1. Name Of The Medicinal Product
Kaletra 200 mg/50 mg film-coated tablets
2. Qualitative And Quantitative Composition
Each film-coated tablet contains 200 mg of lopinavir co-formulated with 50 mg of ritonavir as a pharmacokinetic enhancer.
For a full list of excipients, see section 6.1.
3. Pharmaceutical Form
Film-coated tablet
Yellow embossed with [Abbott logo] and “KA”.
4. Clinical Particulars
4.1 Therapeutic Indications
Kaletra is indicated in combination with other antiretroviral medicinal products for the treatment of HIV-1 infected adults, adolescents and children above the age of 2 years.
The choice of Kaletra to treat protease inhibitor experienced HIV-1 infected patients should be based on individual viral resistance testing and treatment history of patients (see sections 4.4 and 5.1).
4.2 Posology And Method Of Administration
Kaletra should be prescribed by physicians who are experienced in the treatment of HIV infection.
Kaletra tablets must be swallowed whole and not chewed, broken or crushed
Posology
Adult and adolescent use: the standard recommended dosage of Kaletra tablets is 400/100 mg (two 200/50 mg) tablets twice daily taken with or without food. In adult patients, in cases where once daily dosing is considered necessary for the management of the patient, Kaletra tablets may be administered as 800/200 mg (four 200/50 mg tablets) once daily with or without food. The use of a once daily dosing should be limited to those adult patients having only very few protease inhibitor (PI) associated mutations (i.e. less than 3 PI mutations in line with clinical trial results, see section 5.1 for the full description of the population) and should take into account the risk of a lesser sustainability of the virologic suppression (see section 5.1) and higher risk of diarrhoea (see section 4.8) compared to the recommended standard twice daily dosing. An oral solution is available to patients who have difficulty swallowing. Refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics for Kaletra oral solution for dosing instructions.
Paediatric use (2 years of age and above): the adult dose of Kaletra tablets (400/100 mg twice daily) may be used in children 40 kg or greater or with a Body Surface Area (BSA)* greater than 1.4 m2. For children weighing less than 40 kg or with a BSA between 0.5 and 1.4 m2 and able to swallow tablets, please refer to the Kaletra 100 mg/25 mg tablets Summary of Product Characteristics. For children unable to swallow tablets, please refer to the Kaletra oral solution Summary of Product Characteristics. Kaletra dosed once daily has not been evaluated in paediatric patients.
* Body surface area can be calculated with the following equation:
BSA (m2) = √ (Height (cm) X Weight (kg) / 3600)
Children less than 2 years of age: the safety and efficacy of Kaletra in children aged less than 2 years have not yet been established. Currently available data are described in section 5.2 but no recommendation on a posology can be made.
Concomitant Therapy: Efavirenz or nevirapine
The following table contains dosing guidelines for Kaletra tablets based on BSA when used in combination with efavirenz or nevirapine in children.
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* Kaletra tablets must not be chewed, broken or crushed.
Hepatic impairment: In HIV-infected patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment, an increase of approximately 30% in lopinavir exposure has been observed but is not expected to be of clinical relevance (see section 5.2). No data are available in patients with severe hepatic impairment. Kaletra must not be given to these patients (see section 4.3).
Renal impairment: since the renal clearance of lopinavir and ritonavir is negligible, increased plasma concentrations are not expected in patients with renal impairment. Because lopinavir and ritonavir are highly protein bound, it is unlikely that they will be significantly removed by haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
Method of administration
Kaletra tablets are administered orally and must be swallowed whole and not chewed, broken or crushed. Kaletra tablets can be taken with or without food.
4.3 Contraindications
Hypersensitivity to the active substances or to any of the excipients.
Patients with severe hepatic insufficiency.
Kaletra contains lopinavir and ritonavir, both of which are inhibitors of the P450 isoform CYP3A. Kaletra should not be co-administered with medicinal products that are highly dependent on CYP3A for clearance and for which elevated plasma concentrations are associated with serious and/or life threatening events. These medicinal products include astemizole, terfenadine, oral midazolam (for caution on parenterally administered midazolam, see section 4.5), triazolam, cisapride, pimozide, amiodarone, ergot alkaloids (e.g. ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, ergonovine and methylergonovine) lovastatin, simvastatin, sildenafil used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (for the use of sildenafil in patients with erectile dysfunction, see section 4.5) and vardenafil.
Herbal preparations containing St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) must not be used while taking lopinavir and ritonavir due to the risk of decreased plasma concentrations and reduced clinical effects of lopinavir and ritonavir (see section 4.5).
