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Celestone Soluspan (Betamethasone Acetate / Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection) - Indications and Dosage

 
 



INDICATIONS & USAGE

When oral therapy is not feasible, the intramuscular use of CELESTONE® SOLUSPAN® Injectable Suspension is indicated as follows:

 

Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment in asthma, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, drug hypersensitivity reactions, perennial or seasonal allergic rhinitis, serum sickness, transfusion reactions.

 

Bullous dermatitis herpetiformis, exfoliative erythroderma, mycosis fungoides, pemphigus, severe erythema multiforme (Stevens-Johnson syndrome).

 

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hypercalcemia associated with cancer, nonsuppurative thyroiditis.

Hydrocortisone or cortisone is the drug of choice in primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency. Synthetic analogs may be used in conjunction with mineralocorticoids where applicable; in infancy mineralocorticoid supplementation is of particular importance.

 

To tide the patient over a critical period of the disease in regional enteritis and ulcerative colitis.

 

Acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, pure red cell aplasia, selected cases of secondary thrombocytopenia.

 

Trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement, tuberculous meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block when used with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy.

 

For palliative management of leukemias and lymphomas.

 

Acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis; cerebral edema associated with primary or metastatic brain tumor or craniotomy.

 

Sympathetic ophthalmia, temporal arteritis, uveitis and ocular inflammatory conditions unresponsive to topical corticosteroids.

 

To induce diuresis or remission of proteinuria in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome or that due to lupus erythematosus.

 

Berylliosis, fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy, idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonias, symptomatic sarcoidosis.

Rheumatic Disorders As adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in acute gouty arthritis; acute rheumatic carditis; ankylosing spondylitis; psoriatic arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy). For the treatment of dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

The intra-articular or soft tissue administration of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension is indicated as adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in acute gouty arthritis, acute and subacute bursitis, acute nonspecific tenosynovitis, epicondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, synovitis of osteoarthritis.

The intralesional administration of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension is indicated for alopecia areata; discoid lupus erythematosus; keloids; localized hypertrophic, infiltrated, inflammatory lesions of granuloma annulare, lichen planus, lichen simplex chronicus (neurodermatitis), and psoriatic plaques; necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum.

CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension may also be useful in cystic tumors of an aponeurosis or tendon (ganglia).

 

DOSAGE & ADMINISTRATION

Benzyl alcohol as a preservative has been associated with a fatal "Gasping Syndrome" in premature infants and infants of low birth weight. Solutions used for further dilution of this product should be preservative-free when used in the neonate, especially the premature infant. The initial dosage of parenterally administered CELESTONE® SOLUSPAN® Injectable Suspension may vary from 0.25 to 9.0 mg per day depending on the specific disease entity being treated. However, in certain overwhelming, acute, life-threatening situations, administrations in dosages exceeding the usual dosages may be justified and may be in multiples of the oral dosages.

It Should Be Emphasized That Dosage Requirements Are Variable and Must Be Individualized on the Basis of the Disease Under Treatment and the Response of the Patient. After a favorable response is noted, the proper maintenance dosage should be determined by decreasing the initial drug dosage in small decrements at appropriate time intervals until the lowest dosage which will maintain an adequate clinical response is reached. Situations which may make dosage adjustments necessary are changes in clinical status secondary to remissions or exacerbations in the disease process, the patient's individual drug responsiveness, and the effect of patient exposure to stressful situations not directly related to the disease entity under treatment. In this latter situation it may be necessary to increase the dosage of the corticosteroid for a period of time consistent with the patient's condition. If after long-term therapy the drug is to be stopped, it is recommended that it be withdrawn gradually rather than abruptly.

In the treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, daily doses of 30 mg of betamethasone for a week followed by 12 mg every other day for 1 month are recommended (see PRECAUTIONS, Neuro-psychiatric section).

In pediatric patients, the initial dose of betamethasone may vary depending on the specific disease entity being treated. The range of initial doses is 0.02 to 0.3 mg/kg/day in three or four divided doses (0.6 to 9 mg/m2bsa/day).

