Telmisartan
Generic: TELMISARTAN
Basic Information
Manufacturer
Modavar Pharmaceuticals LLC
Product Type
HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG
Route of Administration
ORAL
FDA Set ID
a075633a-2a2a-4e88-8ede-b49a3920a16c
Indications & Usage
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Telmisartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) indicated for: • Treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure.
Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions.( 1.1 ) • Cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction in patients unable to take ACE inhibitors (1.2) 1.1 Hypertension Telmisartan tablets,USP are indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure.
Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions.
These benefits have been seen in controlled trials of antihypertensive drugs from a wide variety of pharmacologic classes including the class to which this drug principally belongs.
Control of high blood pressure should be part of comprehensive cardiovascular risk management, including, as appropriate, lipid control, diabetes management, antithrombotic therapy, smoking cessation, exercise, and limited sodium intake.
Many patients will require more than one drug to achieve blood pressure goals.
For specific advice on goals and management, see published guidelines, such as those of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program’s Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC).
Numerous antihypertensive drugs, from a variety of pharmacologic classes and with different mechanisms of action, have been shown in randomized controlled trials to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and it can be concluded that it is blood pressure reduction, and not some other pharmacologic property of the drugs, that is largely responsible for those benefits.
The largest and most consistent cardiovascular outcome benefit has been a reduction in the risk of stroke, but reductions in myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality also have been seen regularly.
Elevated systolic or diastolic pressure causes increased cardiovascular risk, and the absolute risk increase per mmHg is greater at higher blood pressures, so that even modest reductions of severe hypertension can provide substantial benefit.
Relative risk reduction from blood pressure reduction is similar across populations with varying absolute risk, so the absolute benefit is greater in patients who are at higher risk independent of their hypertension (for example, patients with diabetes or hyperlipidemia), and such patients would be expected to benefit from more aggressive treatment to a lower blood pressure goal.
Some antihypertensive drugs have smaller blood pressure effects (as monotherapy) in black patients, and many antihypertensive drugs have additional approved indications and effects (e.g., on angina, heart failure, or diabetic kidney disease).
These considerations may guide selection of therapy.
Telmisartan may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents [ see Clinical Studies (14.1) ].
1.2 Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Telmisartan tablets are indicated for reduction of the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes in patients 55 years of age or older at high risk of developing major cardiovascular events who are unable to take ACE inhibitors.
High risk for cardiovascular events can be evidenced by a history of coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or high-risk diabetes (insulin-dependent or non-insulin dependent) with evidence of end-organ damage [see Clinical Studies (14.2)] .
Telmisartan tablets can be used in addition to other needed treatment (such as antihypertensive, antiplatelet or lipid-lowering therapy) [see Clinical Studies (14.2)] .
Studies of telmisartan in this setting do not exclude the possibility that telmisartan may not preserve a meaningful fraction of the effect of the ACE inhibitor to which it was compared.
Consider using the ACE inhibitor first, and, if it is stopped for cough only, consider re-trying the ACE inhibitor after the cough resolves.
Use of telmisartan with an ACE inhibitor is not recommended [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6)].
Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions.( 1.1 ) • Cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction in patients unable to take ACE inhibitors (1.2) 1.1 Hypertension Telmisartan tablets,USP are indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure.
Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions.
These benefits have been seen in controlled trials of antihypertensive drugs from a wide variety of pharmacologic classes including the class to which this drug principally belongs.
Control of high blood pressure should be part of comprehensive cardiovascular risk management, including, as appropriate, lipid control, diabetes management, antithrombotic therapy, smoking cessation, exercise, and limited sodium intake.
Many patients will require more than one drug to achieve blood pressure goals.
For specific advice on goals and management, see published guidelines, such as those of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program’s Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC).
Numerous antihypertensive drugs, from a variety of pharmacologic classes and with different mechanisms of action, have been shown in randomized controlled trials to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and it can be concluded that it is blood pressure reduction, and not some other pharmacologic property of the drugs, that is largely responsible for those benefits.
The largest and most consistent cardiovascular outcome benefit has been a reduction in the risk of stroke, but reductions in myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality also have been seen regularly.
Elevated systolic or diastolic pressure causes increased cardiovascular risk, and the absolute risk increase per mmHg is greater at higher blood pressures, so that even modest reductions of severe hypertension can provide substantial benefit.