4.4 Special Warnings And Precautions For Use
Patients with coexisting conditions
Hepatic impairment: the safety and efficacy of Kaletra has not been established in patients with significant underlying liver disorders. Kaletra is contraindicated in patients with severe liver impairment (see section 4.3). Patients with chronic hepatitis B or C and treated with combination antiretroviral therapy are at an increased risk for severe and potentially fatal hepatic adverse reactions. In case of concomitant antiviral therapy for hepatitis B or C, please refer to the relevant product information for these medicinal products.
Patients with pre-existing liver dysfunction including chronic hepatitis have an increased frequency of liver function abnormalities during combination antiretroviral therapy and should be monitored according to standard practice. If there is evidence of worsening liver disease in such patients, interruption or discontinuation of treatment should be considered.
Elevated transaminases with or without elevated bilirubin levels have been reported in HIV-1 mono-infected and in individuals treated for post-exposure prophylaxis as early as 7 days after the initiation of lopinavir/ritonavir in conjunction with other antiretroviral agents. In some cases the hepatic dysfunction was serious.
Appropriate laboratory testing should be conducted prior to initiating therapy with lopinavir/ritonavir and close monitoring should be performed during treatment.
Renal impairment: since the renal clearance of lopinavir and ritonavir is negligible, increased plasma concentrations are not expected in patients with renal impairment. Because lopinavir and ritonavir are highly protein bound, it is unlikely that they will be significantly removed by haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
Haemophilia: there have been reports of increased bleeding, including spontaneous skin haematomas and haemarthrosis in patients with haemophilia type A and B treated with protease inhibitors. In some patients additional factor VIII was given. In more than half of the reported cases, treatment with protease inhibitors was continued or reintroduced if treatment had been discontinued. A causal relationship had been evoked, although the mechanism of action had not been elucidated. Haemophiliac patients should therefore be made aware of the possibility of increased bleeding.
Lipid elevations
Treatment with Kaletra has resulted in increases, sometimes marked, in the concentration of total cholesterol and triglycerides. Triglyceride and cholesterol testing is to be performed prior to initiating Kaletra therapy and at periodic intervals during therapy. Particular caution should be paid to patients with high values at baseline and with history of lipid disorders. Lipid disorders are to be managed as clinically appropriate (see also section 4.5 for additional information on potential interactions with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors).
Pancreatitis
Cases of pancreatitis have been reported in patients receiving Kaletra, including those who developed hypertriglyceridaemia. In most of these cases patients have had a prior history of pancreatitis and/or concurrent therapy with other medicinal products associated with pancreatitis. Marked triglyceride elevation is a risk factor for development of pancreatitis. Patients with advanced HIV disease may be at risk of elevated triglycerides and pancreatitis
Pancreatitis should be considered if clinical symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain) or abnormalities in laboratory values (such as increased serum lipase or amylase values) suggestive of pancreatitis should occur. Patients who exhibit these signs or symptoms should be evaluated and Kaletra therapy should be suspended if a diagnosis of pancreatitis is made (see section 4.8).
Hyperglycaemia
New onset diabetes mellitus, hyperglycaemia or exacerbation of existing diabetes mellitus has been reported in patients receiving protease inhibitors. In some of these the hyperglycaemia was severe and in some cases also associated with ketoacidosis. Many patients had confounding medical conditions some of which required therapy with agents that have been associated with the development of diabetes mellitus or hyperglycaemia.
Fat redistribution and metabolic disorders
Combination antiretroviral therapy has been associated with redistribution of body fat (lipodystrophy) in HIV patients. The long-term consequences of these events are currently unknown. Knowledge about the mechanism is incomplete. A connection between visceral lipomatosis and protease inhibitors (PIs) and lipoatrophy and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) has been hypothesised. A higher risk of lipodystrophy has been associated with individual factors such as older age, and with drug related factors such as longer duration of antiretroviral treatment and associated metabolic disturbances. Clinical examination should include evaluation for physical signs of fat redistribution. Consideration should be given to measurement of fasting serum lipids and blood glucose. Lipid disorders should be managed as clinically appropriate (see section 4.8).
Immune Reactivation Syndrome
In HIV-infected patients with severe immune deficiency at the time of institution of combination antiretroviral therapy (CART), an inflammatory reaction to asymtomatic or residual opportunistic pathogens may arise and cause serious clinical conditions, or aggravation of symptoms. Typically, such reactions have been observed within the first few weeks or months of initiation of CART. Relevant examples are cytomegalovirus retinitis, generalised and/or focal mycobacterial infections, and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. Any inflammatory symptoms should be evaluated and treatment instituted when necessary.
Osteonecrosis
Although the etiology is considered to be multifactorial (including corticosteroid use, alcohol consumption, severe immunosuppression, higher body mass index), cases of osteonecrosis have been reported particularly in patients with advanced HIV-disease and/or long-term exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy (CART). Patients should be advised to seek medical advice if they experience joint aches and pain, joint stiffness or difficulty in movement.
