Atopica 100mg/ml Oral Solution

Atopica 100 mg/ml oral solution for cats and dogs

Target species
Cat
Dog (weighing more than 2 kg)
Indications for use, specifying the target species
Symptomatic treatment of chronic allergic dermatitis in cats.
Treatment of chronic manifestations of atopic dermatitis in dogs.
Contraindications
Do not use in animals with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
Do not use in animals with a history of malignant disorders or progressive malignant disorders.
Do not vaccinate with a live vaccine during treatment or within a two-week interval before or after treatment (see also "Special precautions for use" and "Interaction with other medicinal products").
Do not use in cats infected with FeLV or FIV.
Do not use in dogs less than six months of age or less than 2 kg in weight.
Special warnings for each target species
Consideration should be given to the use of other measures and/or treatments to control moderate to severe pruritus when initiating therapy with ciclosporin.
Special precautions for use
Special precautions for use in animals
Clinical signs of atopic or allergic dermatitis such as pruritus and skin inflammation are not specific for this disease and therefore other causes of dermatitis such as ectoparasitic infestations, other allergies which cause dermatological signs (e.g. flea allergic dermatitis or food allergy) or bacterial and fungal infections should be ruled out before treatment is started. It is good practice to treat flea infestations before and during treatment of atopic or allergic dermatitis.
A complete clinical examination should be performed before treatment.
It is recommended to clear any infection including bacterial and fungal infections before administering the veterinary medicinal product. However, infections occurring during treatment are not necessarily a reason for drug withdrawal, unless the infection is severe.
While ciclosporin does not induce tumours, it does inhibit T-lymphocytes and therefore treatment with ciclosporin may lead to an increased incidence of clinically apparent malignancy due to the decrease in antitumor immune response. The potentially increased risk of tumour progression must be weighed against the clinical benefit. If lymphadenopathy is observed in cats and dogs being treated with ciclosporin, further clinical investigations are recommended and treatment discontinued if necessary.
In laboratory animals, ciclosporin is liable to affect the circulating levels of insulin and to cause an increase in glycaemia. In the presence of suggestive signs of diabetes mellitus, the effect of treatment on glycaemia must be monitored. If signs of diabetes mellitus are observed following the use of the product, e.g. polyuria or polydipsia, the dose should be tapered or discontinued and veterinary care sought. The use of ciclosporin is not recommended in diabetic cats and dogs.
Closely monitor creatinine levels with severe renal insufficiency.
Particular attention must be paid to vaccination. Treatment with the product may result in decreased immune response to vaccination. It is recommended not to vaccinate with inactivated vaccines during treatment or within a two-week interval before or after administration of the product. For live vaccines see also "Contraindications".
It is not recommended to use immunosuppressive agents concomitantly.
Cat:
Allergic dermatitis in cats can have various manifestations, including eosinophilic plaques, head and neck excoriation, symmetrical alopecia and/or miliary dermatitis.
The immune status of the cats to FeLV and FIV infections should be assessed before treatment.
Cats that are seronegative for T. gondii may be at risk of developing clinical toxoplasmosis if they become infected while under treatment. In rare cases this can be fatal. Potential exposure of seronegative cats or cats suspected to be seronegative to Toxoplasma should therefore be minimised (e.g. keep indoors, avoid raw meat or scavenging). Ciclosporin was shown to not increase T. gondii oocyte shedding in a controlled laboratory study. In cases of clinical toxoplasmosis or other serious systemic illness, stop treatment with ciclosporin and initiate appropriate therapy.
Clinical studies in cats have shown that decreased appetite and weight loss may occur during ciclosporin treatment. Monitoring of body weight is recommended. Significant reduction in body weight may result in hepatic lipidosis. If persistent, progressive weight loss occurs during treatment it is recommended to discontinue treatment until the cause has been identified.
The efficacy and safety of ciclosporin has neither been assessed in cats less than 6 months of age nor weighing less than 2.3 kg.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary medicinal product to animals
Accidental ingestion of this product may lead to nausea and/or vomiting. To avoid accidental ingestion, the product must be used and kept out of reach of children. Do not leave unattended filled syringe in the presence of children. Any uneaten medicated cat food must be disposed of immediately and the bowl washed thoroughly. In case of accidental ingestion, particularly by a child, seek medical advice immediately and show the package leaflet or the label to the physician.
Ciclosporin can trigger hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions. People with known hypersensitivity to ciclosporin should avoid contact with the product.
Irritation to eyes is unlikely. As precautionary measure avoid contact with eyes. In case of contact, rinse thoroughly with clean water. Wash hands and any exposed skin after use.
Adverse reactions (frequency and seriousness)
Regarding malignancy, please see "Contraindications" and "Special precautions for use".
Cat:
In 2 clinical studies with 98 cats treated with ciclosporin the following undesirable effects were observed:
Very common: gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhoea. These are generally mild and transient and do not require the cessation of the treatment.
Common: lethargy, anorexia, hypersalivation, weight loss and lymphopenia. These effects generally resolve spontaneously after treatment is stopped or following a decrease in the dosing frequency.
