Nicorandil 20mg Tablets
Out of date information, search anotherSUMMARY OF PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
1 NAME OF THE MEDICINAL PRODUCT
Nicorandil 20mg Tablets
2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION
Nicorandil 20mg
Each tablet contains 20mg nicorandil.
For a full list of excipients, see section 6.1.
3 PHARMACEUTICAL FORM
Tablet, white to off white, round, scored on one side and engraved with "20" on the other side.
The tablet can be divided into equal halves.
4 CLINICAL PARTICULARS
4.1 Therapeutic indications
Nicorandil 20mg Tablets are indicated for the following:
• The prevention and long term treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris
• A reduction in the risk of acute coronary syndromes in patients with chronic stable angina and at least one of the following risk factors:
Previous MI
Previous CABG
CHD on angiography or a positive exercise test together with one of the following: LVH on ECG, left ventricular dysfunction, Age ^65, diabetes mellitus (type I or II excluding those on sulphonylureas, see section 5.1), hypertension or documented vascular disease
4.2 Posology and method of administration
Route of administration: oral.
Adults: The recommended starting dose is 10mg nicorandil twice daily, although 5mg twice daily may be employed in patients particularly susceptible to headache. Subsequently the dosage should be titrated upward depending on the clinical response. The usual therapeutic dosage is in the range 10 to 20mg nicorandil twice daily, although up to 30mg twice daily may be employed if necessary.
Elderly: For elderly patients use of the lowest effective dose is recommended.
Children: A paediatric dosage has not been established and use of nicorandil is not recommended.
4.3 Contraindications
Nicorandil 20mg Tablets are contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to nicorandil or any of the excipients.
Nicorandil must not be used in the case of cardiogenic shock, hypotension or left ventricular failure with low filling pressure.
Concurrent use of nicorandil and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (e.g. sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil) is contraindicated since it can lead to a serious drop in blood pressure.
4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use
Gastrointestinal ulcerations, skin and mucosal ulceration have been reported with nicorandil (see section 4.8).
Gastrointestinal ulcerations
Nicorandil induced ulceration may occur at different locations in the same patient. They are refractory to treatment and most only respond to withdrawal of nicorandil treatment. If ulcerations develop, nicorandil should be discontinued (see section 4.8).
Gastrointestinal haemorrhage secondary to gastrointestinal ulceration has been reported with nicorandil. The patients taking concomitantly acetylsalicylic acid are at increased risk for severe complications such as gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Therefore caution is advised when concomitant use of acetylsalicylic acid and nicorandil is considered (see section 4.5).
If advanced, ulcers may develop into perforation, fistula, or abscess formation. Patients with diverticular disease may be at particular risk of fistula formation or bowel perforation during nicorandil treatment.
Eye ulcerations
Very rare conjunctivitis, conjunctival ulcer and corneal ulcer have been reported with nicorandil. Patients should be advised of the signs and symptoms and monitored closely for corneal ulcerations. If ulceration(s) develops, nicorandil should be discontinued (see section 4.8).
Gastrointestinal perforations in the context of concomitant use of nicorandil and corticosteroids have been reported. Caution is advised when concomitant use is considered.
Nicorandil must be used with caution in patients who may have blood volume depletion or in those who present low systolic blood pressure (e.g. below 100 mm Hg), acute pulmonary oedema or acute myocardial infarction with acute left ventricular failure and low filling pressures.
Caution is advised if nicorandil is used in combination with other medicinal products with blood pressure lowering effect (see section 4.5).
The tablets are sensitive to moisture; hence the patients should be advised to keep the tablets in their blister until intake (see section 6.4).
Paediatric patients
Nicorandil Tablets are not recommended in paediatric patients since its safety and efficacy have not been established in this patient group.
4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Gastrointestinal perforations in the context of concomitant use of nicorandil and corticosteroids have been reported. Caution is advised when concomitant use is considered (see section 4.4).
Concurrent use of nicorandil and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, e.g. sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, is contraindicated, since it can lead to a serious drop in blood pressure.
In patients receiving concomitantly acetylsalicylic acid there is an increased risk for severe complications such as gastrointestinal haemorrhage (see section 4.4).
