Camrese

Camrese is a prescription birth control medication used to prevent pregnancy. Camrese contains two hormones, levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol, which belong to a group of drugs called hormonal contraceptives. These hormones prevent pregnancy by stopping ovulation and by altering cervical mucus and the lining of the uterus.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken once daily, with or without food.

Common side effects of Camrese include nausea, breast tenderness, and vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods. 

• TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take camrese. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
• This medicine may raise the chance of blood clots, a stroke, or a heart attack. Talk with the doctor.
• Talk with your doctor if you will need to be still for long periods of time like long trips, bedrest after surgery, or illness. Not moving for long periods may raise your chance of blood clots.
• If you have high blood sugar (diabetes), talk with your doctor. This medicine may raise blood sugar.
• Check your blood sugar as you have been told by your doctor.
• High blood pressure has happened with drugs like this one. Have your blood pressure checked as you have been told by your doctor.
• Have blood work checked as you have been told by the doctor. Talk with the doctor.
• Be sure to have regular breast exams and gynecology check-ups. Your doctor will tell you how often to have these. You will also need to do breast self-exams as your doctor has told you. Talk with your doctor.
• This medicine may affect certain lab tests. Tell all of your health care providers and lab workers that you take this medicine.
• Certain drugs, herbal products, or health problems could cause camrese to not work as well. Be sure your doctor knows about all of your drugs and health problems.
• This medicine does not stop the spread of diseases like HIV or hepatitis that are passed through blood or having sex. Do not have any kind of sex without using a latex or polyurethane condom. Do not share needles or other things like toothbrushes or razors. Talk with your doctor.
• Do not use in children who have not had their first menstrual period.
• If you have any signs of pregnancy or if you have a positive pregnancy test, call your doctor right away.

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of liver problems like dark urine, feeling tired, not hungry, upset stomach or stomach pain, light-colored stools, throwing up, or yellow skin or eyes.
• Signs of high blood pressure like very bad headache or dizziness, passing out, or change in eyesight.
• Coughing up blood.
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain or pressure.
• Very upset stomach or throwing up.
• Weakness on 1 side of the body, trouble speaking or thinking, change in balance, drooping on one side of the face, or blurred eyesight.
• Swelling, warmth, numbness, change of color, or pain in a leg or arm.
• Low mood (depression).
• Feeling very tired or weak.
• Very bad belly pain.
• Swelling.
• Not able to pass urine or change in how much urine is passed.
• A lump in the breast, breast soreness, or nipple discharge.
• Vaginal itching or discharge.
• Spotting or vaginal bleeding that is very bad or does not go away.
• Bulging eyes.
• Loss of eyesight.
• Change in how contact lenses feel in the eyes.

If you think there has been an overdose, call your poison control center or get medical care right away. Be ready to tell or show what was taken, how much, and when it happened.

• If your symptoms or health problems do not get better or if they become worse, call your doctor.
• Do not share your drugs with others and do not take anyone else's drugs.
• Keep a list of all your drugs (prescription, natural products, vitamins, OTC) with you. Give this list to your doctor.
• Talk with the doctor before starting any new drug, including prescription or OTC, natural products, or vitamins.
• Some drugs may have another patient information leaflet. Check with your pharmacist. If you have any questions about this medicine, please talk with your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care provider.
• If you think there has been an overdose, call your poison control center or get medical care right away. Be ready to tell or show what was taken, how much, and when it happened.

This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take camrese (ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel) or any other medicine. Only the healthcare provider has the knowledge and training to decide which medicines are right for a specific patient. This information does not endorse any medicine as safe, effective, or approved for treating any patient or health condition. This is only a brief summary of general information about this medicine. It does NOT include all information about the possible uses, directions, warnings, precautions, interactions, adverse effects, or risks that may apply to camrese. This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from the healthcare provider. You must talk with the healthcare provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using this medicine.

Review Date: October 4, 2017

Do not prescribe Camrese to women who are known to have the following:

• A high risk of arterial or venous thrombotic diseases. Examples include women who are known to: - Smoke, if over age 35 [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. - Have deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, now or in the past [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] - Have cerebrovascular disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] - Have coronary artery disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] - Have thrombogenic valvular or thrombogenic rhythm diseases of the heart (for example, subacute bacterial endocarditis with valvular disease, or atrial fibrillation) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] - Have inherited or acquired hypercoagulopathies [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] - Have uncontrolled hypertension [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)]. - Have diabetes with vascular disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7)]. - Have headaches with focal neurological symptoms or have migraine headaches with or without aura if over age 35 [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8)]. • Undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9)]. • Breast cancer or other estrogen- or progestin-sensitive cancer, now or in the past [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)]. • Liver tumors, benign or malignant, or liver disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) and Use in Specific Populations (8.6)]. • Pregnancy, because there is no reason to use COCs during pregnancy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) and Use in Specific Populations (8.1)]. • Use of Hepatitis C drug combinations containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, due to the potential for ALT elevations [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)].

The following serious adverse reactions with the use of COCs are discussed elsewhere in the labeling:

• Serious cardiovascular events and smoking [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] • Vascular events [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] • Liver disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)]

Adverse reactions commonly reported by COC users are:

• Irregular uterine bleeding • Nausea • Breast tenderness • Headache

Clinical Trial 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 to the rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

The clinical trial that evaluated the safety and efficacy of Camrese was a 12-month, randomized, multicenter, open-label study, which enrolled women aged 18-40, of whom 1,006 took at least one dose of Camrese.

Adverse Reactions Leading to Study Discontinuation: 16.3% of the women discontinued from the clinical trial due to an adverse reaction; the most common adverse reactions (≥ 1% of women) leading to discontinuation were irregular and/or heavy uterine bleeding (5.9%), weight gain (2.4%), mood changes (1.5%), and acne (1.0%).

