ULTOMIRIS Solution for injection Ref.[10182] Active ingredients: Ravulizumab

5.1 Serious Meningococcal Infections

Risk and Prevention

Life-threatening meningococcal infections have occurred in patients treated with ULTOMIRIS. The use of ULTOMIRIS increases a patient’s susceptibility to serious meningococcal infections (septicemia and/or meningitis). Meningococcal disease due to any serogroup may occur.

Vaccinate for meningococcal disease according to the most current Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for patients with complement deficiencies. Revaccinate patients in accordance with ACIP recommendations considering the duration of ULTOMIRIS therapy.

Immunize patients without a history of meningococcal vaccination at least 2 weeks prior to receiving the first dose of ULTOMIRIS. If urgent ULTOMIRIS therapy is indicated in an unvaccinated patient, administer meningococcal vaccine(s) as soon as possible and provide patients with 2 weeks of antibacterial drug prophylaxis.

In clinical studies, 59 patients with PNH were treated with ULTOMIRIS less than 2 weeks after meningococcal vaccination. All of these patients received antibiotics for prophylaxis of meningococcal infection until at least 2 weeks after meningococcal vaccination. The benefits and risks of antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of meningococcal infections in patients receiving ULTOMIRIS have not been established.

Vaccination reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of meningococcal infections. In PNH clinical studies, 3 out of 261 PNH patients developed serious meningococcal infections/sepsis while receiving treatment with ULTOMIRIS; all 3 had been vaccinated. These 3 patients recovered while continuing treatment with ULTOMIRIS.

Closely monitor patients for early signs and symptoms of meningococcal infection and evaluate patients immediately if infection is suspected. Inform patients of these signs and symptoms and steps to be taken to seek immediate medical care. Meningococcal infection may become rapidly life-threatening or fatal if not recognized and treated early. Consider discontinuation of ULTOMIRIS in patients who are undergoing treatment for serious meningococcal infection.

REMS

Due to the risk of meningococcal infections, ULTOMIRIS is available only through a restricted program under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). Under the ULTOMIRIS REMS, prescribers must enroll in the program.

Prescribers must counsel patients about the risk of meningococcal infection/sepsis, provide the patients with the REMS educational materials, and ensure patients are vaccinated with meningococcal vaccines.

Enrollment in the ULTOMIRIS REMS and additional information are available by telephone: 1-888-765-4747 or at www.ultomirisrems.com.

5.2 Other Infections

ULTOMIRIS blocks terminal complement activation; therefore, patients may have increased susceptibility to encapsulated bacteria infections, especially infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis but also Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and to a lesser extent, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Children treated with ULTOMIRIS may be at increased risk of developing serious infections due to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Administer vaccinations for the prevention of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infections according to ACIP guidelines. If ULTOMIRIS therapy is administered to patients with active systemic infections, monitor closely for signs and symptoms of worsening infection.

5.3 Monitoring Disease Manifestations after ULTOMIRIS Discontinuation

Treatment Discontinuation for PNH

After discontinuing treatment with ULTOMIRIS, closely monitor for signs and symptoms of hemolysis, identified by elevated LDH along with sudden decrease in PNH clone size or hemoglobin, or re-appearance of symptoms such as fatigue, hemoglobinuria, abdominal pain, shortness of breath (dyspnea), major adverse vascular event (including thrombosis), dysphagia, or erectile dysfunction. Monitor any patient who discontinues ULTOMIRIS for at least 16 weeks to detect hemolysis and other reactions. If signs and symptoms of hemolysis occur after discontinuation, including elevated LDH, consider restarting treatment with ULTOMIRIS.

Treatment Discontinuation for aHUS

ULTOMIRIS treatment of aHUS should be a minimum duration of 6 months. Due to heterogeneous nature of aHUS events and patient-specific risk factors, treatment duration beyond the initial 6 months should be individualized.

There are no specific data on ULTOMIRIS discontinuation.

After discontinuing treatment with ULTOMIRIS, patients should be monitored for clinical symptoms and laboratory signs of TMA complications for at least 12 months.