PR interval prolongation
Lopinavir/ritonavir has been shown to cause modest asymptomatic prolongation of the PR interval in some healthy adult subjects. Rare reports of 2nd or 3rd degree atroventricular block in patients with underlying structural heart disease and pre-existing conduction system abnormalities or in patients receiving drugs known to prolong the PR interval (such as verapamil or atazanavir) have been reported in patients receiving lopinavir/ritonavir. Kaletra should be used with caution in such patients (see section 5.1).
Interactions with medicinal products
Kaletra contains lopinavir and ritonavir, both of which are inhibitors of the P450 isoform CYP3A. Kaletra is likely to increase plasma concentrations of medicinal products that are primarily metabolised by CYP3A. These increases of plasma concentrations of co-administered medicinal products could increase or prolong their therapeutic effect and adverse events (see sections 4.3 and 4.5).
The combination of Kaletra with atorvastatin is not recommended. If the use of atorvastatin is considered strictly necessary, the lowest possible dose of atorvastatin should be administered with careful safety monitoring. Caution must also be exercised and reduced doses should be considered if Kaletra is used concurrently with rosuvastatin. If treatment with a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor is indicated, pravastatin or fluvastatin is recommended (see section 4.5).
PDE5 inhibitors: particular caution should be used when prescribing sildenafil or tadalafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in patients receiving Kaletra. Co-administration of Kaletra with these medicinal products is expected to substantially increase their concentrations and may result in associated adverse events such as hypotension, syncope, visual changes and prolonged erection (see section 4.5). Concomitant use of vardenafil and lopinavir/ritonavir is contraindicated (see section 4.3). Concomitant use of sildenafil prescribed for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension with Kaletra is contraindicated (see section 4.3).
Particular caution must be used when prescribing Kaletra and medicinal products known to induce QT interval prolongation such as: chlorpheniramine, quinidine, erythromycin, clarithromycin. Indeed, Kaletra could increase concentrations of the co-administered medicinal products and this may result in an increase of their associated cardiac adverse reactions. Cardiac events have been reported with Kaletra in preclinical studies; therefore, the potential cardiac effects of Kaletra cannot be currently ruled out (see sections 4.8 and 5.3).
Co-administration of Kaletra with rifampicin is not recommended. Rifampicin in combination with Kaletra causes large decreases in lopinavir concentrations which may in turn significantly decrease the lopinavir therapeutic effect. Adequate exposure to lopinavir/ritonavir may be achieved when a higher dose of Kaletra is used but this is associated with a higher risk of liver and gastrointestinal toxicity. Therefore, this co-administration should be avoided unless judged strictly necessary (see section 4.5).
Concomitant use of Kaletra and fluticasone or other glucocorticoids that are metabolised by CYP3A4 is not recommended unless the potential benefit of treatment outweighs the risk of systemic corticosteroid effects, including Cushing's syndrome and adrenal suppression (see section 4.5).
Other
Kaletra is not a cure for HIV infection or AIDS. It does not reduce the risk of passing HIV to others through sexual contact or blood contamination. Appropriate precautions should be taken. People taking Kaletra may still develop infections or other illnesses associated with HIV disease and AIDS.
4.5 Interaction With Other Medicinal Products And Other Forms Of Interaction
Kaletra contains lopinavir and ritonavir, both of which are inhibitors of the P450 isoform CYP3A in vitro. Co-administration of Kaletra and medicinal products primarily metabolised by CYP3A may result in increased plasma concentrations of the other medicinal product, which could increase or prolong its therapeutic and adverse reactions. Kaletra does not inhibit CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2E1, CYP2B6 or CYP1A2 at clinically relevant concentrations (see section 4.3).
Kaletra has been shown in vivo to induce its own metabolism and to increase the biotransformation of some medicinal products metabolised by cytochrome P450 enzymes (including CYP2C9 and CYP2C19) and by glucuronidation. This may result in lowered plasma concentrations and potential decrease of efficacy of co-administered medicinal products.
Medicinal products that are contraindicated specifically due to the expected magnitude of interaction and potential for serious adverse events are listed in section 4.3.
All interaction studies, when otherwise not stated, were performed using Kaletra capsules, which gives an approximately 20% lower exposure of lopinavir than the 200/50 mg tablets.
Known and theoretical interactions with selected antiretrovirals and non-antiretroviral medicinal products are listed in the table below.
Interaction table
Interactions between Kaletra and co-administered medicinal products are listed in the table below (increase is indicated as “↑”, decrease as “
Unless otherwise stated, studies detailed below have been performed with the recommended dosage of lopinavir/ritonavir (i.e. 400/100 mg twice daily).
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