Olumiant 4 mg Film-Coated Tablets

Patient Leaflet Updated 29-Mar-2023 | Eli Lilly and Company Limited

Olumiant 2 mg and 4 mg Film-Coated Tablets

Package leaflet: Information for the patient

Olumiant® 2 mg film-coated tablets

Olumiant® 4 mg film-coated tablets

baricitinib

Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
  • Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
  • If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, or pharmacist or nurse.
  • This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
  • If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, or pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

What is in this leaflet

1. What Olumiant is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Olumiant
3. How to take Olumiant
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Olumiant
6. Contents of the pack and other information

1. What Olumiant is and what it is used for

Olumiant contains the active substance baricitinib. It belongs to a group of medicines called Janus kinase inhibitors, which help to reduce inflammation.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Olumiant is used to treat adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disease of the joints, if previous therapy did not work well enough or was not tolerated. Olumiant can be used alone or together with some other medicines, such as methotrexate.

Olumiant works by reducing the activity of an enzyme in the body called ‘Janus kinase’, which is involved in inflammation. By reducing the activity of this enzyme, Olumiant helps to reduce pain, stiffness and swelling in your joints, tiredness, and helps to slow damage to the bone and cartilage in the joints. These effects can help you to do normal daily activities and so improve the health-related quality of life for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Atopic dermatitis

Olumiant is used to treat adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema. Olumiant may be used with eczema medicines that you apply to the skin or it may be used on its own.

Olumiant works by reducing the activity of an enzyme in the body called ‘Janus kinase’, which is involved in inflammation. By reducing the activity of this enzyme, Olumiant helps to improve the condition of your skin and reduce itching. In addition, Olumiant helps improve your sleep disturbance (due to itch) and overall quality of life. Olumiant has also been shown to improve symptoms of skin pain, anxiety, and depression associated with atopic dermatitis.

Alopecia areata

Olumiant is used to treat adults with severe alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory, nonscarring hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes on other areas of the body that can be recurrent and progressive.

Olumiant works by reducing the activity of an enzyme in the body called ‘Janus kinase’, which is involved in inflammation. By reducing the activity of this enzyme, Olumiant helps hair to regrow on scalp, face and other areas of the body impacted by the disease.

2. What you need to know before you take Olumiant
Do not take Olumiant
  • if you are allergic to baricitinib or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
  • if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before and during treatment with Olumiant if you:

  • are older than 65. Patients aged 65 years and older may be at increased risk of infections, heart problems including heart attack and some types of cancer. Your doctor will discuss with you if Olumiant is appropriate for you
  • have an infection, or if you often get infections. Tell your doctor if you get symptoms such as fever, wounds, feeling more tired than usual or dental problems as these can be signs of infection. Olumiant can reduce your body’s ability to fight infections and may make an existing infection worse or increase the chance of you getting a new infection. If you have diabetes or are older than 65 you may have an increased chance of getting infections
  • have, or have previously had, tuberculosis. You may need tests to check for tuberculosis before you are given Olumiant. Tell your doctor if you get persistent cough, fever, night sweats and weight loss during Olumiant treatment as these can be signs of tuberculosis
  • have had a herpes infection (shingles), because Olumiant may allow it to come back. Tell your doctor if you get painful skin rash with blisters during Olumiant treatment as these can be signs of shingles
  • have, or have previously had, hepatitis B or C
  • are due to have a vaccine. You should not be given certain (live) vaccines while using Olumiant
  • have or have had cancer, smoke or have smoked in the past, because your doctor will discuss with you if Olumiant is appropriate for you
  • have poor liver function
  • have, or have had, heart problems, because your doctor will discuss with you if Olumiant is appropriate for you
  • have previously had blood clots in the veins of your legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism), or have an increased risk for developing this (for example: if you had recent major surgery, if you use hormonal contraceptives\hormonal replacement therapy, or if a coagulation defect is identified in you or your close relatives). Your doctor will discuss with you if Olumiant is appropriate for you. Tell your doctor if you get sudden shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chest pain or pain in upper back, swelling of the leg or arm, leg pain or tenderness, or redness or discoloration in the leg or arm as these can be signs of blood clots in the veins
  • have had diverticulitis (a type of inflammation of the large intestine) or ulcers in stomach or intestines (see section 4)
  • Non-melanoma skin cancer has been observed in patients taking Olumiant. Your doctor may recommend that you have regular skin examinations while taking Olumiant. If new skin lesions appear during or after therapy or if existing lesions change appearance, tell your doctor.

If you notice any of the following serious side effects, you need to tell a doctor straight away:

  • wheezing
  • severe dizziness or light-headedness
  • swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
  • hives (itching or skin rash)
  • severe abdominal pain especially accompanied with fever, nausea and vomiting.
  • severe chest pain or tightness (that may spread to arms, jaw, neck, back)
  • shortness of breath
  • cold sweat
  • one-sided weakness in arm and/or leg
  • slurred speech

You may need blood tests before you start Olumiant, or while you are taking it, to check if you have a low red blood cell count (anaemia), low white blood cell count (neutropaenia or lymphopaenia), high blood fat (cholesterol) or high levels of liver enzymes, to ensure that treatment with Olumiant is not causing problems.

Children and adolescents

Do not give this medicine to children and adolescents under 18 years old because there is no information on use in this age group.

Other medicines and Olumiant

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take, any other medicines.

