5.1       Potential Impacts on Cardiovascular Disease 

Alpha-adrenergic agonists may impact blood pressure. RHOFADE should be used with caution in patients with severe or unstable or uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, orthostatic hypotension, and uncontrolled hypertension or hypotension. Advise patients with cardiovascular disease, orthostatic hypotension, and/or uncontrolled hypertension/hypotension to seek immediate medical care if their condition worsens.

5.2       Potentiation of Vascular Insufficiency

RHOFADE should be used with caution in patients with cerebral or coronary insufficiency, Raynaud’s phenomenon, thromboangiitis obliterans, scleroderma, or Sjögren’s syndrome. Advise patients to seek immediate medical care if signs and symptoms of potentiation of vascular insufficiency develop. 

5.3       Risk of Angle Closure Glaucoma

RHOFADE may increase the risk of angle closure glaucoma in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma.  Advise patients to seek immediate medical care if signs and symptoms of acute angle closure glaucoma develop.

6.1       Clinical Studies Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under 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.

A total of 489 subjects with persistent facial erythema associated with rosacea were treated with RHOFADE once daily for 4 weeks in 3 controlled clinical trials. An additional 440 subjects with persistent facial erythema associated with rosacea were also treated with RHOFADE once daily for up to one year in a long-term (open-label) clinical trial.  Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 1% of subjects treated with RHOFADE through 4 weeks of treatment are presented in Table 1 below.

In the long-term (open-label) clinical trial, the rates of adverse reactions over a one-year treatment period were as follows: worsening inflammatory lesions of rosacea (3%), application site dermatitis (3%), application site pruritus (2%), application site pain (2%), and application site erythema (2%).  Subjects with persistent erythema along with inflammatory lesions were allowed to use additional therapy for the inflammatory lesions of rosacea.

7.1       Anti-hypertensives/Cardiac Glycosides

Alpha-adrenergic agonists, as a class, may impact blood pressure. Caution in using drugs such as beta-blockers, anti-hypertensives and/or cardiac glycosides is advised.

Caution should also be exercised in patients receiving alpha1 adrenergic receptor antagonists such as in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, or Raynaud's disease.

7.2       Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

Caution is advised in patients taking MAO inhibitors which can affect the metabolism and uptake of circulating amines.

8.1       Pregnancy

Risk Summary

There are no available data on RHOFADE use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk for major birth defects and miscarriage. A literature article describing intranasal decongestant use in pregnant women identified a potential association between second-trimester exposure to oxymetazoline (with no decongestant exposure in the first trimester) and renal collecting system anomalies [see Data].  In animal reproduction studies, there were no adverse developmental effects observed after oral administration of oxymetazoline hydrochloride in pregnant rats and rabbits at systemic exposures up to 3 times and 73 times, respectively, the exposure associated with the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) [see Data].  The estimated background risks of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population are unknown.  All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes.  In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively.

Clinical Considerations

Fetal/Neonatal Adverse Reactions

Following repeated use of oxymetazoline hydrochloride solution nasal spray for the treatment of nasal congestion at a dose 5 times higher than recommended, one case of fetal distress was reported in a 41-week pregnant patient. The fetal distress resolved hours later, prior to the delivery of the healthy infant. The anticipated exposures for the case are 8- to18-fold higher than plasma exposures after topical administration of RHOFADE.

Data

Human Data

No adequate and well-controlled trials of RHOFADE have been conducted in pregnant women.  Across all clinical trials of RHOFADE, two pregnancies were reported.  One pregnancy resulted in the delivery of a healthy child.  One pregnancy resulted in a spontaneous abortion, which was considered to be unrelated to the trial medication.  A literature article summarizing the results of exploratory analyses of intranasal decongestant use during pregnancy identified a potential association between second-trimester exposure to oxymetazoline hydrochloride solution (with no decongestant exposure in the first trimester) and renal collecting system anomalies.

Animal Data

Effects on embryo-fetal development were evaluated in rats and rabbits following oral administration of oxymetazoline hydrochloride during the period of organogenesis. Oxymetazoline hydrochloride did not cause adverse effects to the fetus at oral doses up to 0.2 mg/kg/day in pregnant rats during the period of organogeneisis (3 times the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis). Oxymetazoline hydrochloride did not cause adverse effects to the fetus at oral doses up to 1 mg/kg/day in pregnant rabbits during the period of organogeneisis (73 times the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis). Maternal toxicity, such as decreased maternal body weight, was produced at the high dose of 1 mg/kg/day in pregnant rabbits and was associated with findings of delayed skeletal ossification.

