WARNINGS
ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol is a bronchodilator for the maintenance treatment of bronchospasm associated with COPD and is not indicated for the initial treatment of acute episodes of bronchospasm where rescue therapy is required for rapid response.
Immediate hypersensitivity reactions may occur after administration of ipratropium bromide, as demonstrated by urticaria, angioedema, rash, bronchospasm, anaphylaxis, and oropharyngeal edema. If such a reaction occurs, therapy with ATROVENT HFA should be stopped at once and alternative treatment should be considered.
Inhaled medicines, including ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol, may cause paradoxical bronchospasm. If this occurs, treatment with ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol should be stopped and other treatments considered.
PRECAUTIONS
General
ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol should be used with caution in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, prostatic hyperplasia or bladder-neck obstruction.
Information for Patients
Appropriate and safe use of ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol includes providing the patient with the information listed below and an understanding of the way it should be administered (see
Patient's Instructions for Use
).
Patients should be advised that ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol is a bronchodilator for the maintenance treatment of bronchospasm associated with COPD and is not indicated for the initial treatment of acute episodes of bronchospasm where rescue therapy is required for rapid response.
Patients should be cautioned to avoid spraying the aerosol into their eyes and be advised that this may result in precipitation or worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma, mydriasis, increased intraocular pressure, acute eye pain or discomfort, temporary blurring of vision, visual halos or colored images in association with red eyes from conjunctival and corneal congestion. Patients should also be advised that should any combination of these symptoms develop, they should consult their physician immediately.
The action of Atrovent® HFA (ipratropium bromide HFA) Inhalation Aerosol should last 2-4 hours. Patients should be advised not to increase the dose or frequency of ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol without patients consulting their physician. Patients should also be advised to seek immediate medical attention if treatment with ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol becomes less effective for symptomatic relief, their symptoms become worse, and/or patients need to use the product more frequently than usual.
Patients should be advised on the use of ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol in relation to other inhaled drugs.
Patients should be reminded that ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol should be used consistently as prescribed throughout the course of therapy.
Patients should be advised that although the taste and inhalation sensation of ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol may be slightly different from that of the CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) formulation of ATROVENT Inhalation Aerosol, they are comparable in terms of safety and efficacy.
Since dizziness, accommodation disorder, mydriasis, and blurred vision may occur with use of ATROVENT, patients should be cautioned about engaging in activities requiring balance and visual acuity such as driving a car or operating appliances, machinery, etc.
Drug Interactions
ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol has been used concomitantly with other drugs, including sympathomimetic bronchodilators, methylxanthines, oral and inhaled steroids, that may be used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. With the exception of albuterol, there are no formal studies fully evaluating the interaction effects of ATROVENT and these drugs with respect to effectiveness.
Anticholinergic agents
: There is potential for an additive interaction with concomitantly used anticholinergic medications. Caution is therefore advised in the co-administration of ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol with other anticholinergic-containing drugs.
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility
Two-year oral carcinogenicity studies in rats and mice have revealed no carcinogenic activity at doses up to 6 mg/kg (approximately 240 and 120 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis). Results of various mutagenicity studies (Ames test, mouse dominant lethal test, mouse micronucleus test and chromosome aberration of bone marrow in Chinese hamsters) were negative.
Fertility of male or female rats at oral doses up to 50 mg/kg (approximately 2000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis) was unaffected by ipratropium bromide administration. At an oral dose of 500 mg/kg (approximately 20,000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis), ipratropium bromide produced a decrease in the conception rate.
Pregnancy
Teratogenic Effects: Pregnancy Category B.
Oral reproduction studies were performed at doses of 10 mg/kg/day in mice, 1,000 mg/kg in rats and 125 mg/kg/day in rabbits. These doses correspond in each species, respectively, to approximately 200, 40000, and 10000 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis. Inhalation reproduction studies were conducted in rats and rabbits at doses of 1.5 and 1.8 mg/kg (approximately 60 and 140 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis). These studies demonstrated no evidence of teratogenic effects as a result of ipratropium bromide. At oral doses 90 mg/kg and above in rats (approximately 3600 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose in adults on a mg/m2 basis) embryotoxicity was observed as increased resorption. This effect is not considered relevant to human use due to the large doses at which it was observed and the difference in route of administration. There are, however, no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, Atrovent® HFA (ipratropium bromide HFA) Inhalation Aerosol should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.
Nursing Mothers
It is not known whether the active component, ipratropium bromide, is excreted in human milk. Because lipid-insoluble quaternary cations pass into breast milk, caution should be exercised when ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol is administered to a nursing mother.
Pediatric Use
Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population have not been established.
Geriatric Use
In the pivotal 12-week study, both ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol and Atrovent® (ipratropium bromide) Inhalation Aerosol CFC formulations were equally effective in patients over 65 years of age and under 65 years of age.
Of the total number of subjects in clinical studies of ATROVENT HFA Inhalation Aerosol, 57% were ≥ 65 years of age. No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between these subjects and younger subjects.
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