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist before taking Olumiant if you are taking any other medicine such as:

  • probenecid (for gout), since this medicine may increase the levels of Olumiant in your blood. If you are taking probenecid, the recommended dose of Olumiant is 2 mg once a day
  • injectable anti-rheumatic medicine
  • injectable medicines that depress the immune system, including so called targeted biologic (antibody) therapies
  • medicines which are used to control the body’s immune response, such as azathioprine, tacrolimus or ciclosporin
  • other medicines belonging to the group of Janus kinase inhibitors
  • medicines that may increase your risk of diverticulitis such as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (usually used to treat painful and/or inflammatory conditions of muscle or joints) and/or opioids (used to treat severe pain), and/or corticosteroids (usually used to treat inflammatory conditions) (see section 4)

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

You should use an effective method of contraception to avoid becoming pregnant during treatment with Olumiant and for at least one week after the last Olumiant treatment. You must tell your doctor if you become pregnant as Olumiant should not be used during pregnancy.

You should not use Olumiant while breast-feeding as it is not known if this medicine passes into milk. You and your doctor should decide if you will breast-feed or use Olumiant. You should not do both.

Driving and using machines

Olumiant has no effect on the ability to drive and use machines.

Olumiant contains sodium

This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially “sodium- free”.

3. How to take Olumiant

Treatment should be started by a doctor experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of your condition. Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata

The recommended dose is 4 mg once a day. Your doctor may give you a lower dose of 2 mg once a day, particularly if you are over 65 years old or if you have an increased risk of infections, of blood clots, major cardiovascular events or cancer.

If the medicine is working well, your doctor may decide the dose can be reduced.

If you have reduced kidney function, the recommended dose of Olumiant is 2 mg once a day.

Olumiant is for oral use. You should swallow your tablet with a drink of water.

You can take the tablets either with or without food. To help you remember to take Olumiant, you may find it easier to take it at the same time every day.

If you take more Olumiant than you should

If you take more Olumiant than you should, contact your doctor. You may get some of the side effects described in section 4.

If you forget to take Olumiant
  • If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember.
  • If you forget your dose for an entire day, just skip the missed dose and take only a single dose as usual the following day.
  • Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.

If you stop taking Olumiant

Do not stop taking Olumiant unless your doctor tells you to stop taking it.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Serious side effects

Infection such as shingles and pneumonia, which may affect up to 1 in 10 people:

Tell your doctor or seek medical help immediately if you get the following symptoms, which may be signs of:

  • shingles (herpes zoster): painful skin rash with blisters and fever (this was very rare in atopic dermatitis and uncommon in alopecia areata)
  • pneumonia: persistent cough, fever, shortness of breath, and tiredness (this was uncommon in atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata)

Serious pneumonia and serious herpes zoster were uncommon.

Other side effects

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)

  • throat and nose infections
  • high levels of blood fat (cholesterol) shown by blood test

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

  • cold sores (herpes simplex)
  • infection causing a sick stomach or diarrhoea (gastroenteritis)
  • urinary infection
  • high number of platelets (cells involved in blood clotting), shown by blood test (this was uncommon in atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata)
  • headache
  • feeling sick in the stomach (nausea; this was uncommon in atopic dermatitis)
  • stomach pain (this was uncommon in alopecia areata)
  • high levels of liver enzymes, shown by blood test (this was uncommon in atopic dermatitis)
  • rash
  • acne (this was uncommon in rheumatoid arthritis)
  • increase in an enzyme called creatine kinase, shown by a blood test (this was uncommon in rheumatoid arthritis)
  • inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicles particularly in the scalp region associated with hair regrowth (observed in alopecia areata)

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

  • low number of white bloods cells (neutrophils), shown by blood test
  • high levels of blood fat (triglycerides), shown by blood test
  • high levels of liver enzymes, shown by blood test (this was common in alopecia areata)
  • weight gain
  • swelling of the face
  • urticaria
  • blood clots in the blood vessels of the lungs
  • blood clot in the veins of the legs or pelvis, called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
  • diverticulitis (painful inflammation of small pockets in the lining of your intestine)

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme; website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. How to store Olumiant

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and carton after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment

6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Olumiant contains
  • The active substance is baricitinib. Each tablet contains 2 or 4 milligrams of baricitinib.
  • The other ingredients are: microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium (see section 2 “Olumiant contains sodium”), magnesium stearate, mannitol, iron oxide red (E172), lecithin (soya) (E322), macrogol, poly (vinyl alcohol), talc and titanium dioxide (E171).

What Olumiant looks like and contents of the pack

Olumiant 2 mg film-coated tablets are light pink, 9 x 7.5 mm oblong tablets, with “Lilly” on one side and “2” on the other.

Olumiant 4 mg film-coated tablets are medium pink, 8.5 mm round tablets, with “Lilly” on one side and “4” on the other.

The tablets are rounded and have hollow sides to help you pick them up.

Olumiant 2 mg and 4 mg are available in blister packs of 14, 28, 35, 56, 84 and 98 tablets in calendar blisters and 28 x 1 and 84 x 1 tablets in perforated unit dose blisters. Not all the pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer

Marketing Authorisation Holder:

Eli Lilly Nederland B.V.
Papendorpseweg 83
3528BJ
Utrecht
The Netherlands

Manufacturer:

Lilly S.A.
Avda. de la Industria 30
28108 Alcobendas
Madrid
Spain

For any information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the Marketing Authorisation Holder:

United Kingdom (Great Britain)
Eli Lilly and Company Limited
Tel: + 44-(0) 1256 315000

This leaflet was last revised in March 2023.

Other sources of information

www.olumiant.eu

OL034

Company Contact Details
Eli Lilly and Company Limited
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Lilly House, Basing View, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 4FA

Telephone

+44 (0)1256 315 000

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https://www.lillymedical.co.uk/en-gb

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