Actikerall 5mg/G + 100mg/G Cutaneous Solution
ACTIKERALL® 5MG/G + 100MG/G CUTANEOUS SOLUTION
(fluorouracil / salicylic acid)
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER
Your medicine is available using the name Actikerall 5mg/g + 100mg/g Cutaneous Solution but will be referred to as Actikerall throughout this leaflet.
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.
■ Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
■ If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
■ This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
■ If you get any of the side effects talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.
What is in this leaflet:
1. What Actikerall is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you use Actikerall
3. How to use Actikerall
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Actikerall
6. Content of the pack and other information
1. What Actikerall is and what it is used for
Actikerall contains two active ingredients, fluorouracil and salicylic acid.
Fluorouracil belongs to a group of medicines known as antimetabolites which inhibit the growth of cells (cytostatic agent). Salicylic acid is a hard skin softening substance.
Actikerall is a solution to treat actinic keratosis (grade I/II) in adult patients with a healthy immune system.
Actinic keratoses are small crusty, scaly or crumbly patches of skin. They may be red or light brown or have the same colour as your skin. They might be dry or rough to touch and they are sometimes easier to feel than see.
These skin changes commonly occur in people that have had a lot of sun exposure.
2. What you need to know before you use Actikerall
Do not use Actikerall
■ if you are allergic to fluorouracil, salicylic acid or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
■ while breast-feeding.
■ during pregnancy, and if there is a possibility that you might be pregnant.
■ in children and adolescents.
■ if you have kidney problems.
■ if it could come into contact with the eyes, the inside of the mouth or nose or the genitals (mucous membranes).
Certain other medicines can intensify the side effects of Actikerall or lead to other side effects. See 'Using other medicines' below.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Actikerall.
■ if you have reduced levels or reduced activity of an enzyme in your body called dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD). This enzyme plays an important role in the breakdown of an active ingredient of this medicine (fluorouracil) and as a result this active ingredient might accumulate in your body. It may be necessary to have your DPD levels checked before starting treatment with Actikerall.
■ if you suffer from a reduced ability to sense touch, pain and temperature (if you have diabetes, for example). In this case, your treatment areas must be closely monitored by your doctor.
■ The area treated should be protected against direct sunlight as much as possible while using Actikerall and the patient must not use a sunlamp or sun bed.
■ Actikerall should not be used on bleeding lesions.
■ There is no experience with Actikerall for the treatment of skin cancers such as rodent ulcer (BCC) and Bowen's disease, which should therefore not be treated with the product.
■ In treating an area with actinic keratosis that is also affected by another skin disease it should be taken into account that the outcome of treatment may differ.
■ There is currently no data available on Actikerall treatment of other body areas apart from the face, forehead and bald scalp.
Children and adolescents
Actikerall should not be used in children or adolescents under 18 years of age. Children usually do not get actinic keratosis.
Other medicines and Actikerall
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken or might take any other medicines. If several medicines are taken at the same time, the effect of individual medicines can be intensified or weakened.
In particular tell your doctor if you take any of the
following:
■ medicines used to treat viruses such as chicken pox or shingles (brivudine, sorivudine or similar medicines). You must not use Actikerall if you are using or have used any of these medicines in the past 4 weeks as it may result in increased side effects.
■ epilepsy medicine (phenytoin). Using Actikerall may lead to elevated blood levels of phenytoin. Therefore your phenytoin levels should be checked regularly.
■ medicine used to treat cancer and auto-immune diseases (methotrexate). This medicine may interact with Actikerall causing undesirable effects.
■ medicine used to treat diabetes (sulfonylureas). This medicine may interact with Actikerall causing undesirable effects.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
You must not use Actikerall while breast-feeding, during pregnancy and if there is a possibility that you might be pregnant.
Driving and using machines
No special precautions are required.
Important information about some of the ingredients of Actikerall
This medicine contains dimethyl sulfoxide which may irritate the skin.
3. How to use Actikerall
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Dosage
Actikerall should be applied once daily unless your doctor has told you otherwise. If you have an actinic keratosis in an area of thin skin e.g. around the eyes and temple, your doctor may tell you to apply Actikerall less frequently. If severe side effects occur, reduce the frequency of drug application to three times per week until the side effects improve. It may also be necessary for your doctor to monitor your treatment more often.
Method of administration
For application to the skin (cutaneous use).
■ Remove the white film on your skin from the previous day's application by simply peeling it off (unless this is the first time you have used this medicine). Warm water may help to remove the film.