TMA complications post-discontinuation can be identified if any of the following is observed:

• Clinical symptoms of TMA include changes in mental status, seizures, angina, dyspnea, thrombosis or increasing blood pressure.
• In addition, at least two of the following laboratory signs observed concurrently and results should be confirmed by a second measurement 28 days apart with no interruption
  • a decrease in platelet count of 25% or more as compared to either baseline or to peak platelet count during ULTOMIRIS treatment;
  • an increase in serum creatinine of 25% or more as compared to baseline or to nadir during ULTOMIRIS treatment;
  • an increase in serum LDH of 25% or more as compared to baseline or to nadir during ULTOMIRIS treatment.

If TMA complications occur after ULTOMIRIS discontinuation, consider reinitiation of ULTOMIRIS treatment or appropriate organ-specific supportive measures.

5.4 Thromboembolic Event Management

The effect of withdrawal of anticoagulant therapy during ULTOMIRIS treatment has not been established. Therefore, treatment with ULTOMIRIS should not alter anticoagulant management.

5.5 Infusion-Related Reactions

Administration of ULTOMIRIS may result in infusion-related reactions. In clinical trials, 5 out of 296 patients treated with ULTOMIRIS experienced infusion-related reactions (lower back pain, drop in blood pressure, infusion-related pain, elevation in blood pressure and limb discomfort) during ULTOMIRIS administration. These reactions did not require discontinuation of ULTOMIRIS. Interrupt ULTOMIRIS infusion and institute appropriate supportive measures if signs of cardiovascular instability or respiratory compromise occur.

The following clinically significant adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the labeling:

• Serious Meningococcal Infections [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]
• Other Infections [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)]
• Infusion-Related Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)]

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)

The data described below reflect exposure of 441 adult patients with PNH in Phase 3 studies who received ULTOMIRIS (n=222) or eculizumab (n=219) at the recommended dosing regimens with median treatment duration of 6 months for ULTOMIRIS and 6 months for eculizumab. The most frequent adverse reactions (≥10%) with ULTOMIRIS were upper respiratory tract infection and headache. Table 7 describes adverse reactions that occurred at a rate of 5% or more among patients treated with ULTOMIRIS in PNH studies.

Serious adverse reactions were reported in 15 (6.8%) patients with PNH receiving ULTOMIRIS. The serious adverse reactions in patients treated with ULTOMIRIS included hyperthermia and pyrexia. No serious adverse reaction was reported in more than 1 patient treated with ULTOMIRIS.

One fatal case of sepsis was identified in a patient treated with ULTOMIRIS.

Table 7. Adverse Reactions Reported in 5% or More of ULTOMIRIS-Treated Patients in Complement Inhibitor Naïve and Eculizumab-Experienced Patients with PNH:

* Grouped term includes: Nasopharyngitis, Upper respiratory tract infection, Oropharyngeal pain, Viral upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinitis, Respiratory tract infection, Rhinorrhea, Pharyngitis, and Upper respiratory tract inflammation

>Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS)

The data described below reflect exposure of 58 adult and 16 pediatric patients with aHUS in single-arm trials who received ULTOMIRIS at the recommended dose and schedule. The most frequent adverse reactions reported in ≥20% of patients treated with ULTOMIRIS were upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, hypertension and pyrexia. Tables 8, 9 and 10 describes adverse reactions that occurred at a rate of 10% or more among patients treated with ULTOMIRIS in aHUS studies. Serious adverse reactions were reported in 42 (57%) patients with aHUS receiving ULTOMIRIS. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in more than 2 patients (2.7%) treated with ULTOMIRIS were hypertension, pneumonia and abdominal pain. Four patients died during the ALXN1210-aHUS-311 study. The cause of death was sepsis in two patients and intracranial hemorrhage in one patient. The fourth patient, who was excluded from the trial after a diagnosis of STEC-HUS, died due to pretreatment cerebral arterial thrombosis.

Table 8. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥10% of ULTOMIRIS-Treated Patients with aHUS in Study ALXN1210-aHUS-311:

* Graded per CTCAE v5.0.
^† Grouped term includes Nasopharyngitis, Pharyngitis, Upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinitis, Viral upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinovirus infection, Viral pharyngitis, Rhinorrhea, and Oropharyngeal pain.
^‡ Grouped term includes Gastroenteritis, Gastrointestinal infection, Enterocolitis infectious, Infectious colitis, and Enterocolitis.

Clinically relevant adverse reactions in <10% of patients include viral tonsillitis.

Table 9. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥10% of ULTOMIRIS-Treated Patients with aHUS in Study ALXN1210-aHUS-312:

* Graded per CTCAE v5.0.
^† Grouped term includes Nasopharyngitis, Pharyngitis, Upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinitis, Viral upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinovirus infection, Viral pharyngitis, Rhinorrhea, and Oropharyngeal pain.

