eMC - trusted, up to date and comprehensive information about medicines
Link to eMC medicine guides website
eMC homepage
Get Medicines Compendium UK app here

AstraZeneca UK Limited

Horizon Place, 600 Capability Green, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3LU
Telephone: +44 (0)1582 836 000
Fax: +44 (0)1582 838 000
Medical Information Direct Line: +44 (0)1582 836 836
Medical Information e-mail: medical.informationuk@astrazeneca.com
Customer Care direct line: +44 (0)1582 837 837
Medical Information Fax: +44 (0)1582 838 003

Before you contact this company: often several companies will market medicines with the same active ingredient. Please check that this is the correct company before contacting them. Why?

Summary of Product Characteristics last updated on the eMC: 07/10/2011
SPC Arimidex 1mg Film-Coated Tablet

When a pharmaceutical company changes an SPC or PIL, a new version is published on the eMC. For each version, we show the dates it was published on the eMC and the reasons for change.

Updated on 07/10/2011 and displayed until Current
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 10 date of revision of the text
  • Change due to harmonisation of SPC
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   19-May-2011
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company

The majority of the SPC has been re-worded due to SPC harmonisation.

Updated on 16/05/2011 and displayed until 07/10/2011
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
  • Change to section 10 date of revision of the text
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   21-Apr-2011
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company



Section 4.8

Addition of “Arthritis”; amend “Joint pain/stiffness, mainly mild or moderate in nature” to “Arthralgia/Joint Stiffness”; Addition of “Cutaneous vasculitis (including some reports of Henoch-Schonlein purpura).”

 

Section 10

Revision date of text: 21st April 2011

Updated on 26/01/2011 and displayed until 16/05/2011
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
  • Change to section 10 date of revision of the text
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   22-Dec-2010
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company



Section 4.8

update section in line with the approved core safety profile following PSUR worksharing procedure and in line with current SPC guidelines (medDRA classification).


Section 10

Revision date of text: 22 December 2010

Updated on 01/03/2010 and displayed until 26/01/2011
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 9 - Date of first Authorisation/renewal of the Authorisation
  • Change to section 10 date of revision of the text
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   15-Feb-2010
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company



Changes to SmPC, Arimidex Film-coated tablet 1mg

 

 

Section 9

Now reads,

 

“Date of first authorisation: 18 June 2000

Date of latest renewal: 15 February 2010”

 

Section 10

Now reads,

“15 February 2010”

Updated on 25/01/2010 and displayed until 01/03/2010
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.2 - Posology and method of administration
  • Change to section 4.4 - Special warnings and precautions for Use
  • Change to section 5.1 - Pharmacodynamic Properties
  • Change to section 5.3 - Preclinical Safety Data
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   18-Dec-2009
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company



Section 4.2

Change of text for heading ‘Children’:

Arimidex is not recommended for use in children due to insufficient data on safety and efficacy (see sections 4.4 and 5.1)

 

Section 4.4

New text second paragraph

Arimidex should not be used in boys with growth hormone deficiency in addition to growth hormone treatment. In the pivotal clinical trial, efficacy was not demonstrated and safety was not established (see section 5.1). Since anastrozole reduces estradiol levels, Arimidex must not be used in girls with growth hormone deficiency in addition to growth hormone treatment. Long-term safety data in children and adolescents are not available.

 

Section 5.1

New additional text

Arimidex is not indicated for use in children. Efficacy has not been established in the paediatric populations studied (see below). The number of children treated was too limited to draw any reliable conclusions on safety. No data on the potential long-term effects of anastrozole treatment in children are available (see also section 5.3).

The European Medicines Agency has waived the obligation to submit the results of studies with Arimidex in one or several subsets of the paediatric population in short stature due to growth hormone deficiency (GHD), testotoxicosis, gynaecomastia, and McCune-Albright syndrome.

Short stature due to Growth Hormone Deficiency

A randomised, double-blind, multi-centre study evaluated 52 pubertal boys (aged 11-16 years inclusive) with GHD treated for 12 to 36 months with Arimidex 1 mg/day or placebo in combination with growth hormone. Only 14 subjects on anastrozole completed 36 months.

After 3 years anastrozole was found to statistically significantly slow bone maturation in pubertal boys on growth hormone therapy. No statistically significant difference with placebo was observed for the growth related parameters of predicted adult height, height, height SDS, and height velocity. Final height data were not available. While the number of children treated was too limited to draw any reliable conclusions on safety, there was an increased fracture rate and a trend towards reduced bone mineral density in the anastrozole arm compared to placebo.

Testotoxicosis

An open-label, non-comparative, multi-centre study evaluated 14 male patients (aged 2-9) with familial male-limited precocious puberty, also known as testotoxicosis, treated with combination of Arimidex and bicalutamide. The primary objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of this combination regimen over 12 months. Thirteen out of the 14 patients enrolled completed 12 months of combination treatment (one patient was lost to follow-up). There was no significant difference in growth rate after 12 months of treatment, relative to the growth rate during the 6 months prior to entering the study.

