Sucralfate

Indications and Usage Section INDICATIONS AND USAGE Sucralfate tablets, USP are indicated in: Short-term treatment (up to 8 weeks) of active duodenal ulcer. While healing with sucralfate may occur during the first week or two, treatment should be continued for 4 to 8 weeks unless healing has been demonstrated by x-ray or endoscopic examination. Maintenance therapy for duodenal ulcer patients at reduced dosage after healing of acute ulcers.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Active Duodenal Ulcer The recommended adult oral dosage for duodenal ulcer is 1 gram (10 mL) four times per day. Sucralfate Oral Suspension should be administered on an empty stomach. Antacids may be prescribed as needed for relief of pain but should not be taken within one-half hour before or after Sucralfate Oral Suspension. While healing with sucralfate may occur during the first week or two, treatment should be continued for 4 to 8 weeks unless healing has been demonstrated by x-ray or endoscopic examination. Elderly In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy (see PRECAUTIONS, Geriatric Use ). Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Pharmaceutical Associates, Inc. at 1-800-845-8210 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch Active Duodenal Ulcer The recommended adult oral dosage for duodenal ulcer is 1 gram (10 mL) four times per day. Sucralfate Oral Suspension should be administered on an empty stomach. Antacids may be prescribed as needed for relief of pain but should not be taken within one-half hour before or after Sucralfate Oral Suspension. While healing with sucralfate may occur during the first week or two, treatment should be continued for 4 to 8 weeks unless healing has been demonstrated by x-ray or endoscopic examination. Elderly In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy (see PRECAUTIONS, Geriatric Use ). Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Pharmaceutical Associates, Inc. at 1-800-845-8210 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch

WARNINGS Fatal complications, including pulmonary and cerebral emboli have occurred with inappropriate intravenous administration of Sucralfate Oral Suspension. Administer Sucralfate Oral Suspension only by the oral route. Do not administer intravenously.

CONTRAINDICATIONS Sucralfate Oral Suspension is contraindicated for patients with known hypersensitivity reactions to the active substance or to any of the excipients.

Drug Interactions Some studies have shown that simultaneous sucralfate administration in healthy volunteers reduced the extent of absorption (bioavailability) of single doses of the following: cimetidine, digoxin, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ketoconazole, l-thyroxine, phenytoin, quinidine, ranitidine, tetracycline, and theophylline. Subtherapeutic prothrombin times with concomitant warfarin and sucralfate therapy have been reported in spontaneous and published case reports. However, two clinical studies have demonstrated no change in either serum warfarin concentration or prothrombin time with the addition of sucralfate to chronic warfarin therapy. The mechanism of these interactions appears to be nonsystemic in nature, presumably resulting from sucralfate binding to the concomitant agent in the gastrointestinal tract. In all cases studied to date (cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, digoxin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and ranitidine), dosing the concomitant medication 2 hours before sucralfate eliminated the interaction. Due to Sucralfate Oral Suspension's potential to alter the absorption of some drugs, Sucralfate Oral Suspension should be administered separately from other drugs when alterations in bioavailability are felt to be critical. In these cases, patients should be monitored appropriately.

ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse reactions to sucralfate in clinical trials were minor and only rarely led to discontinuation of the drug. In studies involving over 2,700 patients treated with sucralfate tablets, adverse effects were reported in 129 (4.7%). Constipation was the most frequent complaint (2%). Other adverse effects reported in less than 0.5% of the patients are listed below by body system: Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, gastric discomfort, indigestion, flatulence, dry mouth Dermatological: pruritus, rash Nervous System: dizziness, insomnia, sleepiness, vertigo Other: back pain, headache Post-marketing cases of hypersensitivity have been reported with the use of sucralfate tablets, including dyspnea, lip swelling, pruritus, rash, and urticaria. Cases of anaphylactic reactions, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema, edema of the mouth, pharyngeal edema, respiratory tract edema and swelling of the face have been reported with an unknown oral formulation of sucralfate. Bezoars have been reported in patients treated with sucralfate. The majority of patients had underlying medical conditions that may predispose to bezoar formation (such as delayed gastric emptying) or were receiving concomitant enteral tube feedings. Inadvertent injection of insoluble sucralfate and its insoluble excipients has led to fatal complications, including pulmonary and cerebral emboli. Sucralfate is not intended for intravenous administration. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amneal Pharmaceuticals at 1-877-835-5472 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Sucralfate is only minimally absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The small amounts of the sulfated disaccharide that are absorbed are excreted primarily in the urine. Although the mechanism of sucralfate's ability to accelerate healing of duodenal ulcers remains to be fully defined, it is known that it exerts its effect through a local, rather than systemic, action. The following observations also appear pertinent: 1. Studies in human subjects and with animal models of ulcer disease have shown that sucralfate forms an ulcer-adherent complex with proteinaceous exudate at the ulcer site. 2. In vitro , a sucralfate-albumin film provides a barrier to diffusion of hydrogen ions. 3. In human subjects, sucralfate given in doses recommended for ulcer therapy inhibits pepsin activity in gastric juice by 32%. In vitro , sucralfate adsorbs bile salts. These observations suggest that sucralfate's antiulcer activity is the result of formation of an ulcer-adherent complex that covers the ulcer site and protects it against further attack by acid, pepsin, and bile salts. There are approximately 14 to 16 mEq of acid-neutralizing capacity per 1 g dose of sucralfate. CLINICAL TRIALS In a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of sucralfate oral suspension, a dosage regimen of 1 gram (10 mL) four times daily was demonstrated to be superior to placebo in ulcer healing. Results From Clinical Trials Healing Rates for Acute Duodenal Ulcer Treatment n Week 2 Healing Rates Week 4 Healing Rates Week 8 Healing Rates Sucralfate Oral Suspension 145 23 (16%)* 66 (46%) † 95 (66%) ‡ Placebo 147 10 (7%) 39 (27%) 58 (39%) * P =0.016 † P =0.001 ‡ P =0.0001 Equivalence of sucralfate oral suspension to sucralfate tablets has not been demonstrated.