Dermatop Ointment

DERMATOP Ointment (prednicarbate ointment) 0.1% is a medium potency corticosteroid indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid responsive dermatoses.

DERMATOP Ointment (prednicarbate ointment) 0.1% is supplied in 15 gram (NDC 0066-0508-15) and 60 gram (NDC 0066-0508-60) tubes.

Store at controlled room temperature (59 to 86°F or 15 to 30°C).

Dermik Laboratories a business of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Revised November 2010

Use this medication exactly as directed on the label, or as it has been prescribed by your doctor. Do not use the medication in larger amounts or for longer than recommended. Topical steroid medicine can be absorbed through the skin, which may cause steroid side effects throughout the body.

Do not cover treated skin areas with a bandage or other covering unless your doctor has told you to. If you are treating the diaper area of a baby, do not use plastic pants or tight-fitting diapers. Covering the skin that is treated with prednicarbate topical can increase the amount of medicine your skin absorbs, which may lead to unwanted side effects. Follow your doctor's instructions.

Do not use this medication on a child without a doctor's advice. Children are more likely to absorb large amounts of a topical steroid through the skin. Steroid absorption in children may cause unwanted side effects, or a delay in growth with long-term use. Talk with your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using this medication over a long treatment period.

Contact your doctor if your condition does not improve within 2 weeks of using this medicine, or if you develop signs of a bacterial, fungal, or viral skin infection.

FOR DERMATOLOGIC USE ONLY.
NOT FOR USE IN EYES.

DERMATOP® Ointment (prednicarbate ointment) 0.1% contains the non-halogenated prednisolone derivative prednicarbate. The topical corticosteroids constitute a class of primarily synthetic steroids used topically as anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic agents.

Each gram of Dermatop Ointment 0.1% contains 1.0mg of prednicarbate in a base consisting of white petrolatum, octyldodecanol, glyceryl oleate, propylene glycol, citric acid, and propyl gallate.

Prednicarbate has the empirical formula C27H36O8 and a molecular weight of 488.58. The CAS Registry Number is 73771-04-7. The chemical structure is:

General

Systemic absorption of topical corticosteroids can produce reversible hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression with the potential for glucocorticosteroid insufficiency after withdrawal of treatment. Manifestations of Cushing's syndrome, hyperglycemia, and glucosuria can also be produced in some patients by systemic absorption of topical corticosteroids while on treatment. Patients receiving a large dose of a higher potency topical steroid applied to a large surface area or under occlusion should be evaluated periodically for evidence of HPA-axis suppression. This may be done by using the ACTH stimulation, A.M. plasma cortisol, and urinary free cortisol tests.

Dermatop Ointment 0.1% did not produce significant HPA-axis suppression when used at a dose of 60 grams per day for a week in patients with extensive psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.

However, if HPA-axis suppression is noted, an attempt should be made to withdraw the drug, to reduce the frequency of application, or to substitute a less potent corticosteroid. Recovery of HPA-axis function is generally prompt and complete upon discontinuation of topical corticosteroids. Infrequently, signs and symptoms of glucocorticosteroid insufficiency may occur requiring supplemental systemic corticosteroids. For information on systemic supplementation, see prescribing information for those products.

Pediatric patients may be more susceptible to systemic toxicity from equivalent doses due to their larger skin surface to body mass ratios. (See PRECAUTIONS-Pediatric Use.)

If irritation develops, Dermatop Ointment 0.1% should be discontinued and appropriate therapy instituted. Allergic contact dermatitis with corticosteroids is usually diagnosed by observing failure to heal rather than noting a clinical exacerbation as with most topical products not containing corticosteroids. Such an observation should be corroborated with appropriate diagnostic patch testing.

If concomitant skin infections are present or develop, an appropriate antifungal or antibacterial agent should be used. If a favorable response does not occur promptly, use of Dermatop Ointment (prednicarbate ointment) 0.1% should be discontinued until the infection has been adequately controlled.

Information for Patients

Patients using topical corticosteroids should receive the following information and instructions:

1. This medication is to be used as directed by the physician. It is for external use only. Avoid contact with the eyes.
2. This medication should not be used for any disorder other than that for which it was prescribed.
3. The treated skin area should not be bandaged or otherwise covered or wrapped so as to be occlusive, unless directed by the physician.
4. Patients should report to their physician any signs of local adverse reactions.
5. This medication should not be used on the face, underarms, or groin areas.
6. Contact between Dermatop Ointment 0.1% and latex containing products (eg. condoms, diaphragm etc.) should be avoided since paraffin in contact with latex can cause damage and reduce the effectiveness of any latex containing products. If latex products come into contact with Dermatop Ointment 0.1%, patients should be advised to discard the latex products. Patients should be advised that this medication is to be used externally only, not intravaginally.

