PERSANTIN Tablets 100 mg

Dipyridamole 100 mg.

For excipients, see 6.1.

Coated Tablets.

Round, white, biconvex, shiny, sugar-coated tablets.

An adjunct to oral anti-coagulation for prophylaxis of thrombo-embolism associated with prosthetic heart valves.

Adults:

300-600 mg daily in three or four doses.

Children:

PERSANTIN is not recommended for children.

PERSANTIN should usually be taken before meals.

Hypersensitivity to any of the components of the product.

Among other properties, dipyridamole acts as a vasodilator. It should be used with caution in patients with severe coronary artery disease, including unstable angina and/or recent myocardial infarction, left ventricular outflow obstruction or haemodynamic instability (e.g. decompensated heart failure).

Patients being treated with regular oral doses of PERSANTIN should not receive additional intravenous dipyridamole. Clinical experience suggests that patients being treated with oral dipyridamole who also require pharmacological stress testing with intravenous dipyridamole, should discontinue drugs containing oral dipyridamole for twenty-four hours prior to stress testing.

In patients with myasthenia gravis, readjustment of therapy may be necessary after changes in dipyridamole dosage (see Drug Interactions).

PERSANTIN should be used with caution in patients with coagulation disorders.

Dipyridamole increases plasma levels and cardiovascular effects of adenosine. Adjustment of adenosine dosage should be considered if use with dipyridamole is unavoidable.

There is evidence that the effects of aspirin and dipyridamole on platelet behaviour are additive.

The administration of antacids may reduce the efficacy of PERSANTIN. It is possible that PERSANTIN may enhance the effects of oral anti-coagulants.

When dipyridamole is used in combination with anticoagulants and acetylsalicylic acid, the statements on intolerance and risks for these preparations must be observed. Addition of dipyridamole to acetylsalicylic acid does not increase the incidence of bleeding events. When dipyridamole was administered concomitantly with warfarin, bleeding was no greater in frequency or severity than that observed when warfarin was administered alone.

Dipyridamole may increase the hypotensive effect of drugs which reduce blood pressure and may counteract the anticholinesterase effect of cholinesterase inhibitors thereby potentially aggravating myasthenia gravis.

Pregnancy

There is inadequate evidence of safety in human pregnancy, but PERSANTIN has been used for many years without apparent ill-consequence. Animal studies have shown no hazard. Medicines should not be used in pregnancy, especially the first trimester unless the expected benefit is thought to outweigh the possible risk to the foetus (please refer to section 5.3).

Lactation

Dipyridamole is excreted in breast milk at levels approximately 6% of the plasma concentration. Therefore PERSANTIN should only be used during lactation if considered essential by the physician.

Fertility

No studies on the effect on human fertility have been conducted with PERSANTIN. Non-clinical studies with dipyridamole did not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to fertility (please refer to section 5.3).

None stated.

If these occur, it is usually during the early part of treatment. The vasodilating properties of PERSANTIN may occasionally produce a vascular headache which normally disappears with long-term use. Vomiting, diarrhoea and symptoms such as dizziness, faintness, nausea, dyspepsia and myalgia have been observed.

As a result of its vasodilator properties, PERSANTIN may cause hypotension, hot flushes and tachycardia. Worsening of symptoms of coronary heart disease such as angina and arrhythmias.

Hypersensitivity reactions such as rash, urticaria, severe bronchospasm and angio-oedema have been reported.

In very rare cases, increased bleeding during or after surgery has been observed. Isolated cases of thrombocytopenia have been reported in conjunction with treatment with PERSANTIN.

Dipyridamole has been shown to be incorporated into gallstones.

Symptoms

Due to the low number of observations, experience with dipyridamole overdose is limited. Symptoms such as a warm feeling, flushes, sweating, restlessness, feeling of weakness, dizziness and anginal complaints can be expected. A drop in blood pressure and tachycardia might be observed.

Therapy

Symptomatic therapy is recommended. Administration of xanthine derivatives (e.g. aminophylline) may reverse the haemodynamic effects of dipyridamole overdose. Due to its wide distribution to tissues and its predominantly hepatic elimination, dipyridamole is not likely to be accessible to enhanced removal procedures.

Dipyridamole inhibits the uptake of adenosine into erythrocytes, platelets and endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo; the inhibition amounts to 80% at its maximum and occurs dose-dependently at therapeutic concentrations (0.5 - 2 µg/mL) . Consequently, there is an increased concentration of adenosine locally to act on the platelet A₂-receptor, stimulating platelet adenylate cyclase, thereby increasing platelet cAMP levels. Thus, platelet aggregation in response to various stimuli such as PAF, collagen and ADP is inhibited. Reduced platelet aggregation reduces platelet consumption towards normal levels. In addition, adenosine has a vasodilator effect and this is one of the mechanisms by which dipyridamole produces vasodilation.

Dipyridamole inhibits phosphodiesterase (PDE) in various tissues. Whilst the inhibition of cAMP-PDE is weak, therapeutic levels inhibit cGMP-PDE, thereby augmenting the increase in cGMP produced by EDRF (endothelium-derived relaxing factor, identified as NO).

