ALYACEN 7/7/7 norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol Kit — NDC 68462-556-29 (Billing 68462-0556-29)

WARNINGS Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events from combination oral contraceptive use. This risk increases with age, particularly in women over 35 years of age, and with the number of cigarettes smoked. For this reason, combination oral contraceptives, including ALYACEN 7/7/7 and ALYACEN 1/35, should not be used by women who are over 35 years of age and smoke.

The use of oral contraceptives is associated with increased risks of several serious conditions including myocardial infarction, thromboembolism, stroke, hepatic neoplasia, and gallbladder disease, although the risk of serious morbidity or mortality is very small in healthy women without underlying risk factors. The risk of morbidity and mortality increases significantly in the presence of other underlying risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemias, obesity and diabetes. Practitioners prescribing oral contraceptives should be familiar with the following information relating to these risks.

The information contained in this package insert is principally based on studies carried out in patients who used oral contraceptives with higher formulations of estrogens and progestogens than those in common use today. The effect of long-term use of the oral contraceptives with lower formulations of both estrogens and progestogens remains to be determined. Throughout this labeling, epidemiological studies reported are of two types: retrospective or case control studies and prospective or cohort studies.

Case control studies provide a measure of the relative risk of a disease, namely, a ratio of the incidence of a disease among oral contraceptive users to that among nonusers. The relative risk does not provide information on the actual clinical occurrence of a disease. Cohort studies provide a measure of attributable risk, which is the difference in the incidence of disease between oral contraceptive users and nonusers.

The attributable risk does provide information about the actual occurrence of a disease in the population (adapted from refs. 2 and 3 with the author's permission). For further information, the reader is referred to a text on epidemiological methods.

1. Thromboembolic Disorders and Other Vascular Problems a. Myocardial Infarction An increased risk of myocardial infarction has been attributed to oral contraceptive use.

This risk is primarily in smokers or women with other underlying risk factors for coronary artery disease such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, morbid obesity, and diabetes. The relative risk of heart attack for current oral contraceptive users has been estimated to be two to six. 4–10 The risk is very low under the age of 30.

Smoking in combination with oral contraceptive use has been shown to contribute substantially to the incidence of myocardial infarctions in women in their mid-thirties or older with smoking accounting for the majority of excess cases. 11 Mortality rates associated with circulatory disease have been shown to increase substantially in smokers, especially in those 35 years of age and older, and in nonsmokers over the age of 40 among women who use oral contraceptives. (See Figure 1).

Figure 1. Circulatory Disease Mortality Rates per 100,000 Women-Years by Age, Smoking Status and Oral Contraceptive Use (Adapted from P.M. Layde and V.

Beral, ref. #12.) Oral contraceptives may compound the effects of well-known risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemias, age and obesity. 13 In particular, some progestogens are known to decrease HDL cholesterol and cause glucose intolerance, while estrogens may create a state of hyperinsulinism. 14–18 Oral contraceptives have been shown to increase blood pressure among users (see Section 10 in WARNINGS).

Similar effects on risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Oral contraceptives must be used with caution in women with cardiovascular disease risk factors. figure1 b. Thromboembolism An increased risk of thr… [Excerpted — this section continues on DailyMed.]

