2.1 Adult Dosage

Initiate treatment at 5 mg once daily. At 4-week intervals, the dose of ambrisentan tablets can be increased, as needed and tolerated, to 10 mg.

Do not split, crush, or chew tablets.

2.2 Pregnancy Testing in Females of Reproductive Potential

Initiate treatment with ambrisentan tablets in females of reproductive potential only after a negative pregnancy test. Obtain monthly pregnancy tests during treatment [see Use in Specific Populations (8.3)].

4.1 Pregnancy

Ambrisentan tablets may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant female. Ambrisentan tablets are contraindicated in females who are pregnant. Ambrisentan tablets were consistently shown to have teratogenic effects when administered to animals. If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to a fetus [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1, 5.2) and Use in Specific Populations (8.1)].

4.2 Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Ambrisentan tablets are contraindicated in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), including IPF patients with pulmonary hypertension (WHO Group 3) [see Clinical Studies (14.4)].

5.1 Embryo-fetal Toxicity

Ambrisentan tablets may cause fetal harm when administered during pregnancy and are contraindicated for use in females who are pregnant. In females of reproductive potential, exclude pregnancy prior to initiation of therapy, ensure use of acceptable contraceptive methods, and obtain monthly pregnancy tests [see Dosage and Administration (2.2), and Use in Specific Populations (8.1, 8.3)].

Ambrisentan tablets are only available for females through a restricted program under a REMS [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)].

5.2 Ambrisentan Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)

For all females, ambrisentan tablets are available only through a restricted program under a REMS called the Ambrisentan REMS because of the risk of embryo-fetal toxicity [see Contraindications (4.1), Warnings and Precautions (5.1), and Use in Specific Populations (8.1, 8.3)].

Important requirements of the Ambrisentan REMS include the following:

•

Prescribers must be certified with the Ambrisentan REMS by enrolling and completing training.

•

All females, regardless of reproductive potential, must enroll in the Ambrisentan REMS prior to initiating ambrisentan tablets. Male patients are not enrolled in the REMS.

•

Females of reproductive potential must comply with the pregnancy testing and contraception requirements [see Use in Specific Populations (8.3)].

•

Pharmacies that dispense ambrisentan tablets must be certified with the Ambrisentan REMS and must dispense to female patients who are authorized to receive ambrisentan tablets.

Further information is available at www.ambrisentanrems.us.com or 1-888-417-3172.

5.3 Fluid Retention

Peripheral edema is a known class effect of endothelin receptor antagonists, and is also a clinical consequence of PAH and worsening PAH. In the placebo-controlled studies, there was an increased incidence of peripheral edema in patients treated with doses of 5 or 10 mg ambrisentan tablets compared to placebo [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)]. Most edema was mild to moderate in severity.

In addition, there have been postmarketing reports of fluid retention in patients with pulmonary hypertension, occurring within weeks after starting ambrisentan tablets. Patients required intervention with a diuretic, fluid management, or, in some cases, hospitalization for decompensating heart failure.

If clinically significant fluid retention develops, with or without associated weight gain, further evaluation should be undertaken to determine the cause, such as ambrisentan tablets or underlying heart failure, and the possible need for specific treatment or discontinuation of ambrisentan tablets therapy.

5.4 Pulmonary Edema with Pulmonary Veno-occlusive Disease (PVOD)

If patients develop acute pulmonary edema during initiation of therapy with vasodilating agents such as ambrisentan tablets, the possibility of PVOD should be considered, and if confirmed ambrisentan tablets should be discontinued.

5.5 Decreased Sperm Counts

Decreased sperm counts have been observed in human and animal studies with another endothelin receptor antagonist and in animal fertility studies with ambrisentan. Ambrisentan tablets may have an adverse effect on spermatogenesis. Counsel patients about potential effects on fertility [see Use in Specific Populations (8.6) and Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1)].

5.6 Hematological Changes

Decreases in hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit have followed administration of other endothelin receptor antagonists and were observed in clinical studies with ambrisentan tablets. These decreases were observed within the first few weeks of treatment with ambrisentan tablets, and stabilized thereafter. The mean decrease in hemoglobin from baseline to end of treatment for those patients receiving ambrisentan tablets in the 12-week placebo-controlled studies was 0.8 g/dL.

Marked decreases in hemoglobin (> 15% decrease from baseline resulting in a value below the lower limit of normal) were observed in 7% of all patients receiving ambrisentan tablets (and 10% of patients receiving 10 mg) compared to 4% of patients receiving placebo. The cause of the decrease in hemoglobin is unknown, but it does not appear to result from hemorrhage or hemolysis.

In the long-term open-label extension of the two pivotal clinical studies, mean decreases from baseline (ranging from 0.9 to 1.2 g/dL) in hemoglobin concentrations persisted for up to 4 years of treatment.