Relative risk reduction from blood pressure reduction is similar across populations with varying absolute risk, so the absolute benefit is greater in patients who are at higher risk independent of their hypertension (for example, patients with diabetes or hyperlipidemia), and such patients would be expected to benefit from more aggressive treatment to a lower blood pressure goal.
Some antihypertensive drugs have smaller blood pressure effects (as monotherapy) in black patients, and many antihypertensive drugs have additional approved indications and effects (e.g., on angina, heart failure, or diabetic kidney disease).
These considerations may guide selection of therapy.
Telmisartan may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents [ see Clinical Studies (14.1) ].
1.2 Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Telmisartan tablets are indicated for reduction of the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes in patients 55 years of age or older at high risk of developing major cardiovascular events who are unable to take ACE inhibitors.
High risk for cardiovascular events can be evidenced by a history of coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or high-risk diabetes (insulin-dependent or non-insulin dependent) with evidence of end-organ damage [see Clinical Studies (14.2)] .
Telmisartan tablets can be used in addition to other needed treatment (such as antihypertensive, antiplatelet or lipid-lowering therapy) [see Clinical Studies (14.2)] .
Studies of telmisartan in this setting do not exclude the possibility that telmisartan may not preserve a meaningful fraction of the effect of the ACE inhibitor to which it was compared.
Consider using the ACE inhibitor first, and, if it is stopped for cough only, consider re-trying the ACE inhibitor after the cough resolves.
Use of telmisartan with an ACE inhibitor is not recommended [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6)].
Adverse Reactions
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following adverse reaction is described elsewhere in labeling: Renal dysfunction upon use with ramipril [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] • Hypertension: The most common adverse events (≥1%) reported in hypertension trials are back pain, sinusitis, and diarrhea ( 6.1 ) • Cardiovascular risk reduction: The serious adverse events (≥1%) reported in cardiovascular risk reduction trials were intermittent claudication and skin ulcer ( 6.1) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Modavar Pharmaceuticals LLC At 800-688-4697, or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Hypertension Telmisartan has been evaluated for safety in more than 3700 patients, including 1900 treated for over 6 months and more than 1300 for over one year.
Adverse experiences have generally been mild and transient in nature and have infrequently required discontinuation of therapy.
In placebo-controlled trials involving 1041 patients treated with various doses of telmisartan (20 to 160 mg) monotherapy for up to 12 weeks, the overall incidence of adverse events was similar to that in patients treated with placebo.
Adverse events occurring at an incidence of ≥1% in patients treated with telmisartan and at a greater rate than in patients treated with placebo, irrespective of their causal association, are presented in Table 1.
Table 1 Adverse Events Occurring at an Incidence of ≥1% in Patients Treated with telmisartan and at a Greater Rate Than Patients Treated with Placebo Telmisartan n=1455 % Placebo n=380 % Upper respiratory tract infection 7 6 Back pain 3 1 Sinusitis 3 2 Diarrhea 3 2 Pharyngitis 1 0 In addition to the adverse events in the table, the following events occurred at a rate of ≥1% but were at least as frequent in the placebo group: influenza-like symptoms, dyspepsia, myalgia, urinary tract infection, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, pain, fatigue, coughing, hypertension, chest pain, nausea, and peripheral edema.
Discontinuation of therapy because of adverse events was required in 2.8% of 1455 patients treated with telmisartan tablets and 6.1% of 380 placebo patients in placebo-controlled clinical trials.
The incidence of adverse events was not dose-related and did not correlate with gender, age, or race of patients.
The incidence of cough occurring with telmisartan in 6 placebo-controlled trials was identical to that noted for placebo-treated patients (1.6%).
In addition to those listed above, adverse events that occurred in more than 0.3% of 3500 patients treated with telmisartan monotherapy in controlled or open trials are listed below.
