Nitroglycerin Lingual for Angina

INDICATIONS & USAGE SECTION Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray is indicated for acute relief of an attack or prophylaxis of angina pectoris due to coronary artery disease.

DOSAGE & ADMINISTRATION 2.1 Recommended dosage Instruct the patient to administer one or two metered sprays (400 mcg of nitroglycerin per spray) at the onset of an attack onto or under the tongue. A spray may be repeated approximately every five minutes as needed. No more than three metered sprays are recommended within a 15-minute period. If the chest pain persists after a total of three sprays, advise prompt medical attention. Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray may be used prophylactically 5 to 10 minutes prior to engaging in activities that might precipitate an acute attack. 2.2 Priming The pump must be primed prior to the first use. Each metered spray of Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray delivers 48 mg of solution containing 400 mcg of nitroglycerin after an initial priming of five sprays. It will remain adequately primed for 6 weeks. If the product is not used within 6 weeks it can be adequately re-primed with one spray. If the product is not used within 3 months it can be adequately re-primed with up to five sprays. There are 60 or 200 metered sprays per bottle. The total number of available doses is dependent, however, on the number of sprays per use (1 or 2 sprays), and the frequency of priming. 2.3 Administration Instruct patients that during administration, the patient should rest, ideally in the sitting position. Hold the container vertically with the valve head uppermost and the spray orifice as close to the mouth as possible. Spray the dose preferably onto or under the tongue by pressing the grooved-button firmly and the mouth closed immediately after each dose. THE SPRAY SHOULD NOT BE INHALED. The medication should not be expectorated or the mouth rinsed for 5 to 10 minutes following administration. Instruct patients to familiarize themselves with the position of the spray orifice, which can be identified by the finger rest on top of the valve, in order to facilitate orientation for administration at night [see Patient Information (17)]. The amount of liquid remaining in the container should be checked periodically. The transparent container can be used for continuous monitoring of the consumption. With the container upright and level, check to be sure the end of the center tube extends below the level of the liquid. Once fluid falls below the level of the center tube, remaining sprays will not deliver intended dose.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS 5.1 Tolerance Excessive use may lead to the development of tolerance. Only the smallest number of doses required for effective relief of the acute angina attack should be used [see Dosage and Administration (2.1)]. 5.2 Hypotension Severe hypotension, particularly with upright posture, may occur even with small doses of nitroglycerin particularly in patients with constrictive pericarditis, aortic or mitral stenosis, patients who may be volume-depleted, or are already hypotensive. Hypotension induced by nitroglycerin may be accompanied by paradoxical bradycardia and increased angina pectoris. Symptoms of severe hypotension (nausea, vomiting, weakness, pallor, perspiration and collapse/syncope) may occur even with therapeutic doses. 5.3 Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy Nitrate therapy may aggravate the angina caused by hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. 5.4 Headache Nitroglycerin produces dose-related headaches, especially at the start of nitroglycerin therapy, which may be severe and persistent but usually subside with continued use.

DRUG INTERACTIONS 7.1 PDE-5-inhibitors and sGC-Stimulators Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray is contraindicated in patients who are using a selective inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). PDE5 inhibitors such as avanafil, sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil have been shown to potentiate the hypotensive effects of organic nitrates. Do not use Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray in patients who are taking the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator riociguat. Concomitant use can cause hypotension. The time course and dose dependence of these interactions have not been studied, and use within a few days of one another cannot be recommended. Appropriate supportive care for the severe hypotension has not been studied, but it seems reasonable to treat this as a nitrate overdose, with elevation of the extremities and with central volume expansion. 7.2 Antihypertensives Patients receiving antihypertensive drugs, beta-adrenergic blockers, and nitrates should be observed for possible additive hypotensive effects. Marked orthostatic hypotension has been reported when calcium channel blockers and organic nitrates were used concomitantly. Beta-adrenergic blockers blunt the reflex tachycardia produced by nitroglycerin without preventing its hypotensive effects. If beta-blockers are used with nitroglycerin in patients with angina pectoris, additional hypotensive effects may occur. 7.3 Ergotamine Oral administration of nitroglycerin markedly decreases the first-pass metabolism of dihydroergotamine and subsequently increases its oral bioavailability. Ergotamine is known to precipitate angina pectoris. Therefore, patients receiving sublingual nitroglycerin should avoid ergotamine and related drugs or be monitored for symptoms of ergotism if this is not possible.

ADVERSE REACTIONS 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience 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 clinical practice. Adverse reactions occurring at a frequency greater than 2 % and greater than placebo included: headache, dizziness, and paresthesia. 6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray and other nitroglycerin drugs. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate their frequency reliably or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Neurologic: weakness, drowsiness Dermatologic: cutaneous vasodilation, flushing, drug rash, exfoliative dermatitits Gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting Respiratory: transient hypoxemia Cardiovascular: tachycardia