There have been postmarketing reports of decreases in hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit that have resulted in anemia requiring transfusion.

Measure hemoglobin prior to initiation of ambrisentan tablets, at one month, and periodically thereafter. Initiation of ambrisentan tablets therapy is not recommended for patients with clinically significant anemia. If a clinically significant decrease in hemoglobin is observed and other causes have been excluded, consider discontinuing ambrisentan tablets.

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.

Safety data for ambrisentan tablets are presented from two 12-week, placebo-controlled studies (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The exposure to ambrisentan in these studies ranged from 6 days to 100 days.

In ARIES-1 and ARIES-2, a total of 261 patients received ambrisentan tablets at doses of 2.5, 5, or 10 mg once daily and 132 patients received placebo. The adverse reactions that occurred in > 3% more patients receiving ambrisentan tablets than receiving placebo are shown in Table 1.

Most adverse drug reactions were mild to moderate and only nasal congestion was dose-dependent.

Few notable differences in the incidence of adverse reactions were observed for patients by age or sex. Peripheral edema was similar in younger patients (< 65 years) receiving ambrisentan tablets (14%; 29/205) or placebo (13%; 13/104), and was greater in elderly patients (≥ 65 years) receiving ambrisentan tablets (29%; 16/56) compared to placebo (4%; 1/28). The results of such subgroup analyses must be interpreted cautiously.

The incidence of treatment discontinuations due to adverse events other than those related to PAH during the clinical trials in patients with PAH was similar for ambrisentan tablets (2%; 5/261 patients) and placebo (2%; 3/132 patients). The incidence of patients with serious adverse events other than those related to PAH during the clinical trials in patients with PAH was similar for placebo (7%; 9/132 patients) and for ambrisentan tablets (5%; 13/261 patients).

During 12-week controlled clinical trials, the incidence of aminotransferase elevations > 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) were 0% on ambrisentan tablets and 2.3% on placebo. In practice, cases of hepatic injury should be carefully evaluated for cause.

6.2 Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions were identified during post-approval use of ambrisentan tablets. Because these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not possible to estimate reliably the frequency or to establish a causal relationship to drug exposure: anemia requiring transfusion [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6)], heart failure (associated with fluid retention), symptomatic hypotension, and hypersensitivity (e.g., angioedema, rash).

Elevations of liver aminotransferases (ALT, AST) have been reported with ambrisentan tablets use; in most cases alternative causes of the liver injury could be identified (heart failure, hepatic congestion, hepatitis, alcohol use, hepatotoxic medications). Other endothelin receptor antagonists have been associated with elevations of aminotransferases, hepatotoxicity, and cases of liver failure [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].

8.1 Pregnancy

8.2 Lactation

8.3 Females and Males of Reproductive Potential

8.4 Pediatric Use

Safety and effectiveness of ambrisentan tablets in pediatric patients have not been established.

8.5 Geriatric Use

In the two placebo-controlled clinical studies of ambrisentan tablets, 21% of patients were ≥ 65 years old and 5% were ≥ 75 years old. The elderly (age ≥ 65 years) showed less improvement in walk distances with ambrisentan tablets than younger patients did, but the results of such subgroup analyses must be interpreted cautiously. Peripheral edema was more common in the elderly than in younger patients.

8.6 Renal Impairment

The impact of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of ambrisentan has been examined using a population pharmacokinetic approach in PAH patients with creatinine clearances ranging between 20 and 150 mL/min. There was no significant impact of mild or moderate renal impairment on exposure to ambrisentan [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. Dose adjustment of ambrisentan tablets in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment is therefore not required. There is no information on the exposure to ambrisentan in patients with severe renal impairment.

The impact of hemodialysis on the disposition of ambrisentan has not been investigated.

8.7 Hepatic Impairment

12.1 Mechanism of Action

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent autocrine and paracrine peptide. Two receptor subtypes, ETA and ETB, mediate the effects of ET-1 in the vascular smooth muscle and endothelium. The primary actions of ETA are vasoconstriction and cell proliferation, while the predominant actions of ETB are vasodilation, antiproliferation, and ET-1 clearance.

In patients with PAH, plasma ET-1 concentrations are increased as much as 10-fold and correlate with increased mean right atrial pressure and disease severity. ET-1 and ET-1 mRNA concentrations are increased as much as 9-fold in the lung tissue of patients with PAH, primarily in the endothelium of pulmonary arteries. These findings suggest that ET-1 may play a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of PAH.

Ambrisentan is a high-affinity (Ki = 0.011 nM) ETA receptor antagonist with a high selectivity for the ETA versus ETB receptor (> 4000-fold). The clinical impact of high selectivity for ETA is not known.

