Stelara Injection
Name: Stelara Injection
Side effects
The following serious adverse reactions are discussed elsewhere in the label:
- Infections [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
- Malignancies [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
- Hypersensitivity Reactions [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
- Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
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 to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
PsoriasisThe safety data reflect exposure to STELARA® in 3117 psoriasis subjects, including 2414 exposed for at least 6 months, 1855 exposed for at least one year, 1653 exposed for at least two years, 1569 exposed for at least three years, 1482 exposed for at least four years and 838 exposed for at least five years.
Table 2 summarizes the adverse reactions that occurred at a rate of at least 1% and at a higher rate in the STELARA® groups than the placebo group during the placebo-controlled period of Ps STUDY 1 and Ps STUDY 2 [see Clinical Studies].
Table 2: Adverse reactions reported by ≥ 1% of subjects through Week 12 in Ps STUDY 1 and Ps STUDY 2
| Placebo | STELARA® | ||
| 45 mg | 90 mg | ||
| Subjects treated | 665 | 664 | 666 |
| Nasopharyngitis | 51 (8%) | 56 (8%) | 49 (7%) |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 30 (5%) | 36 (5%) | 28 (4%) |
| Headache | 23 (3%) | 33 (5%) | 32 (5%) |
| Fatigue | 14 (2%) | 18 (3%) | 17 (3%) |
| Diarrhea | 12 (2%) | 13 (2%) | 13 (2%) |
| Back pain | 8 (1%) | 9 (1%) | 14 (2%) |
| Dizziness | 8 (1%) | 8 (1%) | 14 (2%) |
| Pharyngolaryngeal pain | 7 (1%) | 9 (1%) | 12 (2%) |
| Pruritus | 9 (1%) | 10 (2%) | 9 (1%) |
| Injection site erythema | 3 ( < 1%) | 6 (1%) | 13 (2%) |
| Myalgia | 4 (1%) | 7 (1%) | 8 (1%) |
| Depression | 3 ( < 1%) | 8 (1%) | 4 (1%) |
Adverse reactions that occurred at rates less than 1% in the controlled period of Ps STUDIES 1 and 2 through week 12 included: cellulitis, herpes zoster, diverticulitis and certain injection site reactions (pain, swelling, pruritus, induration, hemorrhage, bruising, and irritation).
One case of RPLS occurred during clinical studies [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
InfectionsIn the placebo-controlled period of clinical studies of psoriasis subjects (average follow-up of 12.6 weeks for placebo-treated subjects and 13.4 weeks for STELARA®- treated subjects), 27% of STELARA®-treated subjects reported infections (1.39 per subject-year of follow-up) compared with 24% of placebo-treated subjects (1.21 per subject-year of follow-up). Serious infections occurred in 0.3% of STELARA®- treated subjects (0.01 per subject-year of follow-up) and in 0.4% of placebo-treated subjects (0.02 per subject-year of follow-up) [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
In the controlled and non-controlled portions of psoriasis clinical studies (median follow-up of 3.2 years), representing 8998 subject-years of exposure, 72.3% of STELARA®-treated subjects reported infections (0.87 per subject-years of followup). Serious infections were reported in 2.8% of subjects (0.01 per subject-years of follow-up).
MalignanciesIn the controlled and non-controlled portions of psoriasis clinical studies (median follow-up of 3.2 years, representing 8998 subject-years of exposure), 1.7% of STELARA®-treated subjects reported malignancies excluding non-melanoma skin cancers (0.60 per hundred subject-years of follow-up). Non-melanoma skin cancer was reported in 1.5% of STELARA®-treated subjects (0.52 per hundred subjectyears of follow-up) [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]. The most frequently observed malignancies other than non-melanoma skin cancer during the clinical studies were: prostate, melanoma, colorectal and breast. Malignancies other than non-melanoma skin cancer in STELARA®-treated patients during the controlled and uncontrolled portions of studies were similar in type and number to what would be expected in the general U.S. population according to the SEER database (adjusted for age, gender and race).1
Psoriatic ArthritisThe safety of STELARA® was assessed in 927 patients in two randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled studies in adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The overall safety profile of STELARA® in patients with PsA was consistent with the safety profile seen in psoriasis clinical studies. A higher incidence of arthralgia, nausea, and dental infections was observed in STELARA®-treated patients when compared with placebo-treated patients (3% vs. 1% for arthralgia and 3% vs. 1% for nausea; 1% vs. 0.6% for dental infections) in the placebocontrolled portions of the PsA clinical studies.