Side effects may be severe in individual animals.
Dog:
The occurrence of adverse reactions is uncommon. The most frequently observed undesirable effects are gastrointestinal disturbances such as hypersalivation, vomiting, mucoid or soft faeces and diarrhoea. They are mild and transient and generally do not require the cessation of the treatment.
Other undesirable effects may be observed infrequently: lethargy or hyperactivity, anorexia, mild to moderate gingival hyperplasia, skin reactions such as verruciform lesions or change of hair coat, red and swollen pinnae, muscle weakness or muscle cramps. These effects generally resolve spontaneously after treatment is stopped.
Very rarely diabetes mellitus has been observed, reported mainly in West Highland White Terriers.
The frequency of adverse reactions is defined using the following convention:
- very common (more than 1 in 10 animals displaying adverse reactions during the course of one treatment)
- common (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 100 animals)
- uncommon (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 1,000 animals)
- rare (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 10,000 animals)
- very rare (less than 1 animal in 10,000 animals, including isolated reports).
Use during pregnancy, lactation or lay
The safety of the drug has neither been studied in male cats or dogs used for breeding nor in pregnant or lactating queens and bitches. In the absence of such studies, it is recommended to use the drug in breeding animals only upon a positive risk/benefit assessment by the veterinary surgeon.
In laboratory animals, at doses which induce maternal toxicity (rats at 30 mg/kg BW and rabbits at 100 mg/kg BW) ciclosporin was embryo- and foetotoxic, as indicated by increased pre- and postnatal mortality and reduced foetal weight together with skeletal retardations. In the well-tolerated dose range (rats at up to 17 mg/kg BW and rabbits at up to 30 mg/kg BW) ciclosporin was without embryolethal or teratogenic effects. In laboratory animals ciclosporin crosses the placenta barrier and is excreted via milk. Therefore the treatment of lactating queens and bitches is not recommended.
Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Various substances are known to competitively inhibit or induce the enzymes involved in the metabolism of ciclosporin, in particular cytochrome P450 (CYP 3A4). In certain clinically justified cases, an adjustment of the dosage of the veterinary medicinal product may be required. The compound class of azoles (e.g. ketoconazole) is known to increase the blood concentration of ciclosporin in cats and dogs, which is considered to be clinically relevant. Ketoconazole at 5-10 mg/kg is known to increase the blood concentrations in dogs up to five-fold. During concomitant use of ketoconazole and ciclosporin the veterinarian should consider as a practical measure to double the treatment interval if the dog is on a daily treatment regime. Macrolides such as erythromycin may increase the plasma levels of ciclosporin up to twofold. Certain inducers of cytochrome P450, anticonvulsants and antibiotics (e.g. trimethoprim/ sulfadimidine) may lower the plasma concentration of ciclosporin.
Ciclosporin is a substrate and an inhibitor of the MDR1 P-glycoprotein transporter. Therefore, the co-administration of ciclosporin with P-glycoprotein substrates such as macrocyclic lactones could decrease the efflux of such drugs from blood-brain barrier cells, potentially resulting in signs of CNS toxicity. In clinical studies with cats treated with ciclosporin and selamectin or milbemycin, there did not appear to be an association between these drugs' concomitant use and neurotoxicity.
Ciclosporin can increase the nephrotoxicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics and trimethoprim. The concomitant use of ciclosporin is not recommended with these active ingredients.
In dogs, no toxicological interactions between ciclosporin and prednisolone (at anti-inflammatory doses) are expected.
Particular attention must be paid to vaccination (see "Contraindications" and "Special precautions for use"). Concomitant use of immunosuppressive agents: see "Special precautions for use".
Amounts to be administered and administration route
For oral use.
Overdose (symptoms, emergency procedures, antidotes), if necessary
There is no specific antidote and in case of signs of overdose the animal should be treated symptomatically.
Cat:
The following adverse events were seen in the case of repeated administration for 56 days at 24 mg/kg (more than 3x the recommended dose) or for 6 months at up to 40 mg/kg (more than 5x the recommended dose): loose/soft faeces, vomiting, mild to moderate increases in absolute lymphocyte counts, fibrinogen, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), slight increases in blood glucose and reversible gingival hypertrophy. The frequency and severity of these signs were generally dose and time dependent. At 3x the recommended dose administered daily for nearly 6 months, changes in ECG (conduction disturbances) may occur in very rare cases. They are transient and not associated with clinical signs. Anorexia, recumbency, loss of skin elasticity, few or absent faeces, thin and closed eye lids may be observed in sporadic cases at 5x the recommended dose.
Dog:
No undesirable effects beyond those that were seen under recommended treatment have been observed in the dog with a single oral dose of up to 6 times of what is recommended.
In addition to what was seen under recommended dosage, the following adverse reactions were seen in case of overdose for 3 months or more at 4 times the mean recommended dosage: hyperkeratotic areas especially on the pinnae, callous-like lesions of the foot pads, weight loss or reduced weight gain, hypertrichosis, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, decreased eosinophil values. Frequency and severity of these signs are dose dependent.
The signs are reversible within 2 months following cessation of treatment.