Dipyridamole also stimulates the biosynthesis and release of prostacyclin by the endothelium.

Dipyridamole reduces the thrombogenicity of subendothelial structures by increasing the concentration of the protective mediator 13-HODE (13-hydroxyoctadecadienic acid)

After dosing with the sugar-coated tablets there is a lag time of 10 - 15 min associated with disintegration of the tablet and gastric emptying. Thereafter the drug is rapidly absorbed and peak plasma concentrations are attained after 1 hour. Geometric mean (range) peak plasma concentrations at steady state conditions with 75 mg t.d.s. were 1.86 µg/mL (1.23 - 3.27 µg/mL), and at trough were 0.13 µg/mL (0.06 - 0.26 µg/mL). With 75 mg q.i.d. corresponding peak concentrations were 1.54 µg/mL (0.975 - 2.17 μg/mL), trough concentrations were 0.269 µg/mL (0.168 - 0.547 µg/mL). With 100 mg q.i.d. corresponding peak concentrations were 2.36 µg/mL (1.13 - 3.81 µg/mL), trough concentrations were 0.432 µg/mL (0.186 - 1.38 µg/mL). The dose linearity of dipyridamole after single dose administration was demonstrated in the range from 25 to 150 mg.

Pharmacokinetic evaluations as well as experimental results in steady state conditions indicate that t.d.s. or q.d.s. dosage regimens are suitable. Treatment with dipyridamole tablets at steady state provides absolute bioavailability of approx. 60% and relative bioavailability of approx. 95% compared to an orally administered solution. This is partly due to a first-pass-effect from the liver which removes approx. 1/3 of the dose administered and partly to incomplete absorption.

Distribution

Owing to its high lipophilicity, log P 3.92 (n-octanol/0.1 N, NaOH), dipyridamole distributes to many organs.

Non-clinical studies indicate that, dipyridamole is distributed preferentially to the liver, then to the lungs, kidneys, spleen and heart, it does not cross the blood-brain barrier to a significant extent and shows a very low placental transfer. Non-clinical data have also shown that dipyridamole can be excreted in breast milk.

Protein binding of dipyridamole is about 97 - 99%, primarily it is bound to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and albumin .

Metabolism

Metabolism of dipyridamole occurs in the liver. Dipyridamole is metabolized by conjugation with glucuronic acid to form mainly a monoglucuronide and only small amounts of diglucuronide. In plasma about 80% of the total amount is parent compound, 20% of the total amount is monoglucuronide with oral administration .

Elimination

Dominant half-lives ranging from 2.2 to 3 hours have been calculated after the administration of PERSANTIN. A prolonged terminal elimination half-life of approximately 15 h is observed. This terminal elimination phase is of relatively minor importance in that it represents a small proportion of the total AUC, as evidenced by the fact that steady-state is achieved within 2 days with both t.d.s. and q.d.s., regimens. There is no significant accumulation of the drug with repeated dosing. Renal excretion of parent compound is negligible (< 0.5%). Urinary excretion of the glucuronide metabolite is low (5%), the metabolites are mostly (about 95%) excreted via the bile into the faeces, with some evidence of entero-hepatic recirculation. Total clearance is approx. 250 mL/min and mean residence time is approx. 8 h (resulting from an intrinsic MRT of approx. 6.4 h and a mean time of absorption of 1.4 h).

Elderly subjects

Plasma concentrations (determined as AUC) in elderly subjects (> 65 years) were about 50% higher for tablet treatment and about 30% higher with intake of PERSANTIN 200 mg modified release capsules than in young (<55 years) subjects. The difference is caused mainly by reduced clearance; absorption appears to be similar. A similar increase in plasma concentrations in elderly patients was observed in the ESPS2 study.

Hepatic impairment

Patients with hepatic insufficiency show no change in plasma concentrations of dipyridamole, but an increase of (pharmacodynamically inactive) glucuronides. It is suggested to dose dipyridamole without restriction as long as there is no clinical evidence of liver failure.

Renal impairment

Since renal excretion is very low (5%), no change in pharmacokinetics is to be expected in cases of renal insufficiency. In the ESPS2 trial, in patients with creatinine clearances ranging from about 15 mL/min to >100 mL/min, no changes were observed in the pharmacokinetics of dipyridamole or its glucuronide metabolite if data were corrected for differences in age.

Dipyridamole has been extensively investigated in animal models and no clinically significant findings have been observed at doses equivalent to therapeutic doses in humans.

Core:

Calcium hydrogen phosphate, anhydrous

Maize starch, dried

Maize starch, soluble

Colloidal silica

Magnesium stearate

Coating:

Sucrose

Talc

Acacia

Titanium dioxide, E171

Macrogol 6000

Wax, bleached

Carnauba Wax

Not applicable.

5 years.

Do not store above 30°C. Protect from light.

Marketed packs: Blister pack containing 84 white sugar coated tablets

Non-marketed packs: Blister packs of 100 and 112 white sugar coated tablets.

None.

Boehringer Ingelheim Limited

Ellesfield Avenue

Bracknell

Berkshire

RG12 8YS

United Kingdom

PL 0015/5016R

24 November 1988 / 01 May 2007

November 2012