For the purpose of comparison, the following is the equivalent milligram dosage of the various glucocorticoids:

Cortisone, 25 Triamcinolone, 4
Hydrocortisone, 20 Paramethasone, 2
Prednisolone, 5 Betamethasone, 0.75
Prednisone, 5 Dexamethasone, 0.75
Methylprednisolone, 4

These dose relationships apply only to oral or intravenous administration of these compounds. When these substances or their derivatives are injected intramuscularly or into joint spaces, their relative properties may be greatly altered.

If coadministration of a local anesthetic is desired, CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension may be mixed with 1% or 2% lidocaine hydrochloride, using the formulations which do not contain parabens. Similar local anesthetics may also be used. Diluents containing methylparaben, propylparaben, phenol, etc., should be avoided, since these compounds may cause flocculation of the steroid. The required dose of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension is first withdrawn from the vial into the syringe. The local anesthetic is then drawn in, and the syringe shaken briefly. Do not inject local anesthetics into the vial of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension.

 

In acute subdeltoid, subacromial, olecranon, and prepatellar bursitis, one intrabursal injection of 1.0 mL CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension can relieve pain and restore full range of movement. Several intrabursal injections of corticosteroids are usually required in recurrent acute bursitis and in acute exacerbations of chronic bursitis. Partial relief of pain and some increase in mobility can be expected in both conditions after one or two injections. Chronic bursitis may be treated with reduced dosage once the acute condition is controlled. In tenosynovitis and tendinitis, three or four local injections at intervals of 1 to 2 weeks between injections are given in most cases. Injections should be made into the affected tendon sheaths rather than into the tendons themselves. In ganglions of joint capsules and tendon sheaths, injection of 0.5 mL directly into the ganglion cysts has produced marked reduction in the size of the lesions.

 

Following intra-articular administration of 0.5 to 2.0 mL of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension, relief of pain, soreness, and stiffness may be experienced. Duration of relief varies widely in both diseases. Intra-articular Injection of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension is well tolerated in joints and periarticular tissues. There is virtually no pain on injection, and the "secondary flare" that sometimes occurs a few hours after intra-articular injection of corticosteroids has not been reported with CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension. Using sterile technique, a 20- to 24-gauge needle on an empty syringe is inserted into the synovial cavity and a few drops of synovial fluid are withdrawn to confirm that the needle is in the joint. The aspirating syringe is replaced by a syringe containing CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension and injection is then made into the joint.

Recommended Doses for Intra-articular Injection
Size of joint Location Dose (mL)
Very large Hip 1.0-2.0
Large Knee, ankle, shoulder 1.0
Medium Elbow, wrist 0.5-1.0
Small (metacarpophalangeal, interphalangeal)
(sternoclavicular)
Hand, chest 0.25-0.5

A portion of the administered dose of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension is absorbed systemically following intra-articular injection. In patients being treated concomitantly with oral or parenteral corticosteroids, especially those receiving large doses, the systemic absorption of the drug should be considered in determining intra-articular dosage.

 

In intralesional treatment, 0.2 mL/cm2 of CELESTONE SOLUSPAN Injectable Suspension is injected intradermally (not subcutaneously) using a tuberculin syringe with a 25-gauge, ½-inch needle. Care should be taken to deposit a uniform depot of medication intradermally. A total of no more than 1.0 mL at weekly intervals is recommended.

 

A tuberculin syringe with a 25-gauge, ¾-inch needle is suitable for most injections into the foot. The following doses are recommended at intervals of 3 days to a week.


Diagnosis
CELESTONE SOLUSPAN
Injectable Suspension Dose (mL)
Bursitis
  under heloma durum or
  heloma molle


0.25-0.5
  under calcaneal spur 0.5
  over hallux rigidus or
  digiti quinti varus

0.5
Tenosynovitis,
  periostitis of cuboid

0.5
Acute gouty arthritis 0.5-1.0

HOW SUPPLIED

CELESTONE® SOLUSPAN® Injectable Suspension, 5-mL multiple-dose vial; box of one (NDC 0085-0566-05).

SHAKE WELL BEFORE USING.

 

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15°-30°C (59°-86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature].

Protect from light.

 

SPL UNCLASSIFIED

Rx only

Manufactured for: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of
MERCK & CO., INC., Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889, USA

Manufactured by: Patheon UK Limited, Covingham, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 5BZ, United Kingdom

Copyright © 1969, 2012 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.
All rights reserved.

Revised: 05/2012

31550327T

 

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