It cannot be determined whether these events were causally related to telmisartan tablets: Autonomic Nervous System : impotence, increased sweating, flushing; Body as a Whole : allergy, fever, leg pain, malaise; Cardiovascular : palpitation, dependent edema, angina pectoris, tachycardia, leg edema, abnormal ECG; CNS : insomnia, somnolence, migraine, vertigo, paresthesia, involuntary muscle contractions, hypoesthesia; Gastrointestinal : flatulence, constipation, gastritis, vomiting, dry mouth, hemorrhoids, gastroenteritis, enteritis, gastroesophageal reflux, toothache, non-specific gastrointestinal disorders; Metabolic : gout, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus; Musculoskeletal : arthritis, arthralgia, leg cramps; Psychiatric : anxiety, depression, nervousness; Resistance Mechanism : infection, fungal infection, abscess, otitis media; Respiratory : asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, dyspnea, epistaxis; Skin : dermatitis, rash, eczema, pruritus; Urinary : micturition frequency, cystitis; Vascular : cerebrovascular disorder; and Special Senses : abnormal vision, conjunctivitis, tinnitus, earache.
During initial clinical studies, a single case of angioedema was reported (among a total of 3781 patients treated).
Clinical Laboratory Findings In placebo-controlled clinical trials, clinically relevant changes in standard laboratory test parameters were rarely associated with administration of telmisartan tablets.
Hemoglobin: A greater than 2 g/dL decrease in hemoglobin was observed in 0.8% telmisartan patients compared with 0.3% placebo patients.
No patients discontinued therapy because of anemia.
Creatinine: A 0.5 mg/dL rise or greater in creatinine was observed in 0.4% telmisartan patients compared with 0.3% placebo patients.
One telmisartan-treated patient discontinued therapy because of increases in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen.
Liver Enzymes: Occasional elevations of liver chemistries occurred in patients treated with telmisartan; all marked elevations occurred at a higher frequency with placebo.
No telmisartan-treated patients discontinued therapy because of abnormal hepatic function.
Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Because common adverse reactions were well characterized in studies of telmisartan in hypertension, only adverse events leading to discontinuation and serious adverse events were recorded in subsequent studies of telmisartan for cardiovascular risk reduction.
In TRANSCEND (N=5926, 4 years and 8 months of follow-up), discontinuations for adverse events were 8.4% on telmisartan and 7.6% on placebo.
The only serious adverse events at least 1% more common on telmisartan than placebo were intermittent claudication (7% vs 6%) and skin ulcer (3% vs 2%).
6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of telmisartan.
Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Anemia, eosinophilia, thrombocytopenia Gastrointestinal Disorders: Abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia, nausea General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: Asthenia, chest pain, edema, face edema, fatigue, lower limb edema, pain, weakness Hepato-biliary: Abnormal hepatic function/liver disorder Immune System Disorders: Anaphylactic reaction, hypersensitivity Investigations: Increased CPK, uric acid increased Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: Hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia (in diabetic patients), hyponatremia Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Myalgia Nervous System Disorders: Dizziness, headache, syncope Renal and Urinary Disorders: Renal impairment including acute renal failure Reproductive System and Breast Disorders: Erectile dysfunction Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders: Coughing Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Angioedema (with fatal outcome), angioneurotic edema, drug eruption (toxic skin eruption mostly reported as toxicoderma, rash, and urticaria), erythema, sweating increased, urticaria Vascular Disorder: Hypotension (including postural hypotension) Rare cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported in patients receiving angiotensin II receptor blockers, including telmisartan.
6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Hypertension Telmisartan has been evaluated for safety in more than 3700 patients, including 1900 treated for over 6 months and more than 1300 for over one year.
Adverse experiences have generally been mild and transient in nature and have infrequently required discontinuation of therapy.
In placebo-controlled trials involving 1041 patients treated with various doses of telmisartan (20 to 160 mg) monotherapy for up to 12 weeks, the overall incidence of adverse events was similar to that in patients treated with placebo.
Adverse events occurring at an incidence of ≥1% in patients treated with telmisartan and at a greater rate than in patients treated with placebo, irrespective of their causal association, are presented in Table 1.
Table 1 Adverse Events Occurring at an Incidence of ≥1% in Patients Treated with telmisartan and at a Greater Rate Than Patients Treated with Placebo Telmisartan n=1455 % Placebo n=380 % Upper respiratory tract infection 7 6 Back pain 3 1 Sinusitis 3 2 Diarrhea 3 2 Pharyngitis 1 0 In addition to the adverse events in the table, the following events occurred at a rate of ≥1% but were at least as frequent in the placebo group: influenza-like symptoms, dyspepsia, myalgia, urinary tract infection, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, pain, fatigue, coughing, hypertension, chest pain, nausea, and peripheral edema.