In a rat perinatal and postnatal development study, oxymetazoline hydrochloride was orally administered to pregnant rats once daily from gestation day 6 through lactation day 20. Maternal toxicity was produced at the high dose of 0.2 mg/kg/day (3 times the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis) in pregnant rats and was associated with an increase in pup mortality and reduced pup body weights. Delayed sexual maturation was noted at 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg/day (2 times the MRHD and 3 times the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis, respectively). Oxymetazoline hydrochloride did not have any adverse effects on fetal development at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg/day (one-half of the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis).

8.2       Lactation

No clinical data are available to assess the effects of oxymetazoline on the quantity or rate of breastmilk production, or to establish the level of oxymetazoline present in human breastmilk post-dose. Oxymetazoline was detected in the milk of lactating rats. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for RHOFADE and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from RHOFADE or from the underlying maternal condition.  

8.4       Pediatric Use

Safety and effectiveness of RHOFADE have not been established in pediatric patients below the age of 18 years.

8.5       Geriatric Use

One hundred and ninety-three subjects aged 65 years and older received treatment with RHOFADE (n = 135) or vehicle (n = 58) in clinical trials.  No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between subjects > 65 years of age and younger subjects, based on available data. Clinical studies of RHOFADE did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects.

12.1       Mechanism of Action

Oxymetazoline is an alpha1A adrenoceptor agonist. Oxymetazoline acts as a vasoconstrictor.

12.2       Pharmacodynamics

The pharmacodynamics of RHOFADE has not been studied.

12.3       Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

The pharmacokinetics of oxymetazoline was evaluated following topical administration of RHOFADE in a thin layer to cover the entire face in adult subjects with erythema associated with rosacea. The median weight of cream for each dose administration was 0.3 g. Plasma oxymetazoline concentrations were measurable in most of the subjects. Following the first dose application, the mean ± standard deviation (SD) peak concentrations (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curves from time 0 to 24 hours (AUC0-24hr) were 60.5 ± 53.9 pg/mL and 895 ±798 pg*hr/mL, respectively.  Following once daily applications for 28 days, the mean ± SD Cmax and AUC0-24hr were 66.4 ± 67.1 pg/mL and 1050 ± 992 pg*hr/mL, respectively.  Following twice daily applications (twice the recommended frequency of application) for 28 days, the mean ± SD Cmax and AUC0-24hr were 68.8 ± 61.1 pg/mL and 1530 ± 922 pg*hr/mL, respectively.

Distribution

An in vitro study demonstrated that oxymetazoline is 56.7% to 57.5% bound to human plasma proteins.

Metabolism

In vitro studies using human liver microsomes showed that oxymetazoline was minimally metabolized, generating mono-oxygenated and dehydrogenated products of oxymetazoline. The percentage of parent drug oxymetazoline remaining was 95.9% after a 120-minute incubation with human liver microsomes.

Excretion

The excretion of oxymetazoline following administration of RHOFADE has not been characterized in humans.

Drug Interaction

In vitro studies using human liver microsomes demonstrated that oxymetazoline up to the tested concentration of 100 nM had no inhibition on the activities of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes 1A2, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4/5. Treatment of cultured human hepatocytes with up to 100 nM oxymetazoline did not induce CYP1A2, CYP2B6, or CYP3A4.

13.1       Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

Oxymetazoline hydrochloride was not associated with an increased incidence of neoplastic or proliferative changes in transgenic mice given oral doses of 0.5, 1.0, or 2.5 mg/kg/day oxymetazoline hydrochloride for 6 months.

Oxymetazoline hydrochloride revealed no evidence of mutagenic or clastogenic potential based on the results of two in vitro genotoxicity tests (Ames assay and human lymphocyte chromosomal aberration assay) and one in vivo gentoxicity test (mouse micronucleus assay).

Effects on fertility and early embryonic development were evaluated in rats following oral administration of 0.05, 0.1, or 0.2 mg/kg/day oxymetazoline hydrochloride prior to and during mating and through early pregnancy.  Decreased number of corpora lutea and increased post-implantation losses were noted at 0.2 mg/kg/day oxymetazoline hydrochloride (3 times the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis). However, no treatment related effects on fertility or mating parameters were noted at 0.2 mg/kg/day oxymetazoline hydrochloride (3 times the MRHD on an AUC comparison basis).