Therapeutic doses of nicorandil may lower the blood pressure of hypotensive patients. If nicorandil is used concomitantly with antihypertensive agents or other medicinal products with blood-pressure-lowering-effect (e.g. vasodilators, tricyclic antidepressants, alcohol) the blood-pressure-lowering-effect may be increased.
4.6 Pregnancy and lactation
Pregnancy: Although animal studies have not shown any teratogenic effect of nicorandil, the medicinal product has not been studied in human pregnancy; therefore, Nicorandil Tablets must only be used in pregnant women if the anticipated benefit outweighs any potential risks.
Lactation: Animal studies have shown that nicorandil is excreted in small amounts into the breast milk. It is not known whether nicorandil is excreted in human milk, therefore Nicorandil Tablets are not recommended during breastfeeding.
Fertility: Nicorandil was not shown to alter fertility in animal studies. There are no human data.
4.7 Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Blood pressure-lowering effects of nicorandil can reduce the ability to drive or to use machines. This effect can be increased in conjunction with alcohol or other products with blood-pressure-lowering effect (e.g. vasodilators, tricyclic antidepressants) (see section 4.5).
Patients should be warned not to drive or operate machinery until it is established that their performance is unimpaired by nicorandil.
4.8 Undesirable effects
The following definitions apply to the frequency terminology used hereafter:
Very common (>1/10); common (>1/100, <1/10); uncommon (>1/1,000, <1/100); rare (>1/10,000, <1/1,000); very rare (<1/10,000).
|
SOC |
FREQUENCY |
ADR |
|
Nervous system disorders |
Very common |
Headache, particularly during the first few days of treatment |
|
Common |
Dizziness | |
|
Cardiac disorders |
Common |
Increase in heart rate, following the administration of high doses |
|
Vascular disorders |
Common |
Cutaneous vasodilation with flushing |
|
Uncommon |
Decrease in blood pressure | |
|
Gastrointestinal disorders |
Common |
Nausea and vomiting |
|
Rare |
Gastrointestinal ulcerations such as stomatitis, mouth ulcers, tongue ulcers, intestinal and anal ulcers. These ulcers, if advanced, may |
|
develop into perforation, fistula, or abscess formation (see section 4.4) . Weight loss has been reported in association with Nicorandil induced ulcers and fistulas. | ||
|
Unknown |
Gastrointestinal haemorrhage (see section 4.4) | |
|
Hepato-biliary disorders |
Very rare |
Liver disorders such as hepatitis, cholestasis, or jaundice |
|
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders |
Rare |
Different types of rash, pruritus |
|
Very rare |
Angio-oedema. Skin and mucosal ulcerations (mainly peri-anal ulcerations, genital ulcerations and parastomal ulcerations) (see section 4.4) | |
|
Musculoskeletal & connective tissue disorders |
Rare |
Myalgia |
|
General disorders and administration site conditions |
Common |
Feeling of weakness |
|
Eye disorders |
Very rare |
Conjunctivitis, conjunctival ulcer and corneal ulcer (see section 4.4) |
Additional Information
In addition, the following events have been reported at a different frequency in the IONA (Impact of Nicorandil in Angina) study which was conducted in subjects at high risk of cardiovascular events only.
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Uncommon - angio-oedema
Gastrointestinal disorders
Common - rectal bleeding
Uncommon - mouth ulcers
Very rare - abdominal pain
Musculoskeletal & connective tissue disorders
Uncommon - myalgia
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
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 Yellow Card Scheme, at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
4.9 Overdose
Symptoms
In case of acute overdose, the likely symptomatology may be peripheral vasodilation with a fall in blood pressure and reflex tachycardia.
Management
Monitoring cardiac function and general supportive measures are recommended. If not successful, increase in circulating plasma volume by substitution of fluid is recommended. In life-threatening situations, administration of vasopressors must be considered. There is no experience of massive overdosage in humans, although the LD50 in dogs is in the range 62.5 to 125 mg/kg and in rodents it is in the order of 1200 mg/kg.
5 PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties
Pharmacotherapeutic group: Other vasodilators used in cardiac diseases, ATC code: C01DX16
Nicorandil provides a dual mode of action leading to relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. A potassium channel opening action provides arterial vasodilation, thus reducing afterload, while the nitrate component promotes venous relaxation and a reduction in preload. Nicorandil has a direct effect on coronary arteries without leading to a steal phenomenon. The overall action improves blood flow to post-stenotic regions and the oxygen balance in the myocardium.
