1.1 Treatment and Prevention of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

BONIVA is indicated for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. BONIVA increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces the incidence of vertebral fractures.

1.2 Important Limitations of Use

The optimal duration of use has not been determined. The safety and effectiveness of BONIVA for the treatment of osteoporosis are based on clinical data of three years duration. All patients on bisphosphonate therapy should have the need for continued therapy re-evaluated on a periodic basis. Patients at low-risk for fracture should be considered for drug discontinuation after 3 to 5 years of use. Patients who discontinue therapy should have their risk for fracture re-evaluated periodically.

2.1 Dosage Information

The dose of BONIVA is one 150 mg tablet taken once monthly on the same date each month.

2.2 Important Administration Instructions

Instruct Patients to do the following:

• Take BONIVA at least 60 minutes before the first food or drink (other than water) of the day or before taking any oral medication or supplementation, including calcium, antacids, or vitamins to maximize absorption and clinical benefit, (see DRUG INTERACTIONS [7.1]). Avoid the use of water with supplements including mineral water because they may have a higher concentration of calcium.
• Swallow BONIVA tablets whole with a full glass of plain water (6 to 8 oz) while standing or sitting in an upright position to reduce the potential for esophageal irritation. Avoid lying down for 60 minutes after taking BONIVA (see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS [5.1]). Do not chew or suck the tablet because of a potential for oropharyngeal ulceration.
• Do not eat, drink anything except plain water, or take other medications for at least 60 minutes after taking BONIVA.

2.3 Recommendations for Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation

Instruct patients to take supplemental calcium and vitamin D if their dietary intake is inadequate. Avoid the use of calcium supplements within 60 minutes of BONIVA administration because co-administration of BONIVA and calcium may interfere with the absorption of ibandronate sodium (see DRUG INTERACTIONS [7.1]).

2.4 Administration Instructions for Missed Once-Monthly Doses

If the once-monthly dose is missed, instruct patients to do the following:

• If the next scheduled BONIVA day is more than 7 days away, take one BONIVA 150 mg tablet in the morning following the date that it is remembered.
• If the next scheduled BONIVA day is only 1 to 7 days away, wait until the subsequent month's scheduled BONIVA day to take their tablet.

For subsequent monthly doses for both of the above scenarios, instruct patients to return to their original schedule by taking one BONIVA 150 mg tablet every month on their previous chosen day.

5.1 Upper Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions

BONIVA, like other bisphosphonates administered orally, may cause local irritation of the upper gastrointestinal mucosa. Because of these possible irritant effects and a potential for worsening of the underlying disease, caution should be used when BONIVA is given to patients with active upper gastrointestinal problems (such as known Barrett's esophagus, dysphagia, other esophageal diseases, gastritis, duodenitis or ulcers).

Esophageal adverse experiences, such as esophagitis, esophageal ulcers and esophageal erosions, occasionally with bleeding and rarely followed by esophageal stricture or perforation, have been reported in patients receiving treatment with oral bisphosphonates. In some cases, these have been severe and required hospitalization. Physicians should therefore be alert to any signs or symptoms signaling a possible esophageal reaction and patients should be instructed to discontinue BONIVA and seek medical attention if they develop dysphagia, odynophagia, retrosternal pain or new or worsening heartburn.

The risk of severe esophageal adverse experiences appears to be greater in patients who lie down after taking oral bisphosphonates and/or who fail to swallow it with the recommended full glass (6-8 oz) of water, and/or who continue to take oral bisphosphonates after developing symptoms suggestive of esophageal irritation. Therefore, it is very important that the full dosing instructions are provided to, and understood by, the patient (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION [2.2]). In patients who cannot comply with dosing instructions due to mental disability, therapy with BONIVA should be used under appropriate supervision.

There have been post-marketing reports of gastric and duodenal ulcers with oral bisphosphonate use, some severe and with complications, although no increased risk was observed in controlled clinical trials.

5.2 Hypocalcemia and Mineral Metabolism

Hypocalcemia has been reported in patients taking BONIVA. Treat hypocalcemia and other disturbances of bone and mineral metabolism before starting BONIVA therapy. Instruct patients to take supplemental calcium and vitamin D if their dietary intake is inadequate (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION [2.3]).

5.3 Musculoskeletal Pain

Severe and occasionally incapacitating bone, joint, and/or muscle pain has been reported in patients taking BONIVA and other bisphosphonates (see ADVERSE REACTIONS [6]). The time to onset of symptoms varied from one day to several months after starting the drug. Most patients had relief of symptoms after stopping. A subset had recurrence of symptoms when rechallenged with the same drug or another bisphosphonate. Consider discontinuing use if severe symptoms develop.

5.4 Jaw Osteonecrosis

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), which can occur spontaneously, is generally associated with tooth extraction and/or local infection with delayed healing, and has been reported in patients taking bisphosphonates, including BONIVA. Known risk factors for osteonecrosis of the jaw include invasive dental procedures (e.g., tooth extraction, dental implants, boney surgery), diagnosis of cancer, concomitant therapies (e.g., chemotherapy, corticosteroids, angiogenesis inhibitors), poor oral hygiene, and co-morbid disorders (e.g., periodontal and/or other pre-existing dental disease, anemia, coagulopathy, infection, ill-fitting dentures). The risk of ONJ may increase with duration of exposure to bisphosphonates.

