Victoza side effects

Effects of Delayed Gastric Emptying on Oral Medications

VICTOZA causes a delay of gastric emptying, and thereby has the potential to impact the absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications. In clinical pharmacology trials, VICTOZA did not affect the absorption of the tested orally administered medications to any clinically relevant degree [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] . Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when oral medications are concomitantly administered with VICTOZA.

Concomitant Use with an Insulin Secretagogue (e.g., Sulfonylurea) or with Insulin

VICTOZA stimulates insulin release in the presence of elevated blood glucose concentrations. Patients receiving VICTOZA in combination with an insulin secretagogue (e.g., sulfonylurea) or insulin may have an increased risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. When initiating VICTOZA, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogues (such as sulfonylureas) or insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4), Adverse Reactions (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.

Common Adverse Reactions

The safety of VICTOZA in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was evaluated in 5 glycemic control, placebo-controlled trials in adults and one trial of 52 weeks duration in pediatric patients 10 years of age and older [see Clinical Studies (14.1)] . The data in Table 1 reflect exposure of 1,673 adult patients to VICTOZA and a mean duration of exposure to VICTOZA of 37.3 weeks. The mean age of adult patients was 58 years, 4% were 75 years or older and 54% were male. The population was 79% White, 6% Black or African American, 13% Asian; 4% were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. At baseline the population had diabetes for an average of 9 years and a mean HbA 1c of 8.4%. Baseline estimated renal function was normal or mildly impaired in 88% and moderately impaired in 12% of the pooled population.

Table 1 shows common adverse reactions in adults, excluding hypoglycemia, associated with the use of VICTOZA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These adverse reactions occurred more commonly on VICTOZA than on placebo and occurred in at least 5% of patients treated with VICTOZA. Overall, the type, and severity of adverse reactions in pediatric patients 10 years of age and older and above were comparable to that observed in the adult population.

Table 1. Adverse reactions reported in ≥5% of Adult Patients Treated with VICTOZA for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Cumulative proportions were calculated combining studies using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel weights.

In an analysis of placebo- and active-controlled trials, the types and frequency of common adverse reactions, excluding hypoglycemia, were similar to those listed in Table 1 .

Other Adverse Reactions

Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions

In the pool of 5 glycemic control, placebo-controlled adult clinical trials, withdrawals due to gastrointestinal adverse reactions, occurred in 4.3% of VICTOZA-treated patients and 0.5% of placebo-treated patients. Severe gastrointestinal adverse reactions were reported more frequently among patients receiving VICTOZA (1.2 mg 4.4%, 1.8 mg 4.2%) than placebo (1.1%). Withdrawal due to gastrointestinal adverse events mainly occurred during the first 2 to 3 months of the trials.

Injection site reactions

Injection site reactions (e.g., injection site rash, erythema) were reported in approximately 2% of VICTOZA-treated adult patients in the five double-blind, glycemic control trials of at least 26 weeks duration. Less than 0.2% of VICTOZA-treated patients discontinued due to injection site reactions.

Hypoglycemia

In 5 adult glycemic control, placebo-controlled clinical trials of at least 26 weeks duration, hypoglycemia requiring the assistance of another person for treatment occurred in 8 VICTOZA-treated patients (7.5 events per 1,000 patient-years). Of these 8 VICTOZA-treated patients, 7 patients were concomitantly using a sulfonylurea.

“Patient not able to self-treat” is defined as an event requiring the assistance of another person for treatment.

In a 26-week placebo-controlled clinical trial in pediatric patients 10 years of age and older with a 26-week open-label extension, 21.2% of VICTOZA-treated patients (mean age 14.6 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, had hypoglycemia with a blood glucose <54 mg/dL with or without symptoms (335 events per 1,000 patient years). No severe hypoglycemic episodes occurred in the VICTOZA treatment group (severe hypoglycemia was defined as an episode requiring assistance of another person to actively administer carbohydrate, glucagon, or other resuscitative actions).

Papillary thyroid carcinoma

In adult glycemic control trials of VICTOZA, there were 7 reported cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma in patients treated with VICTOZA and 1 case in a comparator-treated patient (1.5 vs. 0.5 cases per 1,000 patient-years). Most of these papillary thyroid carcinomas were <1 cm in greatest diameter and were diagnosed in surgical pathology specimens after thyroidectomy prompted by findings on protocol-specified screening with serum calcitonin or thyroid ultrasound.

Pancreatitis

In glycemic control trials of VICTOZA, there have been 13 cases of pancreatitis among VICTOZA-treated patients and 1 case in a comparator (glimepiride) treated patient (2.7 vs. 0.5 cases per 1,000 patient-years). Nine of the 13 cases with VICTOZA were reported as acute pancreatitis and four were reported as chronic pancreatitis. In one case in a VICTOZA-treated patient, pancreatitis, with necrosis, was observed and led to death; however clinical causality could not be established. Some patients had other risk factors for pancreatitis, such as a history of cholelithiasis or alcohol abuse.

Cholelithiasis and cholecystitis

In adult glycemic control trials of VICTOZA, the incidence of cholelithiasis was 0.3% in both VICTOZA-treated and placebo-treated patients. The incidence of cholecystitis was 0.2% in both VICTOZA-treated and placebo-treated patients.

In the LEADER trial [see Clinical Studies ( 14.3 )] , the incidence of cholelithiasis was 1.5% (3.9 cases per 1,000 patient years of observation) in adult VICTOZA-treated and 1.1% (2.8 cases per 1,000 patient years of observation) in placebo-treated patients, both on a background of standard of care. The incidence of acute cholecystitis was 1.1% (2.9 cases per 1,000 patient years of observation) in adult VICTOZA-treated and 0.7% (1.9 cases per 1,000 patient years of observation) in placebo-treated patients. The majority of events required hospitalization or cholecystectomy.

Laboratory Tests

Bilirubin

In the five adult glycemic control trials of at least 26 weeks duration, mildly elevated serum bilirubin concentrations (elevations to no more than twice the upper limit of the reference range) occurred in 4% of VICTOZA-treated patients, 2.1% of placebo-treated patients and 3.5% of active-comparator-treated patients. This finding was not accompanied by abnormalities in other liver tests. The significance of this isolated finding is unknown.

Calcitonin

Calcitonin, a biological marker of MTC, was measured throughout the clinical development program. At the end of the adult glycemic control trials, adjusted mean serum calcitonin concentrations were higher in VICTOZA-treated patients compared to placebo-treated patients but not compared to patients receiving active comparator. Between group differences in adjusted mean serum calcitonin values were approximately 0.1 ng/L or less. Among adult patients with pretreatment calcitonin <20 ng/L, calcitonin elevations to >20 ng/L occurred in 0.7% of VICTOZA-treated patients, 0.3% of placebo-treated patients, and 0.5% of active-comparator-treated patients. The clinical significance of these findings is unknown.

Lipase and Amylase

In one adult glycemic control trial in renal impairment patients, a mean increase of 33% for lipase and 15% for amylase from baseline was observed for VICTOZA-treated patients while placebo-treated patients had a mean decrease in lipase of 3% and a mean increase in amylase of 1%.

In the LEADER trial, serum lipase and amylase were routinely measured. Among adult VICTOZA-treated patients, 7.9% had a lipase value at any time during treatment of greater than or equal to 3 times the upper limit of normal compared with 4.5% of placebo-treated patients, and 1% of VICTOZA-treated patients had an amylase value at any time during treatment of greater than or equal to 3 times the upper limit of normal versus 0.7% of placebo-treated patients.

The clinical significance of elevations in lipase or amylase with VICTOZA is unknown in the absence of other signs and symptoms of pancreatitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)].

Vital signs

VICTOZA did not have adverse effects on blood pressure. Mean increases from baseline in heart rate of 2 to 3 beats per minute have been observed in adult patients treated with VICTOZA compared to placebo.

Postmarketing Experience

The following additional adverse reactions have been reported during post-approval use of VICTOZA. Because these events are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is generally not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

• Gastrointestinal: Acute pancreatitis; hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis sometimes resulting in death; ileus, intestinal obstruction, severe constipation including fecal impaction, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea leading to dehydration
• Hepatobiliary: Elevations of liver enzymes, hyperbilirubinemia, cholestasis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis requiring cholecystectomy, hepatitis
• Hypersensitivity: Angioedema, anaphylactic reactions, pruritus
• Neoplasms: Medullary thyroid carcinoma
• Neurologic: Dysgeusia, dizziness, dysesthesia
• Pulmonary: Pulmonary aspiration has occurred in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing elective surgeries or procedures requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation.
• Renal: Acute renal failure or worsening of chronic renal failure, sometimes requiring hemodialysis; and increased serum creatinine
• Skin and subcutaneous tissue: Cutaneous amyloidosis, alopecia