NULYTELY Powder for oral solution Ref.[50755] Active ingredients: Macrogol Potassium chloride Sodium bicarbonate Sodium chloride

5.1 Serious Fluid and Serum Chemistry Abnormalities

Advise patients to hydrate adequately before, during, and after the use of NuLYTELY. Use caution in patients with congestive heart failure when replacing fluids. If a patient develops significant vomiting or signs of dehydration including signs of orthostatic hypotension after taking NuLYTELY, consider performing post-colonoscopy lab tests (electrolytes, creatinine, and BUN) and treat accordingly. Fluid and electrolyte disturbances can lead to serious adverse events including cardiac arrhythmias, seizures and renal impairment. Fluid and electrolyte abnormalities should be corrected before treatment with NuLYTELY.

In addition, use caution when prescribing NuLYTELY for patients who have conditions, or who are using medications, that increase the risk for fluid and electrolyte disturbances or may increase the risk of adverse events of seizure, arrhythmias, and renal impairment [see Drug Interactions (7.1)].

5.2 Cardiac Arrhythmias

There have been rare reports of serious arrhythmias associated with the use of ionic osmotic laxative products for bowel preparation. Use caution when prescribing NuLYTELY for patients at increased risk of arrhythmias (e.g., patients with a history of prolonged QT, uncontrolled arrhythmias, recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, or cardiomyopathy). Pre-dose and post-colonoscopy ECGs should be considered in patients at increased risk of serious cardiac arrhythmias.

5.3 Seizures

There have been reports of generalized tonic-clonic seizures and/or loss of consciousness associated with use of bowel preparation products in patients with no prior history of seizures. The seizure cases were associated with electrolyte abnormalities (e.g., hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, and hypomagnesemia) and low serum osmolality. The neurologic abnormalities resolved with correction of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities.

Use caution when prescribing NuLYTELY for patients with a history of seizures and in patients at increased risk of seizure, such as patients taking medications that lower the seizure threshold (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants), patients withdrawing from alcohol or benzodiazepines, or patients with known or suspected hyponatremia.

5.4 Renal Impairment

Use caution when prescribing NuLYTELY for patients with impaired renal function or patients taking concomitant medications that may affect renal function (such as diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Advise these patients of the importance of adequate hydration, and consider performing baseline and postcolonoscopy laboratory tests (electrolytes, creatinine, and BUN) in these patients.

5.5 Colonic Mucosal Ulcerations and Ischemic Colitis

Administration of osmotic laxative products may produce colonic mucosal aphthous ulcerations, and there have been reports of more serious cases of ischemic colitis requiring hospitalization. Concurrent use of stimulant laxatives and NuLYTELY may increase this risk. The potential for mucosal ulcerations resulting from the bowel preparation should be considered when interpreting colonoscopy findings in patients with known or suspect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

5.6 Use in Patients with Significant Gastrointestinal Disease

If gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation is suspected, perform appropriate diagnostic studies to rule out these conditions before administering NuLYTELY. If a patient experiences severe bloating, distention or abdominal pain, administration should be slowed or temporarily discontinued until the symptoms abate. If gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation is suspected, appropriate studies should be performed to rule out these conditions before administration of NuLYTELY.

Use with caution in patients with severe active ulcerative colitis.

5.7 Aspiration

Use with caution in patients with impaired gag reflex, unconscious, or semiconscious patients, and patients prone to regurgitation or aspiration. Such patients should be observed during administration of NuLYTELY, especially if it is administered via nasogastric tube. Use with caution in patients with impaired gag reflex, unconscious, or semiconscious patients, and patients prone to regurgitation or aspiration. Such patients should be observed during administration of NuLYTELY, especially if it is administered via nasogastric tube.

Do not combine NuLYTELY with starch-based thickeners [see Dosage and Administration (2.1)]. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), a component of NuLYTELY, when mixed with starch-thickened liquids reduces the viscosity of the starch-thickened liquid. When a PEG-based product used for another indication was mixed in starch-based pre-thickened liquids used in patients with dysphagia, thinning of the liquid occurred and cases of choking and potential aspiration were reported.

5.8 Not for Direct Ingestion

The contents of each jug must be diluted with water to a final volume of 4 liters (4 L) and ingestion of additional water is important to patient tolerance. Direct ingestion of the undissolved powder may increase the risk of nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and electrolyte disturbances.

The following serious or otherwise important adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling:

• Serious Fluid and Serum Chemistry Abnormalities [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].
• Cardiac Arrhythmias [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)].
• Seizures [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)].
• Renal Impairment [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)]
• Colonic Mucosal Ulcerations, Ischemic Colitis and Ulcerative Colitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)]
• Patients with Significant Gastrointestinal Disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6)]
• Aspiration [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7)]
• Direct Ingestion [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8)].

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of NuLYTELY. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

Nausea, abdominal fullness and bloating are the most common adverse reactions (occurred in up to 50% of patients) to administration of NuLYTELY. Abdominal cramps, vomiting and anal irritation occur less frequently. These adverse reactions are transient and usually subside rapidly. Isolated cases of urticaria, rhinorrhea, dermatitis and (rarely) anaphylactic reaction have been reported which may represent allergic reactions.

Published literature contains isolated reports of serious adverse reactions following the administration of PEG-electrolyte solution products in patients over 60 years of age. These adverse events include upper GI bleeding from Mallory-Weiss Tear, esophageal perforation, asystole, sudden dyspnea with pulmonary edema, and “butterfly-like” infiltrates on chest X-ray after vomiting and aspirating PEG.

7.1 Drugs that May Lead to Fluid and Electrolyte Abnormalities

Use caution when prescribing NuLYTELY for patients who are using medications that increase the risk for fluid and electrolyte disturbances or may increase the risk of adverse events of seizure, arrhythmias, and prolonged QT in the setting of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities. Consider additional patient evaluations as appropriate [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4)] in patients taking these concomitant medications.

7.2 Potential for Altered Drug Absorption

Oral medication administered within one hour of the start of administration of NuLYTELY may be flushed from the gastrointestinal tract and the medication may not be absorbed properly.

7.3 Stimulant Laxatives

Concurrent use of stimulant laxatives and NuLYTELY may increase the risk of mucosal ulceration or ischemic colitis. Avoid use of stimulant laxatives (e.g., bisacodyl, sodium picosulfate) while taking NuLYTELY.

Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with NuLYTELY. It is also not known whether NuLYTELY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity. NuLYTELY should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when NuLYTELY is administered to a nursing woman.

Safety and effectiveness of NuLYTELY in pediatric patients aged 6 months and older is supported by evidence from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials of NuLYTELY in adults with additional safety and efficacy data from published studies of similar formulations. Use of NuLYTELY in children younger than 2 years of age should be carefully monitored for occurrence of possible hypoglycemia, as this solution has no caloric substrate. Dehydration has been reported in one child and hypokalemia has been reported in 3 children.

Clinical studies of NuLYTELY did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients.