Source: Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) Revision Year: 2018 Publisher: Actavis Group PTC ehf., Reykjavíkurvegi 76-78, 220 Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.
Second and third trimesters of pregnancy (see sections 4.4 and 4.6).
Biliary obstruction (see section 5.2).
The concomitant use of Olmesartan Tablets with aliskiren-containing products is contraindicated in patients with diabetes mellitus or renal impairment (GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m²) (see sections 4.5 and 5.1).
Symptomatic hypotension, especially after the first dose, may occur in patients who are volume and/or sodium depleted by vigorous diuretic therapy, dietary salt restriction, diarrhoea or vomiting. Such conditions should be corrected before the administration of olmesartan medoxomil.
In patients whose vascular tone and renal function depend predominantly on the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (e.g. patients with severe congestive heart failure or underlying renal disease, including renal artery stenosis), treatment with other drugs that affect this system has been associated with acute hypotension, azotaemia, oliguria or, rarely, acute renal failure. The possibility of similar effects cannot be excluded with angiotensin II receptor antagonists.
There is an increased risk of severe hypotension and renal insufficiency when patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or stenosis of the artery to a single functioning kidney are treated with medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.
When olmesartan medoxomil is used in patients with impaired renal function, periodic monitoring of serum potassium and creatinine levels is recommended. Use of olmesartan medoxomil is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance <20 ml/min) (see sections 4.2 and 5.2). There is no experience of the administration of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with a recent kidney transplant or in patients with end-stage renal impairment (i.e. creatinine clearance <12 ml/min).
There is no experience in patients with severe hepatic impairment and therefore use of olmesartan medoxomil in this patient group is not recommended (see section 4.2 for dosage recommendations in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment).
The use of medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may cause hyperkalaemia.
The risk, that may be fatal, is increased in elderly, in patients with renal insufficiency and in diabetic patients, in patients concomitantly treated with other medicinal products that may increase potassium levels, and/or in patients with intercurrent events.
Before considering the concomitant use of medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the benefit risk ratio should be evaluated and other alternatives considered. (see also below section “Dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS)”).
The main risk factors for hyperkalaemia to be considered are:
Close-monitoring of serum potassium in at risk patients is recommended (see section 4.5).
There is evidence that the concomitant use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren increases the risk of hypotension, hyperkalaemia and decreased renal function (including acute renal failure). Dual blockade of RAAS through the combined use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren is therefore not recommended (see sections 4.5 and 5.1).
If dual blockade therapy is considered absolutely necessary, this should only occur under specialist supervision and subject to frequent close monitoring of renal function, electrolytes and blood pressure.
ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers should not be used concomitantly in patients with diabetic nephropathy.
As with other angiotensin-II receptor antagonists, the combination of lithium and olmesartan medoxomil is not recommended (see section 4.5).
Aortic or mitral valve stenosis; obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
As with other vasodilators, special caution is indicated in patients suffering from aortic or mitral valve stenosis, or obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Patients with primary aldosteronism generally will not respond to antihypertensive drugs acting through inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system. Therefore, the use of olmesartan medoxomil is not recommended in such patients.
In very rare cases severe, chronic diarrhoea with substantial weight loss has been reported in patients taking olmesartan few months to years after drug initiation, possibly caused by a localized delayed hypersensitivity reaction. Intestinal biopsies of patients often demonstrated villous atrophy. If a patient develops these symptoms during treatment with olmesartan, and in the absence of other apparent etiologies, olmesartan treatment should be immediately discontinued and should not be restarted. If diarrhoea does not improve during the week after the discontinuation, further specialist (e.g. a gastro-enterologist) advice should be considered.
As with all other angiotensin II antagonists, the blood pressure lowering effect of olmesartan medoxomil is somewhat less in black patients than in non-black patients, possibly because of a higher prevalence of low-renin status in the black hypertensive population.
Angiotensin II antagonists should not be initiated during pregnancy. Unless continued angiotensin II antagonists therapy is considered essential, patients planning pregnancy should be changed to alternative anti-hypertensive treatments which have an established safety profile for use in pregnancy. When pregnancy is diagnosed, treatment with angiotensin II antagonists should be stopped immediately and, if appropriate, alternative therapy should be started (see sections 4.3 and 4.6).
As with any antihypertensive agent, excessive blood pressure decrease in patients with ischaemic heart disease or ischaemic cerebrovascular disease could result in a myocardial infarction or stroke.
This medicinal product contains lactose. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp-lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicinal product.
Interaction studies have only been performed in adults.
The blood pressure lowering effect of olmesartan medoxomil can be increased by concomitant use of other antihypertensive medications.
Clinical trial data has shown that dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) through the combined use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren is associated with a higher frequency of adverse events such as hypotension, hyperkalaemia and decreased renal function (including acute renal failure) compared to the use of a single RAAS-acting agent (see sections 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1).
Based on experience with the use of other drugs that affect the renin-angiotensin system, concomitant use of potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements, salt substitutes containing potassium or other drugs that may increase serum potassium levels (e.g. heparin) may lead to increases in serum potassium (see section 4.4). Such concomitant use is therefore not recommended.
NSAIDs (including acetylsalicylic acid at doses >3 g/day and also COX-2 inhibitors) and angiotensin II receptor antagonists may act synergistically by decreasing glomerular filtration. The risk of the concomitant use of NSAIDs and angiotensin II antagonists is the occurrence of acute renal failure. Monitoring of renal function at the beginning of treatment should be recommended as well as regular hydration of the patient.
Additionally, concomitant treatment can reduce the antihypertensive effect of angiotensin II receptor antagonists, leading to their partial loss of efficacy.
Concurrent administration of the bile acid sequestering agent colesevelam hydrochloride reduces the systemic exposure and peak plasma concentration of olmesartan and reduces t1/2. Administration of olmesartan medoxomil at least 4 hours prior to colesevelam hydrochloride decreased the drug interaction effect. Administering olmesartan medoxomil at least 4 hours before the colesevelam hydrochloride dose should be considered (see section 5.2).
After treatment with antacid (aluminium magnesium hydroxide), a modest reduction in bioavailability of olmesartan was observed. Coadministration of warfarin and digoxin had no effect on the pharmacokinetics of olmesartan.
Reversible increases in serum lithium concentrations and toxicity have been reported during concomitant administration of lithium with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II antagonists. Therefore use of olmesartan medoxomil and lithium in combination is not recommended (see section 4.4). If use of the combination proves necessary, careful monitoring of serum lithium levels is recommended.
Compounds which have been investigated in specific clinical studies in healthy volunteers include warfarin, digoxin, an antacid (magnesium aluminium hydroxide), hydrochlorothiazide and pravastatin. No clinically relevant interactions were observed and in particular olmesartan medoxomil had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of warfarin or the pharmacokinetics of digoxin.
Olmesartan had no clinically relevant inhibitory effects on in vitro human cytochrome P450 enzymes 1A1/2, 2A6, 2C8/9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4, and had no or minimal inducing effects on rat cytochrome P450 activities. Therefore in vivo interaction studies with known cytochrome P450 enzyme inhibitors and inducers were not conducted, and no clinically relevant interactions between olmesartan and drugs metabolised by the above cytochrome P450 enzymes are expected.
Interaction studies have only been performed in adults. It is not known if the interactions in children are similar to those in adults.
The use of angiotensin II antagonists is not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy (see section 4.4). The use of angiotensin II antagonists is contraindicated during the second and third trimester of pregnancy (see sections 4.3 and 4.4).
Epidemiological evidence regarding the risk of teratogenicity following exposure to ACE inhibitors during the first trimester of pregnancy has not been conclusive; however a small increase in risk cannot be excluded. Whilst there is no controlled epidemiological data on the risk with angiotensin II antagonists, similar risks may exist for this class of drugs. Unless continued angiotensin receptor blocker therapy is considered essential, patients planning pregnancy should be changed to alternative anti-hypertensive treatments which have an established safety profile for use in pregnancy. When pregnancy is diagnosed, treatment with angiotensin II antagonists should be stopped immediately, and, if appropriate, alternative therapy should be started.
Angiotensin II antagonists therapy exposure during the second and third trimesters is known to induce human fetotoxicity (decreased renal function, oligohydramnios, skull ossification retardation) and neonatal toxicity (renal failure, hypotension, hyperkalaemia) (See also section 5.3).
Should exposure to angiotensin II antagonists have occurred from the second trimester of pregnancy, ultrasound check of renal function and skull is recommended.
Infants whose mothers have taken angiotensin II antagonists should be closely observed for hypotension (see also sections 4.3 and 4.4).
Olmesartan is excreted in the milk of lactating rats but it is not known whether olmesartan is excreted in human milk. Because no information is available regarding the use of Olmesartan Tablets during breast-feeding, Olmesartan Tablets is not recommended and alternative treatments with better established safety profiles during breast-feeding are preferable, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
Olmesartan Tablets has minor or moderate influence on the ablility to drive and use machines. Dizziness or fatigue may occasionally occur in patients taking antihypertensive therapy, which may impair the ablility to react.
The most commonly reported adverse reactions during treatment with olmesartan are headache (7.7%), influenza-like symptoms (4.0%) and dizziness (3.7%).
In placebo-controlled monotherapy studies, the only adverse drug reaction that was unequivocally related to treatment was dizziness (2.5% incidence on olmesartan medoxomil and 0.9% on placebo).
The incidence was also somewhat higher on olmesartan medoxomil compared with placebo for hypertriglyceridaemia (2.0% versus 1.1%) and for raised creatine phosphokinase (1.3% versus 0.7%).
Adverse reactions from olmesartan in clinical trials, post-authorisation safety studies and spontaneous reporting are summarized in the below table.
The following terminologies have been used in order to classify the occurrence of adverse reactions very common (≥1/10); common (≥1/100 to <1/10); uncommon (≥1/1,000 to <1/100); rare (≥1/10,000 to <1/1,000); very rare (<1/10,000).
Uncommon: Thrombocytopenia
Uncommon: Anaphylactic reaction
Common: Hypertriglyceridaemia, Hyperuricaemia
Rare: Hyperkalaemia
Common: Dizziness, Headache
Uncommon: Vertigo
Uncommon: Angina pectoris
Rare: Hypotension
Common: Bronchitis, Pharyngitis, Cough, Rhinitis
Common: Gastroenteritis, Diarrhoea, Abdominal pain, Nausea, Dyspepsia
Uncommon: Vomiting
Very rare: Sprue-like enteropathy (see section 4.4)
Uncommon: Exanthema, Allergic dermatitis, Urticaria, Rash, Pruritus
Rare: Angioedema
Common: Arthritis, Back pain, Skeletal pain
Uncommon: Myalgia
Rare: Muscle spasm
Common: Haematuria, Urinary tract infection
Rare: Acute renal failure, Renal insufficiency
Common: Pain, Chest pain, Peripheral oedema, Influenza-like symptoms, Fatigue
Uncommon: Face oedema, Asthenia, Malaise
Rare: Lethargy
Common: Hepatic enzymes increased, Blood urea increased, Blood creatine phosphokinase increased
Rare: Blood creatinine increased
Single cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported in temporal association with the intake of angiotensin II receptor blockers.
The safety of olmesartan was monitored in 361 children and adolescents, aged 1-17 years old during 2 clinical trials. Whilst the nature and severity of the adverse events are similar to that of the adults, the frequency of the following is higher in the children:
The overall safety profile for olmesartan in paediatric patients does not differ significantly from the safety profile in adults.
In elderly people the frequency of hypotension is slightly increased from rare to uncommon.
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the national reporting system listed in Yellow Card Scheme Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
Not applicable.
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