12.2 Pharmacodynamics

12.3 Pharmacokinetics

The pharmacokinetics of ambrisentan (S-ambrisentan) in healthy subjects is dose proportional. The absolute bioavailability of ambrisentan is not known. Ambrisentan is absorbed with peak concentrations occurring approximately 2 hours after oral administration in healthy subjects and PAH patients. Food does not affect its bioavailability. In vitro studies indicate that ambrisentan is a substrate of P-gp. Ambrisentan is highly bound to plasma proteins (99%). The elimination of ambrisentan is predominantly by non-renal pathways, but the relative contributions of metabolism and biliary elimination have not been well characterized. In plasma, the AUC of 4-hydroxymethyl ambrisentan accounts for approximately 4% relative to parent ambrisentan AUC. The in vivo inversion of S-ambrisentan to R-ambrisentan is negligible. The mean oral clearance of ambrisentan is 38 mL/min and 19 mL/min in healthy subjects and in PAH patients, respectively. Although ambrisentan has a 15-hour terminal half-life, the mean trough concentration of ambrisentan at steady-state is about 15% of the mean peak concentration and the accumulation factor is about 1.2 after long-term daily dosing, indicating that the effective half-life of ambrisentan is about 9 hours.

Drug Interactions

In Vitro Studies

Studies with human liver tissue indicate that ambrisentan is metabolized by CYP3A, CYP2C19, and uridine 5’-diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) 1A9S, 2B7S, and 1A3S. In vitro studies suggest that ambrisentan is a substrate of the Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, and P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Drug interactions might be expected because of these factors; however, a clinically relevant interaction has been demonstrated only with cyclosporine [see Drug Interactions (7)]. In vitro studies found ambrisentan to have little to no inhibition of human hepatic transporters. Ambrisentan demonstrated weak dose-dependent inhibition of OATP1B1, OATP1B3, and NTCP (IC50 of 47 μM, 45 μM, and approximately 100 μM, respectively) and no transporter-specific inhibition of BSEP, BRCP, P-gp, or MRP2. Ambrisentan does not inhibit or induce drug metabolizing enzymes at clinically relevant concentrations.

In Vivo Studies

The effects of other drugs on ambrisentan pharmacokinetics and the effects of ambrisentan on the exposure to other drugs are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively.

Figure 2: Effects of Other Drugs on Ambrisentan Pharmacokinetics

  

Figure 3: Effects of Ambrisentan on Other Drugs

    

13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

Oral carcinogenicity studies of up to two years duration were conducted at starting doses of 10, 30, and 60 mg/kg/day in rats (8 to 48 times the maximum recommended human dose [MRHD] on a mg/m2 basis) and at 50, 150, and 250 mg/kg/day in mice (28 to 140 times the MRHD). In the rat study, the high- and mid-dose male and female groups had their doses lowered to 40 and 20 mg/kg/day, respectively, in week 51 because of effects on survival. The high-dose males and females were taken off drug completely in weeks 69 and 93, respectively. The only evidence of ambrisentan-related carcinogenicity was a positive trend in male rats, for the combined incidence of benign basal cell tumor and basal cell carcinoma of skin/subcutis in the mid-dose group (high-dose group excluded from analysis), and the occurrence of mammary fibroadenomas in males in the high-dose group. In the mouse study, high-dose male and female groups had their doses lowered to 150 mg/kg/day in week 39 and were taken off drug completely in week 96 (males) or week 76 (females). In mice, ambrisentan was not associated with excess tumors in any dosed group.

Positive findings of clastogenicity were detected, at drug concentrations producing moderate to high toxicity, in the chromosome aberration assay in cultured human lymphocytes. There was no evidence for genetic toxicity of ambrisentan when tested in vitro in bacteria (Ames test) or in vivo in rats (micronucleus assay, unscheduled DNA synthesis assay).

The development of testicular tubular atrophy and impaired fertility has been linked to the chronic administration of endothelin receptor antagonists in rodents. Testicular tubular degeneration was observed in rats treated with ambrisentan for two years at doses ≥ 10 mg/kg/day (8-fold MRHD). Increased incidences of testicular findings were also observed in mice treated for two years at doses ≥ 50 mg/kg/day (28-fold MRHD). Effects on sperm count, sperm morphology, mating performance, and fertility were observed in fertility studies in which male rats were treated with ambrisentan at oral doses of 300 mg/kg/day (236-fold MRHD). At doses of ≥ 10 mg/kg/day, observations of testicular histopathology in the absence of fertility and sperm effects were also present.

14.1 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)

Two 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter studies were conducted in 393 patients with PAH (WHO Group 1). The two studies were identical in design except for the doses of ambrisentan tablets and the geographic region of the investigational sites. ARIES-1 compared once-daily doses of 5 mg and 10 mg ambrisentan tablets to placebo, while ARIES-2 compared once-daily doses of 2.5 mg and 5 mg ambrisentan tablets to placebo. In both studies, ambrisentan tablets or placebo was added to current therapy, which could have included a combination of anticoagulants, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, or digoxin, but not epoprostenol, treprostinil, iloprost, bosentan, or sildenafil. The primary study endpoint was 6-minute walk distance. In addition, clinical worsening, WHO functional class, dyspnea, and SF-36® Health Survey were assessed.