A reduction of coronary heart disease complications has been shown in patients suffering from angina pectoris who were treated with nicorandil in the IONA study.
The study was a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, cardiovascular endpoint study carried out in 5126 patients to determine if Nicorandil could reduce the frequency of coronary events in men and women with chronic stable angina and standard anti anginal treatment at high risk of cardiovascular events defined by either: 1) previous myocardial infarction, or 2) coronary artery bypass grafting , or 3) coronary artery disease confirmed by angiography, or a positive exercise test in the previous two years, together with one of the following: left ventricular hypertrophy on the ECG, left ventricular ejection fraction ^45%, or an end diastolic dimension of>55 mm, age £65, diabetes (either type 1 or type 2), hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, or cerebrovascular disease. Patients were excluded from the study if they were receiving a sulphonylurea as it was felt these patients may not benefit; (sulphonylurea agents have the potential to close potassium channels and may thus antagonise some of the effects of nicorandil). Study follow up for endpoint analysis was between 12 and 36 months with a mean of 1.6 years.
The primary endpoint of coronary heart disease (CHD) death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or unplanned hospital admission for cardiac chest pain, occurred in 13.1% of patients treated with nicorandil compared with 15.5% of patients receiving placebo (hazard ratio 0.83, p=0.014). The rate of acute coronary syndrome (CHD death, non fatal MI or unstable angina) was 6.1% in patients treated with nicorandil compared with 7.6% in patients receiving placebo (hazard ratio 0.79, p=0.028). All cardiovascular events were significantly less in the nicorandil than placebo group 14.7% vs 17.0% (hazard ratio 0.86 p=0.027). The validity of these findings was confirmed by reanalysing the primary endpoint using all cause rather than cardiovascular mortality (nicorandil 14.9% compared with placebo 17.3%, hazard ratio 0.85, p=0.021). The study was not expressly powered to, nor did it detect any statistically significant reduction in any individual component endpoints.
5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties
Nicorandil is well absorbed with no significant first-pass metabolism. Maximum plasma concentrations are achieved in 30 to 60 minutes and are directly related to the dosage. Metabolism is mainly by denitration of the molecule into the nicotinamide pathway with less than 20% of an administered dose being excreted in the urine. The main phase of elimination has a half-life of about 2 hours (this differs from the reference product; half-life of the reference product is of about 1 hour). Nicorandil is only slightly bound to plasma proteins.
No clinically relevant modifications in the pharmacokinetic profile have been seen in the elderly or in patients with liver disease or chronic renal failure.
5.3 Preclinical safety data
Non-clinical data reveal no special hazard for humans based on conventional studies of safety pharmacology, repeated dose toxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenic potential and toxicity to reproduction and development.
Effects observed in reproductive toxicity studies (increased pre-implantation loss, fetal mortality and peri-natal mortality) and in repeated dose toxicity studies (testicular and skeletal muscle damage in rats and cardiovascular effects in dogs) were seen at exposures considered sufficiently in excess of the maximum human exposure indicating little relevance to clinical use.
6 PHARMACEUTICAL PARTICULARS
6.1 List of excipients
Mannitol Cetyl alcohol Croscarmellose sodium Povidone
Sodium stearyl fumarate
6.2 Incompatibilities
Not applicable.
6.3 Shelf life
18 months
6.4
Special precautions for storage
Store below 25oC. Store in the original package to protect from moisture.
6.5 Nature and contents of container
Nicorandil 20mg Tablets are packed in ALU /ALU blisters with an integrated desiccant layer.
The blister strips are packaged in cartons of 10, 28, 30, 56 and 60 tablets. Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
6.6 Special precautions for disposal
Any unused product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.
7 MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER
Dexcel Pharma Ltd.,
7 Sopwith Way,
Drayton Fields, Daventry,
Northamptonshire NN11 8PB,
UK
8 MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBER(S)
PL 14017/0214
9 DATE OF FIRST AUTHORISATION/RENEWAL OF THE AUTHORISATION
01/09/2011
10 DATE OF REVISION OF THE TEXT
22/03/2015