Crohn's DiseaseThe safety of STELARA® was assessed in 1407 patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (Crohn's Disease Activity Index [CDAI] greater than or equal to 220 and less than or equal to 450) in three randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter studies. These 1407 patients included 40 patients who received a prior investigational intravenous ustekinumab formulation but were not included in the efficacy analyses. In Studies CD-1 and CD-2 there were 470 patients who received STELARA® 6 mg/kg as a weight-based single intravenous induction dose and 466 who received placebo [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION]. Patients who were responders in either Study CD-1 or CD-2 were randomized to receive a subcutaneous maintenance regimen of either 90 mg STELARA® every 8 weeks, or placebo for 44 weeks in Study CD-3. Patients in these 3 studies may have received other concomitant therapies including aminosalicylates, immunomodulatory agents [azathioprine (AZA), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), methotrexate (MTX)], oral corticosteroids (prednisone or budesonide), and/or antibiotics for their Crohn's Disease [see Clinical Studies].
The overall safety profile of STELARA® was consistent with the safety profile seen in the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis clinical studies. Common adverse reactions in Studies CD-1 and CD-2 and in Study CD-3 are listed in Tables 3 and 4, respectively.
Table 3: Common adverse reactions through Week 8 in Studies CD-1 and CD-2 occurring in ≥ 3% of STELARA®-treated patients and higher than placebo
| Placebo N=466 | STELARA® 6 mg/kg single intravenous induction dose N=470 | |
| Vomiting | 3% | 4% |
Other less common adverse reactions reported in patients in Studies CD-1 and CD-2 included asthenia (1% vs 0.4%), acne (1% vs 0.4%), and pruritus (2% vs 0.4%).
Table 4: Common adverse reactions through Week 44 in Study CD-3 occurring in ≥ 3% of STELARA®-treated patients and higher than placebo
| Placebo N=133 | STELARA® 90 mg subcutaneous maintenance dose every 8 weeks N=131 | |
| Nasopharyngitis | 8% | 11% |
| Injection site erythema | 0 | 5% |
| Vulvovaginal candidiasis/mycotic infection | 1% | 5% |
| Bronchitis | 3% | 5% |
| Pruritus | 2% | 4% |
| Urinary tract infection | 2% | 4% |
| Sinusitis | 2% | 3% |
In patients with Crohn's disease, serious or other clinically significant infections included anal abscess, gastroenteritis, and pneumonia. In addition, listeria meningitis and ophthalmic herpes were reported in one patient each.
MalignanciesWith up to one year of treatment in the Crohn's disease clinical studies, 0.2% of STELARA®-treated patients (0.36 events per hundred patient-years) and 0.2% of placebo-treated patients (0.58 events per hundred patient-years) developed nonmelanoma skin cancer. Malignancies other than non-melanoma skin cancers occurred in 0.2% of STELARA®-treated patients (0.27 events per hundred patientyears) and in none of the placebo-treated patients.
Hypersensitivity Reactions Including AnaphylaxisIn CD studies, two patients reported hypersensitivity reactions following STELARA® administration. One patient experienced signs and symptoms consistent with anaphylaxis (tightness of the throat, shortness of breath, and flushing) after a single subcutaneous administration (0.1% of patients receiving subcutaneous STELARA®). In addition, one patient experienced signs and symptoms consistent with or related to a hypersensitivity reaction (chest discomfort, flushing, urticaria, and increased body temperature) after the initial intravenous STELARA® dose (0.08% of patients receiving intravenous STELARA®). These patients were treated with oral antihistamines or corticosteroids and in both cases symptoms resolved within an hour.
Immunogenicity
Approximately 6% of patients treated with STELARA® in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis clinical studies developed antibodies to ustekinumab, which were generally low-titer. In Crohn's disease clinical studies, less than 3% of patients treated with STELARA® developed antibodies to ustekinumab. No apparent association between the development of antibodies to ustekinumab and the development of injection site reactions was seen. No ustekinumab-related serious hypersensitivity reactions were observed in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease clinical studies. In psoriasis studies, the majority of patients who were positive for antibodies to ustekinumab had neutralizing antibodies. The data above reflect the percentage of subjects whose test results were positive for antibodies to ustekinumab and are highly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. Additionally, the observed incidence of antibody positivity in an assay may be influenced by several factors, including sample handling, timing of sample collection, concomitant medications and underlying disease. For these reasons, comparison of the incidence of antibodies to ustekinumab with the incidence of antibodies to other products may be misleading.
Postmarketing ExperienceThe following adverse reactions have been reported during post-approval of STELARA®. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to STELARA® exposure.
Immune system disorders: Serious hypersensitivity reactions (including anaphylaxis and angioedema), other hypersensitivity reactions (including rash and urticaria) [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
Skin reactions: Pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis.
REFERENCES
1 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (www.seer.cancer.gov) SEER*Stat Database: Incidence - SEER 6.6.2 Regs Research Data, Nov 2009 Sub (1973-2007) - Linked To County Attributes - Total U.S., 1969-2007 Counties, National Cancer Institute, DCCPS, Surveillance Research Program, Surveillance Systems Branch, released April 2010, based on the November 2009 submission.
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