Patients had idiopathic or heritable PAH (64%) or PAH associated with connective tissue diseases (32%), HIV infection (3%), or anorexigen use (1%). There were no patients with PAH associated with congenital heart disease.

Patients had WHO functional class I (2%), II (38%), III (55%), or IV (5%) symptoms at baseline. The mean age of patients was 50 years, 79% of patients were female, and 77% were Caucasian.

Submaximal Exercise Ability

Results of the 6-minute walk distance at 12 weeks for the ARIES-1 and ARIES-2 studies are shown in Table 3 and Figure 4.

Table 3: Changes from Baseline in 6-Minute Walk Distance (meters) (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2)

Mean ± standard deviation
* p- values are Wilcoxon rank sum test comparisons of ambrisentan tablets to placebo at Week 12 stratified by idiopathic or heritable PAH and non-idiopathic, non-heritable PAH patients
	ARIES-1			ARIES-2
	Placebo (N = 67)	5 mg (N = 67)	10 mg (N = 67)	Placebo (N = 65)	2.5 mg (N = 64)	5 mg (N = 63)
Baseline	342 ± 73	340 ± 77	342 ± 78	343 ± 86	347 ± 84	355 ± 84
Mean change from baseline	-8 ± 79	23 ± 83	44 ± 63	-10 ± 94	22 ± 83	49 ± 75
Placebo-adjusted mean change from baseline	_	31	51	_	32	59
Placebo-adjusted median change from baseline	_	27	39	_	30	45
p-value*	_	0.008	< 0.001	_	0.022	< 0.001

 

Figure 4: Mean Change in 6-Minute Walk Distance (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2)

In both studies, treatment with ambrisentan tablets resulted in a significant improvement in 6-minute walk distance for each dose of ambrisentan tablets and the improvements increased with dose. An increase in 6-minute walk distance was observed after 4 weeks of treatment with ambrisentan tablets, with a dose-response observed after 12 weeks of treatment. Improvements in walk distance with ambrisentan tablets were smaller for elderly patients (age ≥ 65) than younger patients and for patients with secondary PAH than for patients with idiopathic or heritable PAH. The results of such subgroup analyses must be interpreted cautiously.

Clinical Worsening

Time to clinical worsening of PAH was defined as the first occurrence of death, lung transplantation, hospitalization for PAH, atrial septostomy, study withdrawal due to the addition of other PAH therapeutic agents, or study withdrawal due to early escape. Early escape was defined as meeting two or more of the following criteria: a 20% decrease in the 6-minute walk distance; an increase in WHO functional class; worsening right ventricular failure; rapidly progressing cardiogenic, hepatic, or renal failure; or refractory systolic hypotension. The clinical worsening events during the 12-week treatment period of the ambrisentan tablets clinical trials are shown in Table 4 and Figure 5.

Table 4: Time to Clinical Worsening (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2)

Intention-to-treat population. Note: Patients may have had more than one reason for clinical worsening. Nominal p-values
	ARIES-1		ARIES-2
	Placebo (N = 67)	Ambrisentan Tablets (N = 134)	Placebo (N = 65)	Ambrisentan Tablets (N = 127)
Clinical worsening, no. (%)	7 (10%)	4 (3%)	13 (22%)	8 (6%)
Hazard ratio	_	0.28	_	0.30
p-value, Log-rank test	_	0.030	_	0.005

Figure 5: Time to Clinical Worsening (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2)

   

14.3 Long-term Treatment of PAH

In long-term follow-up of patients who were treated with ambrisentan tablets (2.5 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg once daily) in the two pivotal studies and their open-label extension (N = 383), Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival at 1, 2, and 3 years were 93%, 85%, and 79%, respectively. Of the patients who remained on ambrisentan tablets for up to 3 years, the majority received no other treatment for PAH. These uncontrolled observations do not allow comparison with a group not given ambrisentan tablets and cannot be used to determine the long-term effect of ambrisentan tablets on mortality.

14.4 Adverse Effects in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)

A randomized controlled study in patients with IPF, with or without pulmonary hypertension (WHO Group 3), compared ambrisentan tablets (N = 329) to placebo (N = 163). The study was terminated after 34 weeks for lack of efficacy, and was found to demonstrate a greater risk of disease progression or death on ambrisentan tablets. More patients taking ambrisentan tablets died (8% vs. 4%), had a respiratory hospitalization (13% vs. 6%), and had a decrease in FVC/DLCO (17% vs. 12%) [see Contraindications (4.2)].