Laboratory Tests

The following tests may be helpful in evaluating patients for HPA-axis suppression:

        ACTH stimulation test
        A.M. plasma cortisol test
        Urinary free cortisol test

Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, and Impairment of Fertility

In a study of the effect of prednicarbate on fertility, pregnancy and postnatal development in rats, no effect was noted on the fertility or pregnancy of the parent animals or postnatal development of the offspring after administration of up to 0.80 mg/kg of prednicarbate subcutaneously.

Prednicarbate has been evaluated in the Salmonella reversion test (Ames test) over a wide range of concentrations in the presence and absence of an S-9 liver microsomal fraction and did not demonstrate mutagenic activity. Similarly, prednicarbate did not produce any significant changes in the numbers of micronuclei seen in erythrocytes when mice were given doses ranging from 1 to 160 mg/kg of the drug.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category C

Corticosteroids have been shown to be teratogenic in laboratory animals when administered systemically at relatively low dosage levels. Some corticosteroids have been shown to be teratogenic after dermal application in laboratory animals.

Prednicarbate has been shown to be teratogenic and embryotoxic in Wistar rats and Himalayan rabbits when given subcutaneously during gestation at doses 1900 times and 45 times, respectively, the recommended topical human dose, assuming a percutaneous absorption of approximately 3%.

In the rats, slightly retarded fetal development and an incidence of thickened and wavy ribs which was higher than the spontaneous rate were noted.

In rabbits, there was noted increased liver weights and slight increase in the fetal intrauterine death rate. The fetuses delivered exhibited reduced placental weight, increased frequency of cleft palate, ossification disorders in the sternum, omphalocele, and anomalous posture of the forelimbs.

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women on teratogenic effects of prednicarbate. Therefore, Dermatop Ointment (prednicarbate ointment) 0.1% should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Nursing Mothers

Systemically administered corticosteroids appear in human milk and could suppress growth, interfere with endogenous corticosteroid production, or cause other untoward effects. It is not known whether topical administration of corticosteroids could result in sufficient systemic absorption to produce detectable quantities in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Dermatop Ointment (prednicarbate ointment) 0.1% is administered to a nursing woman.

Pediatric Use

Safety and effectiveness of Dermatop Ointment 0.1% in pediatric patients below the age of 10 years have not been established. Because of a higher ratio of skin surface area to body mass, pediatric patients are at a greater risk than adults of HPA axis suppression when they are treated with topical corticosteroids. They are therefore also at greater risk of glucocorticosteroid insufficiency after withdrawal of treatment and of Cushing's syndrome while on treatment. Adverse effects including striae have been reported with inappropriate use of topical corticosteroids in pediatric patients. (See PRECAUTIONS.)

HPA-axis suppression, Cushing's syndrome, and intracranial hypertension have been reported in pediatric patients receiving topical corticosteroids. Manifestations of adrenal suppression in pediatric patients include linear growth retardation, delayed weight gain, low plasma cortisol levels, and absence of response to ACTH stimulation. Manifestations of intracranial hypertension include bulging fontanelles, headaches, and bilateral papilledema.

In controlled clinical studies, the incidence of adverse reactions associated with the use of Dermatop Ointment 0.1% was approximately 1.5%. Reported reactions including burning, pruritis, drying, scaling, cracking and pain and irritant dermatitis.

The following additional local adverse reactions are reported infrequently with topical corticosteroids, but may occur more frequently with the use of occlusive dressings and especially with higher potency corticosteroids. These reactions are listed in an approximate decreasing order of occurrence: folliculitis, hypertrichosis, acneiform eruptions, hypopigmentation, perioral dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, secondary infection, skin atrophy, striae and miliaria.

NDC 0187-5183-60

Rx ONLY

DERMATOP® Ointment
prednicarbate ointment 0.1%

FOR DERMATOLOGIC USE ONLY NOT FOR USE IN EYES

One 60 g Tube

VALEANT
Pharmaceuticals North America LLC