Discontinuation of therapy because of adverse events was required in 2.8% of 1455 patients treated with telmisartan tablets and 6.1% of 380 placebo patients in placebo-controlled clinical trials.
The incidence of adverse events was not dose-related and did not correlate with gender, age, or race of patients.
The incidence of cough occurring with telmisartan in 6 placebo-controlled trials was identical to that noted for placebo-treated patients (1.6%).
In addition to those listed above, adverse events that occurred in more than 0.3% of 3500 patients treated with telmisartan monotherapy in controlled or open trials are listed below.
It cannot be determined whether these events were causally related to telmisartan tablets: Autonomic Nervous System : impotence, increased sweating, flushing; Body as a Whole : allergy, fever, leg pain, malaise; Cardiovascular : palpitation, dependent edema, angina pectoris, tachycardia, leg edema, abnormal ECG; CNS : insomnia, somnolence, migraine, vertigo, paresthesia, involuntary muscle contractions, hypoesthesia; Gastrointestinal : flatulence, constipation, gastritis, vomiting, dry mouth, hemorrhoids, gastroenteritis, enteritis, gastroesophageal reflux, toothache, non-specific gastrointestinal disorders; Metabolic : gout, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus; Musculoskeletal : arthritis, arthralgia, leg cramps; Psychiatric : anxiety, depression, nervousness; Resistance Mechanism : infection, fungal infection, abscess, otitis media; Respiratory : asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, dyspnea, epistaxis; Skin : dermatitis, rash, eczema, pruritus; Urinary : micturition frequency, cystitis; Vascular : cerebrovascular disorder; and Special Senses : abnormal vision, conjunctivitis, tinnitus, earache.
During initial clinical studies, a single case of angioedema was reported (among a total of 3781 patients treated).
Clinical Laboratory Findings In placebo-controlled clinical trials, clinically relevant changes in standard laboratory test parameters were rarely associated with administration of telmisartan tablets.
Hemoglobin: A greater than 2 g/dL decrease in hemoglobin was observed in 0.8% telmisartan patients compared with 0.3% placebo patients.
No patients discontinued therapy because of anemia.
Creatinine: A 0.5 mg/dL rise or greater in creatinine was observed in 0.4% telmisartan patients compared with 0.3% placebo patients.
One telmisartan-treated patient discontinued therapy because of increases in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen.
Liver Enzymes: Occasional elevations of liver chemistries occurred in patients treated with telmisartan; all marked elevations occurred at a higher frequency with placebo.
No telmisartan-treated patients discontinued therapy because of abnormal hepatic function.
Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Because common adverse reactions were well characterized in studies of telmisartan in hypertension, only adverse events leading to discontinuation and serious adverse events were recorded in subsequent studies of telmisartan for cardiovascular risk reduction.
In TRANSCEND (N=5926, 4 years and 8 months of follow-up), discontinuations for adverse events were 8.4% on telmisartan and 7.6% on placebo.
The only serious adverse events at least 1% more common on telmisartan than placebo were intermittent claudication (7% vs 6%) and skin ulcer (3% vs 2%).
6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of telmisartan.
Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Anemia, eosinophilia, thrombocytopenia Gastrointestinal Disorders: Abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia, nausea General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: Asthenia, chest pain, edema, face edema, fatigue, lower limb edema, pain, weakness Hepato-biliary: Abnormal hepatic function/liver disorder Immune System Disorders: Anaphylactic reaction, hypersensitivity Investigations: Increased CPK, uric acid increased Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: Hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia (in diabetic patients), hyponatremia Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Myalgia Nervous System Disorders: Dizziness, headache, syncope Renal and Urinary Disorders: Renal impairment including acute renal failure Reproductive System and Breast Disorders: Erectile dysfunction Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders: Coughing Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Angioedema (with fatal outcome), angioneurotic edema, drug eruption (toxic skin eruption mostly reported as toxicoderma, rash, and urticaria), erythema, sweating increased, urticaria Vascular Disorder: Hypotension (including postural hypotension) Rare cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported in patients receiving angiotensin II receptor blockers, including telmisartan.