For patients requiring invasive dental procedures, discontinuation of bisphosphonate treatment may reduce the risk for ONJ. Clinical judgment of the treating physician and/or oral surgeon should guide the management plan of each patient based on individual benefit/risk assessment.

Patients who develop osteonecrosis of the jaw while on bisphosphonate therapy should receive care by an oral surgeon. In these patients, extensive dental surgery to treat ONJ may exacerbate the condition. Discontinuation of bisphosphonate therapy should be considered based on individual benefit/risk assessment.

5.5 Atypical Subtrochanteric and Diaphyseal Femoral Fractures

Atypical, low-energy, or low-trauma fractures of the femoral shaft have been reported in bisphosphonate-treated patients. These fractures can occur anywhere in the femoral shaft from just below the lesser trochanter to above the supracondylar flare and are transverse or short oblique in orientation without evidence of comminution. Causality has not been established as these fractures also occur in osteoporotic patients who have not been treated with bisphosphonates.

Atypical femur fractures most commonly occur with minimal or no trauma to the affected area. They may be bilateral and many patients report prodromal pain in the affected area, usually presenting as dull, aching thigh pain, weeks to months before a complete fracture occurs. A number of reports note that patients were also receiving treatment with glucocorticoids (e.g., prednisone) at the time of fracture.

Any patient with a history of bisphosphonate exposure who presents with thigh or groin pain should be suspected of having an atypical fracture and should be evaluated to rule out an incomplete femur fracture. Patients presenting with an atypical fracture should also be assessed for symptoms and signs of fracture in the contralateral limb. Interruption of bisphosphonate therapy should be considered, pending a risk/benefit assessment, on an individual basis.

5.6 Severe Renal Impairment

BONIVA is not recommended for use in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance of less than 30 mL/min).

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 practice.

6.2 Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of BONIVA. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

7.1 Calcium Supplements/Antacids

Products containing calcium and other multivalent cations (such as aluminum, magnesium, iron) are likely to interfere with absorption of BONIVA. Therefore, instruct patients to take BONIVA at least 60 minutes before any oral medications, including medications containing multivalent cations (such as antacids, supplements or vitamins). Also, patients should wait at least 60 minutes after dosing before taking any other oral medications (see Dosage and Administration [2.3]).

7.2 Aspirin/Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Because aspirin, NSAIDs, and bisphosphonates are all associated with gastrointestinal irritation, caution should be exercised in the concomitant use of aspirin or NSAIDs with BONIVA.

7.3 H2 Blockers

In healthy volunteers, co-administration with ranitidine resulted in a 20% increased bioavailability of ibandronate, which was not considered to be clinically relevant (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY [12.3]).

7.4 Drug/Laboratory Test Interactions

Bisphosphonates are known to interfere with the use of bone-imaging agents. Specific studies with ibandronate have not been performed.

8.1 Pregnancy

8.2 Lactation

8.4 Pediatric Use

Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.

8.5 Geriatric Use

Of the patients receiving BONIVA 2.5 mg daily in postmenopausal osteoporosis studies, 52% were over 65 years of age, and 10% were over 75 years of age. Of the patients receiving BONIVA 150 mg once-monthly in the postmenopausal osteoporosis 1-year study, 52% were over 65 years of age, and 9% were over 75 years of age. No overall differences in effectiveness or safety were observed between these patients and younger patients but greater sensitivity in some older individuals cannot be ruled out.

8.6 Renal Impairment

BONIVA is not recommended for use in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min).

12.1 Mechanism of Action

The action of ibandronate on bone tissue is based on its affinity for hydroxyapatite, which is part of the mineral matrix of bone. Ibandronate inhibits osteoclast activity and reduces bone resorption and turnover. In postmenopausal women, it reduces the elevated rate of bone turnover, leading to, on average, a net gain in bone mass.

12.2 Pharmacodynamics

Osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mass and increased fracture risk, most commonly at the spine, hip, and wrist. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a finding of low bone mass, evidence of fracture on x-ray, a history of osteoporotic fracture, or height loss or kyphosis indicative of vertebral fracture. While osteoporosis occurs in both men and women, it is most common among women following menopause. In healthy humans, bone formation and resorption are closely linked; old bone is resorbed and replaced by newly formed bone. In postmenopausal osteoporosis, bone resorption exceeds bone formation, leading to bone loss and increased risk of fracture. After menopause, the risk of fractures of the spine and hip increases; approximately 40% of 50-year-old women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their remaining lifetimes.

BONIVA produced biochemical changes indicative of dose-dependent inhibition of bone resorption, including decreases of biochemical markers of bone collagen degradation (such as deoxypyridinoline, and cross-linked C-telopeptide of Type I collagen) in the daily dose range of 0.25 mg to 5 mg and once-monthly doses from 100 mg to 150 mg in postmenopausal women.

Treatment with 2.5 mg daily BONIVA resulted in decreases in biochemical markers of bone turnover, including urinary C-terminal telopeptide of Type I collagen (uCTX) and serum osteocalcin, to levels similar to those in premenopausal women. Changes in markers of bone formation were observed later than changes in resorption markers, as expected, due to the coupled nature of bone resorption and formation. Treatment with 2.5 mg daily BONIVA decreased levels of uCTX within 1 month of starting treatment and decreased levels of osteocalcin within 3 months. Bone turnover markers reached a nadir of approximately 64% below baseline values by 6 months of treatment and remained stable with continued treatment for up to 3 years. Following treatment discontinuation, there is a return to pretreatment baseline rates of elevated bone resorption associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

In a 1-year, study comparing once-monthly vs. once-daily oral dosing regimens, the median decrease from baseline in serum CTX values was -76% for patients treated with the 150 mg once-monthly regimen and -67% for patients treated with the 2.5 mg daily regimen. In a 1-year, prevention study comparing BONIVA 150 mg once-monthly to placebo, the median placebo-subtracted decrease in sCTX was -49.8%.

12.3 Pharmacokinetics

13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

13.2 Animal Pharmacology

Animal studies have shown that ibandronate is an inhibitor of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. In the Schenk assay in growing rats, ibandronate inhibited bone resorption and increased bone volume, based on histologic examination of the tibial metaphyses. There was no evidence of impaired mineralization at the highest dose of 5 mg/kg/day (subcutaneously), which is 1000 times the lowest antiresorptive dose of 0.005 mg/kg/day in this model, and 5000 times the optimal antiresorptive dose of 0.001 mg/kg/day in the aged ovariectomized rat. This indicates that BONIVA administered at therapeutic doses is unlikely to induce osteomalacia.

Long-term daily or once-monthly intermittent administration of ibandronate to ovariectomized rats or monkeys was associated with suppression of bone turnover and increases in bone mass. In both rats and monkeys, vertebral BMD, trabecular density, and biomechanical strength were increased dose-dependently at doses up to 15 times the recommended human daily oral dose of 2.5 mg, or cumulative monthly doses up to 8 times (rat) or 6 times (monkey) the recommended human once-monthly oral dose of 150 mg, based on body surface area (mg/m2) or area under the curve (AUC) comparison. In monkeys, ibandronate maintained the positive correlation between bone mass and strength at the ulna and femoral neck. New bone formed in the presence of ibandronate had normal histologic structure and did not show mineralization defects.

14.1 Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

14.2 Prevention of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

16.1 How Supplied

BONIVA 150 mg tablets: supplied as white, oblong, film-coated tablets, engraved with "BNVA" on one side and "150" on the other side. Packaged as a three-month supply in:

A box with 1 blister pack containing 3 tablets (NDC 0004-0186-83).

16.2 Storage and Handling

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted between 15° and 30°C (59° and 86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature].

17.1 Information for Patients

Instruct patients to read the Medication Guide carefully before taking BONIVA and to re-read it each time the prescription is renewed because it contains important information the patient should know about BONIVA. The Medication Guide also includes the dosing instructions in order to maximize absorption and clinical benefit.

• BONIVA should be taken at least 60 minutes before the first food or drink (other than water) of the day and before taking any oral medication or supplementation including calcium, antacids or vitamins (see DRUG INTERACTIONS [7.1]).
• To facilitate delivery to the stomach, and thus reduce the potential for esophageal irritation, BONIVA tablets should be swallowed whole with a full glass of plain water (6 to 8 oz) while the patient is standing or sitting in an upright position. Patients should not lie down for 60 minutes after taking BONIVA.
• Patients should not eat, drink anything except for water, or take other medications for 60 minutes after taking BONIVA.
• Plain water is the only drink that should be taken with BONIVA. Note that some mineral waters may have a higher concentration of calcium and therefore should not be used.
• Patients should not chew or suck the tablet because of a potential for oropharyngeal ulceration.
• The BONIVA 150 mg tablet should be taken on the same date each month (i.e., the patient's BONIVA day).
• The patient must not take two 150 mg tablets within the same week.
• If the once-monthly dose is missed, and the patient's next scheduled BONIVA day is more than 7 days away, the patient should be instructed to take one BONIVA 150 mg tablet in the morning following the date that it is remembered (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION [2.3]). The patient should then return to taking one BONIVA 150 mg tablet every month in the morning of their chosen day, according to their original schedule.
• If the once-monthly dose is missed, and the patient's next scheduled BONIVA day is only 1 to 7 days away, the patient must wait until the subsequent month's scheduled BONIVA day to take their tablet. The patient should then return to taking one BONIVA 150 mg tablet every month in the morning of their chosen day, according to their original schedule.

Patients should receive supplemental calcium and vitamin D if dietary intake is inadequate. Intake of supplemental calcium and vitamin D should be delayed for at least 60 minutes following oral administration of BONIVA in order to maximize absorption of BONIVA.

Physicians should be alert to signs or symptoms signaling a possible esophageal reaction during therapy, and patients should be instructed to discontinue BONIVA and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of esophageal irritation such as new or worsening dysphagia, pain on swallowing, retrosternal pain, or heartburn.