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Campral (Acamprosate Calcium) - Warnings and Precautions

 
 



WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Renal Impairment

Treatment with Campral in patients with moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance of 30-50 mL/min) requires a dose reduction [see Dosage and Administration (2.1)]. Campral is contraindicated in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance of ≤30 mL/min) [see Dosage and Administration (2.1), Contraindications (4.2), Use in Specific Populations (8.6), and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

Suicidality and Depression

In controlled clinical trials of Campral, adverse events of a suicidal nature (suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, completed suicides) were infrequent overall, but were more common in Campral-treated patients than in patients treated with placebo (1.4% vs. 0.5% in studies of 6 months or less; 2.4% vs. 0.8% in year-long studies). Completed suicides occurred in 3 of 2272 (0.13%) patients in the pooled acamprosate group from all controlled studies and 2 of 1962 patients (0.10%) in the placebo group. Adverse events coded as "depression" were reported at similar rates in Campral-treated and placebo-treated patients. Although many of these events occurred in the context of alcohol relapse, and the interrelationship between alcohol dependence, depression and suicidality is well-recognized and complex, no consistent pattern of relationship between the clinical course of recovery from alcoholism and the emergence of suicidality was identified. Alcohol-dependent patients, including those patients being treated with Campral, should be monitored for the development of symptoms of depression or suicidal thinking. Families and caregivers of patients being treated with Campral should be alerted to the need to monitor patients for the emergence of symptoms of depression or suicidality, and to report such symptoms to the patient's health care provider.

Alcohol Withdrawal

Use of Campral does not eliminate or diminish withdrawal symptoms.

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category C

Teratogenic effects: Acamprosate calcium has been shown to be teratogenic in rats when given in doses that are approximately equal to the human dose (on a mg/m2 basis) and in rabbits when given in doses that are approximately 3 times the human dose (on a mg/m2 basis). Acamprosate calcium produced a dose-related increase in the number of fetuses with malformations in rats at oral doses of 300 mg/kg/day or greater (approximately equal to the maximum recommended human daily (MRHD) oral dose on a mg/m2 basis). The malformations included hydronephrosis, malformed iris, retinal dysplasia, and retroesophageal subclavian artery. No findings were observed at an oral dose of 50 mg/kg/day (approximately one-fifth the MRHD oral dose on a mg/m2 basis). An increased incidence of hydronephrosis was also noted in Burgundy Tawny rabbits at oral doses of 400 mg/kg/day or greater (approximately 3 times the MRHD oral dose on a mg/m2 basis). No developmental effects were observed in New Zealand white rabbits at oral doses up to 1000 mg/kg/day (approximately 8 times the MRHD oral dose on a mg/m2 basis). The findings in animals should be considered in relation to known adverse developmental effects of ethyl alcohol, which include the characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome (craniofacial dysmorphism, intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation, retarded psychomotor and intellectual development) and milder forms of neurological and behavioral disorders in humans. There are no adequate and well controlled studies in pregnant women. Campral should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Nonteratogenic effects: A study conducted in pregnant mice that were administered acamprosate calcium by the oral route starting on Day 15 of gestation through the end of lactation on postnatal day 28 demonstrated an increased incidence of still-born fetuses at doses of 960 mg/kg/day or greater (approximately 2 times the MRHD oral dose on a mg/m2 basis). No effects were observed at a dose of 320 mg/kg/day (approximately one-half the MRHD dose on a mg/m2 basis).

Labor and Delivery

The potential for Campral to affect the duration of labor and delivery is unknown.

Nursing Mothers

In animal studies, acamprosate was excreted in the milk of lactating rats dosed orally with acamprosate calcium. The concentration of acamprosate in milk compared to blood was 1.3:1. It is not known whether acamprosate is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Campral is administered to a nursing woman.

Pediatric Use

The safety and efficacy of Campral have not been established in the pediatric population.

Geriatric Use

Forty-one of the 4234 patients in double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trials of Campral were 65 years of age or older, while none were 75 years of age or over. There were too few patients in the ≥65 age group to evaluate any differences in safety or effectiveness for geriatric patients compared to younger patients.

This drug is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney, and the risk of toxic reactions to this drug may be greater in patients with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to monitor renal function [see Clinical Pharmacology Adverse Reactions (6.1), and Dosage and Administration (2.1)].

Renal Impairment

Campral is contraindicated in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance of ≤30 mL/min) [see Dosage and Administration (2.1), Contraindications (4.2), Warnings and Precautions (5.1), and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

Page last updated: 2012-01-31

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