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Stelara (Ustekinumab) - Warnings and Precautions

 
 



WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Infections

STELARA® may increase the risk of infections and reactivation of latent infections. Serious bacterial, fungal, and viral infections were observed in subjects receiving STELARA® [see Adverse Reactions].

STELARA® should not be given to patients with any clinically important active infection. STELARA® should not be administered until the infection resolves or is adequately treated. Instruct patients to seek medical advice if signs or symptoms suggestive of an infection occur. Exercise caution when considering the use of STELARA® in patients with a chronic infection or a history of recurrent infection.

Serious infections requiring hospitalization occurred in the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis development programs. In the psoriasis program, serious infections included diverticulitis, cellulitis, pneumonia, appendicitis, cholecystitis, sepsis, osteomyelitis, viral infections, gastroenteritis and urinary tract infections. In the psoriatic arthritis program, serious infections included cholecystitis.

Theoretical Risk for Vulnerability to Particular Infections

Individuals genetically deficient in IL-12/IL-23 are particularly vulnerable to disseminated infections from mycobacteria (including nontuberculous, environmental mycobacteria), salmonella (including nontyphi strains), and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccinations. Serious infections and fatal outcomes have been reported in such patients.

It is not known whether patients with pharmacologic blockade of IL-12/IL-23 from treatment with STELARA® will be susceptible to these types of infections. Appropriate diagnostic testing should be considered, e.g., tissue culture, stool culture, as dictated by clinical circumstances.

Pre-treatment Evaluation for Tuberculosis

Evaluate patients for tuberculosis infection prior to initiating treatment with STELARA®.

Do not administer STELARA® to patients with active tuberculosis. Initiate treatment of latent tuberculosis prior to administering STELARA®. Consider anti-tuberculosis therapy prior to initiation of STELARA® in patients with a past history of latent or active tuberculosis in whom an adequate course of treatment cannot be confirmed. Patients receiving STELARA® should be monitored closely for signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis during and after treatment.

Malignancies

STELARA® is an immunosuppressant and may increase the risk of malignancy. Malignancies were reported among subjects who received STELARA® in clinical studies [see Adverse Reactions]. In rodent models, inhibition of IL-12/IL-23p40 increased the risk of malignancy [see Nonclinical Toxicology].

The safety of STELARA® has not been evaluated in patients who have a history of malignancy or who have a known malignancy.

There have been post marketing reports of the rapid appearance of multiple cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in patients receiving STELARA® who had pre-existing risk factors for developing non-melanoma skin cancer. All patients receiving STELARA® should be monitored for the appearance of non-melanoma skin cancer. Patients greater than 60 years of age, those with a medical history of prolonged immunosuppressant therapy and those with a history of PUVA treatment should be followed closely [see Adverse Reactions].

Hypersensitivity Reactions

Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis and angioedema, have been reported post-marketing. If an anaphylactic or other clinically significant hypersensitivity reaction occurs, institute appropriate therapy and discontinue STELARA® [see Adverse Reactions].

Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome

One case of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) was observed in the clinical trial safety databases for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The subject, who had received 12 doses of STELARA® over approximately two years, presented with headache, seizures and confusion. No additional STELARA® injections were administered and the subject fully recovered with appropriate treatment..

RPLS is a neurological disorder, which is not caused by demyelination or a known infectious agent. RPLS can present with headache, seizures, confusion and visual disturbances. Conditions with which it has been associated include preeclampsia, eclampsia, acute hypertension, cytotoxic agents and immunosuppressive therapy. Fatal outcomes have been reported.

If RPLS is suspected, administer appropriate treatment and discontinue STELARA®.

Immunizations

Prior to initiating therapy with STELARA®, patients should receive all immunizations appropriate for age as recommended by current immunization guidelines. Patients being treated with STELARA® should not receive live vaccines. BCG vaccines should not be given during treatment with STELARA® or for one year prior to initiating treatment or one year following discontinuation of treatment. Caution is advised when administering live vaccines to household contacts of patients receiving STELARA® because of the potential risk for shedding from the household contact and transmission to patient.

Non-live vaccinations received during a course of STELARA® may not elicit an immune response sufficient to prevent disease.

Concomitant Therapies

In psoriasis studies the safety of STELARA® in combination with other immunosuppressive agents or phototherapy has not been evaluated. In psoriatic arthritis studies, concomitant MTX use did not appear to influence the safety or efficacy of STELARA® [see Drug Interactions]. Ultraviolet-induced skin cancers developed earlier and more frequently in mice genetically manipulated to be deficient in both IL-12 and IL-23 or IL-12 alone [see Nonclinical Toxicology].

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category B

Pregnancy Registry

There is a pregnancy registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to STELARA® during pregnancy. Patients should be encouraged to enroll by calling 1-877-311-8972.

There are no adequate and well controlled studies of STELARA® in pregnant women. Developmental toxicity studies conducted with monkeys found no evidence of harm to the fetus due to ustekinumab. STELARA® should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Ustekinumab was tested in two embryo-fetal development toxicity studies with cynomolgus monkeys. No teratogenic effects or other adverse developmental effects were observed in fetuses from pregnant monkeys that were administered ustekinumab during the period of organogenesis either twice weekly via subcutaneous injections or weekly by intravenous injections at doses up to 45 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) (on a mg/kg basis at a maternal dose of 45 mg/kg).

In a combined embryo-fetal development and pre- and post-natal development toxicity study, pregnant cynomolgus monkeys were administered subcutaneous doses of ustekinumab twice weekly up to 45 times the MRHD (on a mg/kg basis at a maternal dose of 45 mg/kg) from the beginning of organogenesis to Day 33 after delivery. Neonatal deaths occurred in the offspring of one monkey administered ustekinumab at 22.5 mg/kg and one monkey dosed at 45 mg/kg. No ustekinumab-related effects on functional, morphological, or immunological development were observed in the neonates from birth through six months of age.

Nursing Mothers

Caution should be exercised when STELARA® is administered to a nursing woman. The unknown risks to the infant from gastrointestinal or systemic exposure to ustekinumab should be weighed against the known benefits of breast-feeding. Ustekinumab is excreted in the milk of lactating monkeys administered ustekinumab. IgG is excreted in human milk, so it is expected that STELARA® will be present in human milk. It is not known if ustekinumab is absorbed systemically after ingestion; however, published data suggest that antibodies in breast milk do not enter the neonatal and infant circulation in substantial amounts.

Pediatric Use

Safety and effectiveness of STELARA® in pediatric patients have not been evaluated.

Geriatric Use

Of the 4031 subjects exposed to STELARA®, a total of 248 were 65 years or older (183 patients with psoriasis and 65 patients with psoriatic arthritis), and 29 subjects were 75 years or older. Although no differences in safety or efficacy were observed between older and younger subjects, the number of subjects aged 65 and over is not sufficient to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects.

Page last updated: 2014-03-13

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