Section 5.3

New additional text:

Reproductive toxicology

In a fertility study weanling male rats were dosed orally with 50 or 400 mg/l anastrozole via their drinking water for 10 weeks. Measured mean plasma concentrations were 44.4 (± 14.7) ng/ml and 165 (±90) ng/ml respectively. Mating indices were adversely affected in both dose groups, whilst a reduction in fertility was evident only at the 400 mg/l dose level. The reduction was transient as all mating and fertility parameters were similar to control group values following a 9‑week treatment-free recovery period.


Section 10

Revision date of text: 18 December 2009
Updated on 17/04/2009 and displayed until 25/01/2010
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.4 - Special warnings and precautions for Use
  • Change to section 4.5 - Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
  • Change to section 5.1 - Pharmacodynamic Properties
  • Change to section 5.2 - Pharmacokinetic Properties
  • Change to section 10 date of revision of the text
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   27-Mar-2009
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company

Update to sections 4.8 and 5.1 with some other consequential changes to other sections. Includes data from paediatric trials and SABRE trial.

Section 10
New revision date of text: 27 March 2009.
Updated on 15/08/2007 and displayed until 17/04/2009
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
  • Change to section 5.3 - Preclinical Safety Data
  • Change to section 10 date of revision of the text
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   07/2007
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company

4.8

 

Addition of text

 

Common

(³ 1% and < 10%)

 

 

Nervous system

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

 

Hepatobiliary disorders

Increases in alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase

 

Uncommon

(³ 0.1% and <1%)

 

Hepatobiliary disorders

Increases in gamma-GT and bilirubin

Hepatitis

 

Deletion of 3rd paragraph

 

Elevated gamma-GT and alkaline phosphatase have been reported uncommonly (³0.1% and <1%).  A causal relationship for these changes has not been established.

5.3

 

Addition of text after the 4th paragraph

 

Reproductively toxicology

Oral administration of anastrozole to female rats produced a high incidence of infertility at 1 mg/kg/day and increased pre-implantation loss at 0.02 mg/kg/day.  These effects occurred at clinically relevant doses.  An effect in man cannot be excluded.  These effects were related to the pharmacology of the compound and were completely reversed after a 5-week compound withdrawal period.

 

10

Date of revision of text 20th July 2007

 

 

Updated on 13/07/2006 and displayed until 15/08/2007
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.1 - Therapeutic Indications
  • Change to section 5.1 - Pharmacodynamic Properties
Date of revision of text on the SPC:   06/2006
Legal Category:   POM
Black Triangle (CHM):   NO

Free-text change information supplied by the pharmaceutical company

   

Section 4.1

  • Sentence added:

 

Adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer in hormone receptor positive postmenopausal women who have received 2 to 3 years of adjuvant tamoxifen.

 

Section 5.1

  • Addition of underlined heading:

 

Primary adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer

 

  • Addition of underlined heading with 2 paragraphs of text

 

Adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer for patients being treated with adjuvant tamoxifen

 

  • Addition of Table ABCSG 8 trial endpoint and results summary

and 2 paragraphs of text

Updated on 26/05/2006 and displayed until 13/07/2006
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Correction of spelling/typing errors
Updated on 16/02/2006 and displayed until 26/05/2006
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 3 - pharmaceutical form
  • Change to section 4.4 - Special Warnings and Precautions for Use
  • Change to section 5.1 - Pharmacodynamic Properties
  • Change to section 6.1 - List of Excipients
  • Change to section 6.2 - Incompatibilities
  • Change to section 6. 5 - Nature and Contents of Container
  • Change to section 6. 6 - Instruction for Use/Handling
Updated on 28/06/2005 and displayed until 16/02/2006
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.1 - Therapeutic Indications
  • Change to section 4.4 - Special Warnings and Precautions for Use
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
  • Change to section 5.1 - Pharmacodynamic Properties
Updated on 06/12/2004 and displayed until 28/06/2005
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 10 (date of (partial) revision of the text
Updated on 06/08/2004 and displayed until 06/12/2004
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.4 - Special Warnings and Precautions for Use
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
Updated on 25/11/2003 and displayed until 06/08/2004
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
Updated on 02/12/2002 and displayed until 25/11/2003
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Improved Electronic Presentation
Updated on 11/11/2002 and displayed until 02/12/2002
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 4.1 - Therapeutic Indications
  • Change to section 4.2 - Posology and Method of Administration
  • Change to section 4.3 - Contra-indications
  • Change to section 4.4 - Special Warnings and Precautions for Use
  • Change to section 4.5 - Interactions with other Medicaments and other forms of Interaction
  • Change to section 4.8 - Undesirable Effects
  • Change to section 4.9 - Overdose
  • Change to section 5.1 - Pharmacodynamic Properties
  • Change to section 10 (date of (partial) revision of the text
Updated on 26/10/2001 and displayed until 11/11/2002
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • Change to section 7 - Marketing Authorisation Holder
Updated on 21/06/2001 and displayed until 26/10/2001
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • New SPC for eMC ie an SPC for an existing product, but one that is new for the eMC
Updated on 17/04/2001 and displayed until 21/06/2001
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • No reasons supplied
Updated on 22/11/2000 and displayed until 17/04/2001
Reasons for adding or updating:
  • No reasons supplied

Active Ingredients/Generics

 
   anastrozole