ADVERSE REACTIONS An increased risk of the following serious adverse reactions has been associated with the use of oral contraceptives (See WARNINGS ). • Thrombophlebitis and venous thrombosis with or without embolism • Arterial thromboembolism • Pulmonary embolism • Myocardial infarction • Cerebral hemorrhage • Cerebral thrombosis • Hypertension • Gallbladder disease • Hepatic adenomas or benign liver tumors There is evidence of an association between the following conditions and the use of oral contraceptives: • Mesenteric thrombosis • Retinal thrombosis The following adverse reactions have been reported in patients receiving oral contraceptives and are believed to be drug-related: • Nausea • Vomiting • Gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal cramps and bloating) • Breakthrough bleeding • Spotting • Change in menstrual flow • Amenorrhea • Temporary infertility after discontinuation of treatment • Edema • Melasma which may persist • Breast changes: tenderness, enlargement, secretion • Change in weight (increase or decrease) • Change in cervical erosion and secretion • Diminution in lactation when given immediately postpartum • Cholestatic jaundice • Migraine • Allergic reaction, including rash, urticaria, angioedema • Mental depression • Reduced tolerance to carbohydrates • Vaginal candidiasis • Change in corneal curvature (steepening) • Intolerance to contact lenses The following adverse reactions have been reported in users of oral contraceptives and a causal association has been neither confirmed nor refuted: • Pre-menstrual syndrome • Cataracts • Changes in appetite • Cystitis-like syndrome • Headache • Nervousness • Dizziness • Hirsutism • Loss of scalp hair • Erythema multiforme • Erythema nodosum • Hemorrhagic eruption • Vaginitis • Porphyria • Impaired renal function • Hemolytic uremic syndrome • Acne • Changes in libido • Colitis • Budd-Chiari Syndrome The following adverse reactions were also reported in clinical trials or during post-marketing experience: Gastrointestinal Disorders: diarrhea, pancreatitis; Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: muscle spasms, back pain; Reproductive System and Breast Disorders vulvovaginal pruritus , pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, vulvovaginal dryness; Psychiatric Disorders: anxiety, mood swings, mood altered; Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: pruritus, photosensitivity reaction; General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: edema peripheral, fatigue, irritability, asthenia, malaise; Neoplasms Benign, Malignant, and Unspecified (Including Cysts and Polyps): breast cancer, breast mass, breast neoplasm, cervix carcinoma; Immune System Disorders: anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reaction ; Hepatobiliary Disorders: hepatitis, cholelithiasis.

PRECAUTIONS 1. General Patients should be counseled that this product does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases. 2.

Physical Examination and Follow-Up It is good medical practice for all women to have annual history and physical examinations, including women using oral contraceptives. The physical examination, however, may be deferred until after initiation of oral contraceptives if requested by the woman and judged appropriate by the clinician. The physical examination should include special reference to blood pressure, breasts, abdomen and pelvic organs, including cervical cytology, and relevant laboratory tests.

In case of undiagnosed, persistent or recurrent abnormal vaginal bleeding, appropriate measures should be conducted to rule out malignancy. Women with a strong family history of breast cancer or who have breast nodules should be monitored with particular care. 3.

Lipid Disorders Women who are being treated for hyperlipidemias should be followed closely if they elect to use oral contraceptives. Some progestogens may elevate LDL levels and may render the control of hyperlipidemias more difficult. 4.

Liver Function If jaundice develops in any woman receiving such drugs, the medication should be discontinued. Steroid hormones may be poorly metabolized in patients with impaired liver function. 5.

Fluid Retention Oral contraceptives may cause some degree of fluid retention. They should be prescribed with caution, and only with careful monitoring, in patients with conditions which might be aggravated by fluid retention. 6.

Emotional Disorders Women with a history of depression should be carefully observed and the drug discontinued if depression recurs to a serious degree. 7. Contact Lenses Contact lens wearers who develop visual changes or changes in lens tolerance should be assessed by an ophthalmologist.

8. Drug Interactions Consult the labeling of concurrently-used drugs to obtain further information about interactions with hormonal contraceptives or the potential for enzyme alterations. Effects of Other Drugs on Combined Hormonal Contraceptives Substances decreasing the plasma concentrations of COCs and potentially diminishing the efficacy of COCs Drugs or herbal products that induce certain enzymes, including cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), may decrease the plasma concentrations of COCs and potentially diminish the effectiveness of CHCs or increase breakthrough bleeding.

Some drugs or herbal products that may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives include phenytoin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, bosentan, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, rifampicin, topiramate, rifabutin, rufinamide, aprepitant, and products containing St. John's wort. Interactions between hormonal contraceptives and other drugs may lead to breakthrough bleeding and/or contraceptive failure.

Counsel women to use an alternative method of contraception or a back-up method when enzyme inducers are used with CHCs, and to continue back-up contraception for 28 days after discontinuing the enzyme inducer to ensure contraceptive reliability. Substances increasing the plasma concentrations of COCs Co-administration of atorvastatin or rosuvastatin and certain COCs containing EE increase AUC values for EE by approximately 20 to 25%. Ascorbic acid and acetaminophen may increase plasma EE concentrations, possibly by inhibition of conjugation.

CYP3A4 inhibitors such as itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, grapefruit juice, or ketoconazole may increase plasma hormone concentrations. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ Hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors Significant changes (increase or decrease) in the plasma concentrations of estrogen and/or progestin have been noted in some cases of co-administration with HIV protease inhibitors (decrease [e.g., nelfinavir, ritonavir, darunavir/ritonavir, (fos)amprenavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and… [Excerpted — this section continues on DailyMed.]