■ To open the bottle, press the lid down and turn.
■ Remove excess solution from the brush by wiping it on the neck of the bottle.
■ Dab the solution on the actinic keratosis and a small area of healthy skin surrounding it once daily. This rim of healthy skin should be no more than 0.5cm wide.
■ Multiple actinic keratoses (up to 10 lesions) can be treated simultaneously, but do not use on large areas of skin. The total area of skin being treated with Actikerall at any one time should not exceed 25cm2 (5cm x 5cm).
■ Let the solution dry and form a film.
■ Do not cover with a dressing.
■ Close the bottle tightly to prevent it drying out. If Actikerall dries out, it must not be used any longer. Do not use Actikerall if you notice any crystals.
Further instructions
Actikerall must not be allowed to come into contact with the eyes, the inside of the mouth or nose or the genitals (mucous membranes).
Actikerall solution may permanently stain clothing, fabric or acrylics (such as acrylic bathtubs), so avoid contact with them. Caution flammable: keep away from fire or flames.
Consult your doctor regularly during treatment.
Duration of treatment
Actikerall is applied to actinic keratoses once daily until the lesions have completely cleared or for up to a maximum of 12 weeks. Improvement of actinic keratoses can be seen as early as 6 weeks after starting treatment and the improvement increases over time up to 12 weeks. The clearance of actinic keratoses may continue for up to 8 weeks after stopping treatment.
If you have the impression that the effect of Actikerall is too strong or too weak, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
If you use more Actikerall than you should
If you apply Actikerall more often than once daily you will be more likely to experience skin reactions and they may be more severe. In this case, please contact your doctor.
If you forget to use Actikerall
Do not use a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Continue the treatment as your doctor has told you or as described in this leaflet.
If you stop using Actikerall
Please contact your doctor, if you want to stop treatment.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Like all medicines, Actikerall can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Mild to moderate irritation and inflammation at the site of application occur in the majority of patients treated with Actikerall. If these reactions get severe, please contact your treating doctor.
As this medicine has a very strong softening effect on the skin, whitish discolorations and scaling of the skin may occur.
The salicylic acid in Actikerall may cause slight irritation, such as skin inflammation (dermatitis) and contact allergic reactions, in patients with sensitive skin or allergy to salicylic acid.
Symptoms of contact allergic reactions may include itching, reddening and small blisters even outside the area of application.
Side effects can occur with the following frequencies:
Very common, may affect more than 1 in 10 people
■ reactions at the application site
■ skin redness (erythema), inflammation, irritation (including burning), pain, itch.
Common, may affect up to 1 in 10 people
■ headache
■ skin scaling (exfoliation)
■ reactions at the application site
■ bleeding, loss of the top layer of skin (erosion), scab.
Uncommon, may affect up to 1 in 100 people
■ dry eye, itching eye, increased watery eyes (lacrimation)
■ reactions at the application site
■ skin inflammation (dermatitis), swelling (oedema), ulcer.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.
You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme, Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Actikerall
KEEP OUT OF THE SIGHT AND REACH OF CHILDREN.
Do not use Actikerall after the expiry date which is stated on the label and on the carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not store above 25°C. Do not refrigerate or freeze.
Do not use Actikerall 3 months after first opening of the bottle. Keep the bottle tightly closed. Do not use Actikerall if you notice crystals.
Caution: flammable - keep away from fire or flames.
If your doctor decides to stop your treatment, take any leftover medicine back to the pharmacy.
If your medicine appears to be discoloured or shows any other signs of deterioration, take it back to your pharmacist who will advise you.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
6. Content of the pack and other information What Actikerall contains
1g of cutaneous solution contains 5mg of fluorouracil and 100mg of salicylic acid.
The other ingredients are: dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol,
ethyl acetate, pyroxyline and poly(butyl methacrylate-methyl
methacrylate).
What Actikerall looks like and contents of the pack
Actikerall is a clear, colourless solution contained in a clear glass bottle with a brush applicator.
Actikerall is available in packs of 28ml (2 x 14ml bottles).
Manufacturer
Manufactured by: Almirall Hermal GmbH, Scholtzstrasse 3,
21465 Reinbek, Germany.
Procured from within the EU and repackaged by: Doncaster Pharmaceuticals Group Ltd., Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, DN3 1QR.
Product Licence holder: Landmark Pharma Ltd., 7 Regents Drive, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6PX.
PL No: 21828/0466 POM
Leaflet revision and issue date: 23.02.15 Actikerall® is a registered trademark of Almirall S.A.
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