| The following undesirable effects cover adverse reactions from clinical trials:The principal adverse reactions associated with the administration of CellCept in combination with ciclosporin and corticosteroids include diarrhoea, leucopenia, sepsis and vomiting, and there is evidence of a higher frequency of certain types of infections (see section 4.4). The adverse reaction profile associated with the administration of CellCept 500 mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion has been shown to be similar to that observed after oral administration.Malignancies:Patients receiving immunosuppressive regimens involving combinations of medicinal products, including CellCept, are at increased risk of developing lymphomas and other malignancies, particularly of the skin (see section 4.4). Lymphoproliferative disease or lymphoma developed in 0.6 % of patients receiving CellCept (2 g or 3 g daily) in combination with other immunosuppressants in controlled clinical trials of renal (2 g data), cardiac and hepatic transplant patients followed for at least 1 year. Non-melanoma skin carcinomas occurred in 3.6 % of patients; other types of malignancy occurred in 1.1 % of patients. Three-year safety data in renal and cardiac transplant patients did not reveal any unexpected changes in incidence of malignancy compared to the 1-year data. Hepatic transplant patients were followed for at least 1 year, but less than 3 years. Opportunistic infections:All transplant patients are at increased risk of opportunistic infections; the risk increased with total immunosuppressive load (see section 4.4). The most common opportunistic infections in patients receiving CellCept (2 g or 3 g daily) with other immunosuppressants in controlled clinical trials of renal (2 g data), cardiac and hepatic transplant patients followed for at least 1 year were candida mucocutaneous, CMV viraemia/syndrome and Herpes simplex. The proportion of patients with CMV viraemia/syndrome was 13.5 %.Elderly patients ( 65 years):Elderly patients ( 65 years) may generally be at increased risk of adverse reactions due to immunosuppression. Elderly patients receiving CellCept as part of a combination immunosuppressive regimen, may be at increased risk of certain infections (including cytomegalovirus tissue invasive disease) and possibly gastrointestinal haemorrhage and pulmonary oedema, compared to younger individuals. Other adverse reactions:The following data refer to the safety experience of oral CellCept in renal transplant patients. Data in hepatic transplant patients are based on i.v. dosing of CellCept for up to 14 days followed by oral dosing. Adverse reactions, probably or possibly related to CellCept, reported in 1/10 and in 1/100 to <1/10 of patients treated with CellCept in the controlled clinical trials of renal (2 g data) and hepatic transplant patients are listed in the following table.Adverse Reactions, Probably or Possibly Related to CellCept, Reported in Patients Treated with CellCept in Renal and Hepatic Clinical Trials when Used in Combination with Ciclosporin and CorticosteroidsWithin the system organ classes, undesirable effects are listed under headings of frequency, using the following categories: very common ( 1/10); common ( 1/100 to <1/10); uncommon ( 1/1,000 to <1/100); rare ( 1/10,000 to <1/1,000); very rare (<1/10,000), not known (cannot be estimated form the available data). Within each frequency grouping, undesirable effects are presented in order of decreasing seriousness.
System organ class | Adverse drug reactions | Infections and infestations | Very common | Sepsis, gastrointestinal candidiasis, urinary tract infection, herpes simplex, herpes zoster | Common | Pneumonia, influenza, respiratory tract infection, respiratory moniliasis, gastrointestinal infection, candidiasis, gastroenteritis, infection, bronchitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, fungal skin infection, skin candida, vaginal candidiasis, rhinitis | Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps) | Very common | - | Common | Skin cancer, benign neoplasm of skin | Blood and lymphatic system disorders | Very common | Leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, anaemia | Common | Pancytopenia, leucocytosis | Metabolism and nutrition disorders | Very common | - | Common | Acidosis, hyperkalaemia, hypokalaemia, hyperglycaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hypocalcaemia, hypercholesterolaemia, hyperlipidaemia, hypophosphataemia, anorexia | Psychiatric disorders | Very common | - | Common | Depression, thinking abnormal, insomnia | Nervous system disorders | Very common | - | Common | Convulsion, hypertonia, tremor, somnolence, headache, paraesthesia | Cardiac disorders | Very common | - | Common | Tachycardia | Vascular disorders | Very common | - | Common | Hypotension, hypertension | Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders | Very common | - | Common | Pleural effusion, dyspnoea, cough | Gastrointestinal disorders | Very common | Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea | Common | Gastrointestinal haemorrhage, peritonitis, ileus, colitis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, gastritis, oesophagitis, stomatitis, constipation, dyspepsia, flatulence | Hepatobiliary disorders | Very common | - | Common | Hepatitis | Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders | Very common | - | Common | Rash, acne, alopecia, | Musculoskeletal and connective Tissue disorders | Very common | - | Common | Arthralgia | Renal and urinary disorders | Very common | - | Common | Renal impairment | General disorders and administration site conditions | Very common | - | Common | Oedema, pyrexia, chills, pain, malaise, asthenia, | Investigations | Very common | - | Common | Hepatic enzyme increased, blood creatinine increased, blood lactate dehydrogenase increased, blood alkaline phosphatase increased, weight decreased | Note: 501 (2 g CellCept daily) and 277 (2 g IV / 3 g oral CellCept daily) patients were treated in Phase III studies for the prevention of rejection in renal and hepatic transplantation, respectively.Adverse reactions attributable to peripheral venous infusion were phlebitis and thrombosis, both observed at 4 % in patients treated with CellCept 500 mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion. The following undesirable effects cover adverse reactions from post-marketing experience:Adverse reactions reported during post-marketing with CellCept are similar to those seen in the controlled renal and hepatic transplant studies. Additional adverse reactions reported during post-marketing experience with CellCept are described below with the frequencies reported within brackets if known.Gastrointestinal: gingival hyperplasia ( 1/100 to <1/10), colitis including cytomegalovirus colitis, ( 1/100 to <1/10), pancreatitis ( 1/100 to <1/10) and intestinal villous atrophy. Disorders related to immunosuppression: serious life-threatening infections including meningitis, endocarditis tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infection. Cases of BK virus associated nephropathy, as well as cases of JC virus associated progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy (PML), have been reported in patients treated with immunosuppressants, including CellCept. Agranulocytosis ( 1/1000 to <1/100) and neutropenia have been reported; therefore regular monitoring of patients taking CellCept is advised (see section 4.4). There have been reports of aplastic anaemia and bone marrow depression in patients treated with CellCept, some of which have been fatal.Blood and lymphatic system disorder: Cases of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) have been reported in patients treated with CellCept (see section 4.4).Isolated cases of abnormal neutrophil morphology, including the acquired Pelger-Huet anomaly, have been observed in patients treated with CellCept. These changes are not associated with impaired neutrophil function. These changes may suggest a 'left shift' in the maturity of neutrophils in haematological investigations, which may be mistakenly interpreted as a sign of infection in immunosuppressed patients such as those that receive CellCept.Hypersensitivity: Hypersensitivity reactions, including angioneurotic oedema and anaphylactic reaction, have been reported.Congenital disorders: see further details in section 4.6.Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders: There have been isolated reports of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis in patients treated with CellCept in combination with other immunosuppressants, some of which have been fatal. | |