Common Treatment-Emergent Adverse Reactions (≥ 5% of women): irregular and/or heavy uterine bleeding (17%), weight gain (5%), acne (5%).

Serious Adverse Reactions: migraine, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis, abdominal pain, and major depressive disorder.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of Camrese. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not possible to reliably estimate their frequency of establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

Gastrointestinal disorders: abdominal distension, vomiting

General disorders and administration site conditions: chest pain, fatigue, malaise, edema peripheral, pain

Immune system disorders: hypersensitivity reaction

Investigations: blood pressure increased

Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders: muscle spasms, pain in extremity

Nervous system disorders: dizziness, loss of consciousness

Psychiatric disorders: insomnia

Reproductive and breast disorders: dysmenorrhea

Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders: pulmonary embolism, pulmonary thrombosis

Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders: alopecia

Vascular disorders: thrombosis

Mechanism of action

COCs lower the risk of becoming pregnant primarily by suppressing ovulation. Other possible mechanisms may include cervical mucus changes that inhibit sperm penetration and endometrial changes that reduce the likelihood of implantation.

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

Ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel are absorbed with maximum plasma concentrations occurring within 2 hours after Camrese administration. Levonorgestrel is completely absorbed after oral administration (bioavailability nearly 100%) and is not subject to first-pass metabolism. Ethinyl estradiol is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract but, due to first-pass metabolism in gut mucosa and liver, the bioavailability of ethinyl estradiol is approximately 43%.

The daily exposure to levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol on Day 21, corresponding to the end of a typical 3-week contraceptive regimen, and on Day 84, at the end of an extended cycle regimen, were similar. There was no additional accumulation of ethinyl estradiol after dosing a 0.03 mg ethinyl estradiol tablet during Days 84-91. The mean plasma pharmacokinetic parameters of Camrese following a single dose of one levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol combination tablet, for 84 days, in normal healthy women are reported in Table 3.

Table 3: Mean Pharmacokinetic Parameters for Camrese during Daily One Tablet Dosing for 84 Days

	AUC0-24 hr (mean ± SD)	Cmax (mean ± SD)	Tmax (mean ± SD)
	Levonorgestrel
Day 1	18.2 ± 6.1 ng•hr/mL	3.0  ± 1.0 ng/mL	1.3  ± 0.4 hours
Day 21	64.4  ± 25.1 ng•hr/mL	6.2  ± 1.6 ng/mL	1.3  ± 0.4 hours
Day 84	60.2  ± 24.6 ng•hr/mL	5.5  ± 1.6 ng/mL	1.3  ± 0.3 hours
	Ethinyl Estradiol
Day 1	509.3  ± 172.0 pg•hr/mL	69.8  ± 26 pg/mL	1.5 ±  0.3 hours
Day 21	837.1 ±  271.2 pg•hr/mL	99.6 ±  31 pg/mL	1.5 ±  0.3 hours
Day 84	791.5 ±  215.0 pg•hr/mL	91.3  ± 32 pg/mL	1.6  ± 0.3 hours

The effect of food on the rate and the extent of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol absorption following oral administration of Camrese has not been evaluated.

Distribution

The apparent volume of distribution of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol are reported to be approximately 1.8 L/kg and 4.3 L/kg, respectively. Levonorgestrel is about 97.5 - 99% protein-bound, principally to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and, to a lesser extent, serum albumin. Ethinyl estradiol is about 95 - 97% bound to serum albumin. Ethinyl estradiol does not bind to SHBG, but induces SHBG synthesis, which leads to decreased levonorgestrel clearance. Following repeated daily dosing of levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol oral contraceptives, levonorgestrel plasma concentrations accumulate more than predicted based on single-dose pharmacokinetics, due in part, to increased SHBG levels that are induced by ethinyl estradiol, and a possible reduction in hepatic metabolic capacity.

Metabolism

Following absorption, levonorgestrel is conjugated at the 17β-OH position to form sulfate and to a lesser extent, glucuronide conjugates in plasma. Significant amounts of conjugated and unconjugated 3α,5β-tetrahydrolevonorgestrel are also present in plasma, along with much smaller amounts of 3α,5α-tetrahydrolevonorgestrel and 16β-hydroxylevonorgestrel. Levonorgestrel and its phase I metabolites are excreted primarily as glucuronide conjugates. Metabolic clearance rates may differ among individuals by several-fold, and this may account in part for the wide variation observed in levonorgestrel concentrations among users.

First-pass metabolism of ethinyl estradiol involves formation of ethinyl estradiol-3-sulfate in the gut wall, followed by 2-hydroxylation of a portion of the remaining untransformed ethinyl estradiol by hepatic cytochrome P-450 3A4 (CYP3A4). Levels of CYP3A4 vary widely among individuals and can explain the variation in rates of ethinyl estradiol hydroxylation. Hydroxylation at the 4-, 6-, and 16- positions may also occur, although to a much lesser extent than 2-hydroxylation. The various hydroxylated metabolites are subject to further methylation and/or conjugation.

Excretion

About 45% of levonorgestrel and its metabolites are excreted in the urine and about 32% are excreted in feces, mostly as glucuronide conjugates. The terminal elimination half-life for levonorgestrel after a single dose of Camrese was about 34 hours.

Ethinyl estradiol is excreted in the urine and feces as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates, and it undergoes enterohepatic recirculation. The terminal elimination half-life of ethinyl estradiol after a single dose of Camrese was found to be about 18 hours.

Race

The effect of race on the pharmacokinetics of Camrese has not been evaluated.