Clinically relevant adverse reactions in <10% of patients include viral infection.

Table 10. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥10% of ULTOMIRIS-Treated Patients from Birth to 16 Years of Age with aHUS in Study ALXN1210-aHUS-312:

* Grouped term includes Nasopharyngitis, Pharyngitis, Upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinitis, Viral upper respiratory tract infection, Rhinovirus infection, Viral pharyngitis, Rhinorrhea, and Oropharyngeal pain

Clinically relevant adverse reactions in <10% of patients include viral infection.

As with all therapeutic proteins, there is potential for immunogenicity. The detection of antibody formation is highly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. Additionally, the observed incidence of antibody (including neutralizing antibodies) positivity in an assay may be influenced by several factors including assay methodology, sample handling, timing of sample collection, concomitant medications and underlying disease. For these reasons, comparison of the incidence of antibodies in the studies described below with the incidence of antibodies in other studies or to other ravulizumab products may be misleading.

The immunogenicity of ravulizumab-cwvz has been evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of binding anti-ravulizumab-cwvz antibodies. For patients whose sera tested positive in the screening immunoassay, an in vitro biological assay was performed to detect neutralizing antibodies.

In clinical studies, treatment-emergent antibodies to ravulizumab-cwvz were detected in 1 of 206 (0.5%) patients with PNH and 1 of 71 (1.4%) patients with aHUS. No apparent correlation of antibody development to altered pharmacokinetic profile, clinical response, or adverse events was observed.

Risk Summary

There are no available data on ULTOMIRIS use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. There are risks to the mother and fetus associated with untreated PNH and aHUS in pregnancy (see Clinical Considerations). Animal studies using a mouse analogue of the ravulizumab-cwvz molecule (murine anti-C5 antibody) showed increased rates of developmental abnormalities and an increased rate of dead and moribund offspring at doses 0.8-2.2 times the human dose (see Data).

The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively.

Clinical Considerations

Disease-associated maternal and/or fetal/neonatal risk

PNH in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal outcomes, including worsening cytopenias, thrombotic events, infections, bleeding, miscarriages, and increased maternal mortality, and adverse fetal outcomes, including fetal death and premature delivery.

In pregnancy, aHUS is associated with adverse maternal outcomes, including preeclampsia and preterm delivery, and adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes, including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), fetal death and low birth weight.

Data

Animal Data

Animal reproduction studies were conducted in mice using doses of a murine anti-C5 antibody that approximated 1-2.2 times (loading dose) and 0.8-1.8 times (maintenance dose) the recommended human ULTOMIRIS dose, based on a body weight comparison. When animal exposure to the antibody occurred in the time period from before mating until early gestation, no decrease in fertility or reproductive performance was observed. When maternal exposure to the antibody occurred during organogenesis, two cases of retinal dysplasia and one case of umbilical hernia were observed among 230 offspring born to mothers exposed to the higher antibody dose; however, the exposure did not increase fetal loss or neonatal death. When maternal exposure to the antibody occurred in the time period from implantation through weaning, a higher number of male offspring became moribund or died (1/25 controls, 2/25 low dose group, 5/25 high dose group). Surviving offspring had normal development and reproductive function. Human IgG are known to cross the human placental barrier, and thus ULTOMIRIS may potentially cause terminal complement inhibition in the fetal circulation.

Risk summary

There are no data on the presence of ravulizumab-cwvz in human milk, the effect on the breastfed child, or the effect on milk production. Since many medicinal products and immunoglobulins are secreted into human milk, and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in a nursing child, breastfeeding should be discontinued during treatment and for 8 months after the final dose.

The safety and efficacy of ULTOMIRIS for the treatment of PNH in pediatric patients have not been established.

The safety and effectiveness of ULTOMIRIS for the treatment of aHUS have been established in pediatric patients aged one month and older. Use of ULTOMIRIS for this indication is supported by evidence from adequate and well-controlled studies in adults with additional pharmacokinetic, safety, and efficacy data in pediatric patients aged 10 months to <17 years. The safety and efficacy of ULTOMIRIS for the treatment of aHUS appear similar in pediatric and adult patients [see Adverse Reactions (6.1), and Clinical Studies (14.2)].

Clinical studies of ULTOMIRIS 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.