearance and steady-state volume of distribution of dexrazoxane in two Asian female patients at 500 mg/m² dexrazoxane along with 50 mg/m² doxorubicin were 15.15 L/h/m² and 36.27 L/m², respectively, but their elimination half-life and renal clearance of dexrazoxane were similar to those of the ten Caucasian patients from the same study. Qualitative metabolism studies with ZINECARD have confirmed the presence of unchanged drug, a diacid-diamide cleavage product, and two monoacid-monoamide ring products in the urine of animals and man. The metabolite levels were not measured in the pharmacokinetic studies.

Urinary excretion plays an important role in the elimination of dexrazoxane. Forty-two percent of the 500 mg/m² dose of ZINECARD was excreted in the urine.

In vitro studies have shown that ZINECARD is not bound to plasma proteins.

Fertility, pregnancy and lactation

Dexrazoxane was maternotoxic at doses of 2 mg/kg (1/40 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) and embryotoxic and teratogenic at 8 mg/kg (approximately 1/10 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) when given daily to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis.

Teratogenic effects in the rat included imperforate anus, microphthalmia, and anophthalmia. In offspring allowed to develop to maturity, fertility was impaired in the male and female rats treated in utero during organogenesis at 8 mg/kg. In rabbits, doses of 5 mg/kg (approximately 1/10 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) daily during the period of organogenesis were maternotoxic and dosages of 20 mg/kg (1/2 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) were embryotoxic and teratogenic. Teratogenic effects in the rabbit included several skeletal malformations such as short tail, rib and thoracic malformations, and soft tissue variations including subcutaneous, eye and cardiac hemorrhagic areas, as well as agenesis of the gallbladder and of the intermediate lobe of the lung. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. ZINECARD should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Qualitative and quantitative composition

ZINECARD® (dexrazoxane for injection) is available in the following strengths as sterile, pyrogen-free lyophilizates.

NDC 0013-8717-62
250 mg single dose vial with a red flip-top seal, packaged in single vial packs.

NDC 0013-8727-89
500 mg single dose vial with a blue flip-top seal, packaged in single vial packs.

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F).

REFERENCES

1. ONS Clinical Practice Committee. Cancer Chemotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice. Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society. 1999; 32-41.

2. Recommendations for the Safe Handling of Parenteral Antineoplastic Drugs. Washington, DC: Division of Safety, Clinical Center Pharmacy Department and Cancer Nursing Services, National Institutes of Health; 1992. US Dept of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service Publication NIH 92-2621.

3. AMA Council on Scientific Affairs. Guidelines for Handling Parenteral Antineoplastics. JAMA. 1985; 253: 1590-1591.

4. National Study Commission on Cytotoxic Exposure-Recommendations for Handling Cytotoxic Agents. 1987. Available from Louis P. Jeffrey, Sc.D., Chairman, National Study Commission on Cytotoxic Exposure, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, 179 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

5. Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. Guidelines and Recommendations for Safe Handling of Antineoplastic Agents. Med J Australia. 1983; 1:426-428.

6. Jones RB, Frank R, Mass T. Safe Handling of Chemotherapeutic Agents: A Report from the Mount Sinai Medical Center. CA - A Cancer J for Clin. 1983; 33: 258-263.

7. American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. ASHP Technical Assistance Bulletin on Handling Cytotoxic and Hazardous Drugs. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1990; 47:1033-1049.

8. Controlling Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Drugs. (OSHA Work Practice Guidelines.) Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 1996; 53: 1669-1685.

Distributed by: Pharmacia & Upjohn Co, Division of Pfizer Inc, NY, NY 10017. Revised August 2011

Special warnings and precautions for use

ZINECARD may add to the myelosuppression caused by chemotherapeutic agents.

There is some evidence that the use of dexrazoxane concurrently with the initiation of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) therapy interferes with the antitumor efficacy of the regimen, and this use is not recommended. In the largest of three breast cancer trials, patients who received dexrazoxane starting with their first cycle of FAC therapy had a lower response rate (48% vs. 63%; p=0.007) and shorter time to progression than patients who did not receive dexrazoxane (see Clinical Studies section of CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). Therefore, ZINECARD should only be used in those patients who have received a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 300 mg/m² and are continuing with doxorubicin therapy.

Although clinical studies have shown that patients receiving FAC with ZINECARD may receive a higher cumulative dose of doxorubicin before experiencing cardiac toxicity than patients receiving FAC without ZINECARD, the use of ZINECARD in patients who have already received a cumulative dose of doxorubicin of 300 mg/m² without ZINECARD, does not eliminate the potential for anthracycline induced cardiac toxicity. Therefore, cardiac function should be carefully monitored. Secondary malignancies (primarily acute myeloid leukemia) have been reported in patients treated chronically with oral razoxane. Razoxane is the racemic mixture, of which dexrazoxane is the S(+)-enantiomer. In these patients, the total cumulative dose of razoxane ranged from 26 to 480 grams and the duration of treatment was from 42 to 319 weeks. One case of T-cell lymphoma, one case of B-cell lymphoma, and six to eight cases of cutaneous basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma have also been reported in patients treated with razoxane.

Doxorubicin should not be given prior to the intravenous injection of ZINECARD.

Doxorubicin should be given within 30 minutes after beginning the infusion with ZINECARD (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

As ZINECARD will always be used with cytotoxic drugs, patients should be monitored closely. While the myelosuppressive effects of ZINECARD at the recommended dose are mild, additive effects upon the myelosuppressive activity of chemotherapeutic agents may occur.

Greater exposure to dexrazoxane may occur in patients with compromised renal function. The ZINECARD dose should be reduced by 50% in patients with creatinine clearance values < 40 mL/min (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

Some patients who received ZINECARD in combination with anti-cancer agents known to be carcinogenic have developed secondary malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

As ZINECARD may add to the myelosuppressive effects of cytotoxic drugs, frequent complete blood counts are recommended (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).

(See WARNINGS section for information on human carcinogenicity) - No long-term carcinogenicity studies have been carried out with dexrazoxane in animals. Dexrazoxane was not mutagenic in the Ames test but was found to be clastogenic to human lymphocytes in vitro and to mouse bone marrow erythrocytes in vivo (micronucleus test).

The possible adverse effects of ZINECARD on the fertility of humans and experimental animals, male or female, have not been adequately studied. Testicular atrophy was seen with dexrazoxane administration at doses as low as 30 mg/kg weekly for 6 weeks in rats (1/3 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) and as low as 20 mg/kg weekly for 13 weeks in dogs (approximately equal to the human dose on a mg/m² basis).

Dexrazoxane was maternotoxic at doses of 2 mg/kg (1/40 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) and embryotoxic and teratogenic at 8 mg/kg (approximately 1/10 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) when given daily to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis.

Teratogenic effects in the rat included imperforate anus, microphthalmia, and anophthalmia. In offspring allowed to develop to maturity, fertility was impaired in the male and female rats treated in utero during organogenesis at 8 mg/kg. In rabbits, doses of 5 mg/kg (approximately 1/10 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) daily during the period of organogenesis were maternotoxic and dosages of 20 mg/kg (1/2 the human dose on a mg/m² basis) were embryotoxic and teratogenic. Teratogenic effects in the rabbit included several skeletal malformations such as short tail, rib and thoracic malformations, and soft tissue variations including subcutaneous, eye and cardiac hemorrhagic areas, as well as agenesis of the gallbladder and of the intermediate lobe of the lung. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. ZINECARD should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

It is not known whether dexrazoxane is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants exposed to dexrazoxane, mothers should be advised to discontinue nursing during dexrazoxane therapy.

Safety and effectiveness of dexrazoxane in pediatric patients have not been established.

Clinical studies of ZINECARD did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently than younger subjects. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients. In general, elderly patients should be treated with caution due to the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and concomitant disease or other drug therapy.

Dosage (Posology) and method of administration

The recommended dosage ratio of ZINECARD:doxorubicin is 10:1 (e.g., 500 mg/m² ZINECARD:50 mg/m² doxorubicin). In patients with moderate to severe renal dysfunction (creatinine clearance values < 40 mL/min), the recommended dosage ratio of ZINECARD:doxorubicin is 5:1 (e.g., 250 mg/m² ZINECARD:50 mg/m² doxorubicin). Creatinine clearance can be determined from a 24-hour urinary creatinine collection or estimated using the Crockroft-Gault equation (assuming stable renal function):

Since a doxorubicin dose reduction is recommended in the presence of hyperbilirubinemia, the ZINECARD dosage should be proportionately reduced (maintaining the 10:1 ratio) in patients with hepatic impairment.

ZINECARD must be reconstituted with Sterile Water for Injection, USP. For ZINECARD 250 mg vials, reconstitute with 25 mL. For ZINECARD 500 mg vials, reconstitute with 50 mL. The resultant reconstituted solutions will have a concentration of 10 mg dexrazoxane for each mL of solution. Further dilution with Lactated Ringer's Injection, USP, is necessary prior to administration.

Following reconstitution with Sterile Water for Injection, USP, ZINECARD is stable for 30 minutes at room temperature or if storage is necessary, up to 3 hours from the time of reconstitution when stored under refrigeration, 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F). The pH of the resultant solution is 1.0 to 3.0. DISCARD UNUSED SOLUTIONS. The reconstituted ZINECARD solution is intended for further dilution with Lactated Ringer's Injection, USP, to a concentration range of 1.3 to 3.0 mg/mL in intravenous infusion bags for rapid drip infusion. DO NOT ADMINISTER VIA IV PUSH. The infusion solutions have a pH of 3.5 to 5.5. The infusion solutions are stable for one hour at room temperature or if storage is necessary, up to 4 hours when stored under refrigeration, 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F). DISCARD UNUSED SOLUTIONS.

After completing the infusion of ZINECARD, and prior to a total elapsed time of 30 minutes (from the beginning of the ZINECARD infusion), the intravenous injection of doxorubicin should be given.

ZINECARD should not be mixed with other drugs.

Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit.

Caution in the handling and preparation of the reconstituted solution must be exercised and the use of gloves is recommended. If ZINECARD powder or solutions contact the skin or mucosae, immediately wash thoroughly with soap and water.

Procedures normally used for proper handling and disposal of anticancer drugs should be considered for use with ZINECARD. Several guidelines on this subject have been published.1-8 There is no general agreement that all of the procedures recommended in the guidelines are necessary or appropriate.

Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction

There was no significant change in the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin (50 mg/m²) and its predominant metabolite, doxorubicinol, in the presence of dexrazoxane (500 mg/m²) in a crossover study in cancer patients.