Feirza 1.5/30 Tm - Norethindrone Acetate And Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets Usp, 1.5 Mg/30 Mcg And Ferrous Fumarate Tablets, 75 Mg prescribing information
WARNING: CIGARETTE SMOKING AND SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events from combination oral contraceptive (COC) use. This risk increases with age, particularly in women over 35 years of age, and with the number of cigarettes smoked. For this reason, COCs, including norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets, are contraindicated in women who are over 35 years of age and smoke (see CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS ).
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Feirza 1.5/30 is indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use oral contraceptives as a method of contraception.
Oral contraceptives are highly effective. Table I lists the typical accidental pregnancy rates for users of combination oral contraceptives and other methods of contraception. The efficacy of these contraceptive methods, except sterilization, depends upon the reliability with which they are used. Correct and consistent use of methods can result in lower failure rates.
| Adapted from RA Hatcher et al, Reference 7. | ||
% Of Women Experiencing an Unintended Pregnancy in the First Year of Continuous Use | ||
Method | Lowest Expected The authors’ best guess of the percentage of women expected to experience an accidental pregnancy among couples who initiate a method (not necessarily for the first time) and who use it consistently and correctly during the first year if they do not stop for any other reason. | Typical •• |
(No contraception) | (85) | (85) |
Oral contraceptives | 3 | |
combined | 0.1 | N/A••• |
progestin only | 0.5 | N/A••• |
Diaphragm with spermicidal cream or jelly | 6 | 20 |
Spermicides alone (foam, creams, gels, vaginal suppositories, and vaginal film) | 6 | 26 |
Vaginal Sponge | ||
nulliparous | 9 | 20 |
parous | 20 | 40 |
Implant | 0.05 | 0.05 |
Injection: depot medroxyprogesterone acetate | 0.3 | 0.3 |
IUD | ||
progesterone T | 1.5 | 2 |
copper T 380A | 0.6 | 0.8 |
LNg 20 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Condom without spermicides | ||
female | 5 | 21 |
male | 3 | 14 |
Cervical Cap with spermicidal cream or jelly | ||
nulliparous | 9 | 20 |
parous | 26 | 40 |
Periodic abstinence (all methods) | 1 to 9 | 25 |
Withdrawal | 4 | 19 |
Female sterilization | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Male sterilization | 0.10 | 0.15 |
•• This term represents “typical” couples who initiate use of a method (not necessarily for the first time), who experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year if they do not stop use for any other reason.
••• N/A - Data not available.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
The tablet blister pack has been designed to make oral contraceptive dosing as easy and as convenient as possible. The tablets are arranged in four rows of seven tablets each, with the days of the week appearing on the tablet blister above the first row of tablets.
Note: Each blister card has been preprinted with the days of the week, starting with Sunday, to facilitate a Sunday-Start regimen. Six different day label strips have been provided with the Detailed Patient & Brief Summary Patient Package Insert in order to accommodate a Day-1 Start regimen. If the patient is using the Day-1 Start regimen, she should place the self-adhesive day label strip that corresponds to her starting day over the preprinted days.
Important: The patient should be instructed to use an additional method of protection until after the first week of administration in the initial cycle when utilizing the Sunday-Start regimen.
The possibility of ovulation and conception prior to initiation of use should be considered.
Dosage and Administration for 28-Day Dosage Regimen
To achieve maximum contraceptive effectiveness, Feirza 1.5/30 should be taken exactly as directed and at intervals not exceeding 24 hours.
Feirza 1.5/30 provides a continuous administration regimen consisting of 21 blue tablets of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol and 7 brown non-hormone containing tablets of ferrous fumarate. The ferrous fumarate tablets are present to facilitate ease of drug administration via a 28-day regimen and do not serve any therapeutic purpose. There is no need for the patient to count days between cycles because there are no “off-tablet days.”
A. Sunday-Start Regimen: The patient begins taking the first blue tablet from the top row of the blister (labeled Sunday) on the first Sunday after menstrual flow begins. When the menstrual flow begins on Sunday, the first blue tablet is taken on the same day. The patient takes one blue tablet daily for 21 days. The last blue tablet in the blister pack will be taken on a Saturday. Upon completion of all 21 blue tablets, and without interruption, the patient takes one brown tablet daily for seven days. Upon completion of this first course of tablets, the patient begins a second course of 28-day tablets, without interruption, the next day (Sunday), starting with the Sunday blue tablet in the top row. Adhering to this regimen of one blue tablet daily for 21 days, followed without interruption by one brown tablet daily for seven days, the patient will start all subsequent cycles on a Sunday.
B. Day-1 Start Regimen: The first day of menstrual flow is Day 1. The patient places the self-adhesive day label strip that corresponds to her starting day over the preprinted days on the blister card. She starts taking one blue tablet daily, beginning with the first blue tablet in the top row. After the last blue tablet (at the end of the third row) has been taken, the patient will then take the brown tablets for a week (7 days). For all subsequent cycles, the patient begins a new 28 tablet regimen on the eighth day after taking her last blue tablet, again starting with the first tablet in the top row after placing the appropriate day label strip over the preprinted days on the tablet blister. Following this regimen of 21 blue tablets and 7 brown tablets, the patient will start all subsequent cycles on the same day of the week as the first course.
Tablets should be taken regularly with a meal or at bedtime. It should be stressed that efficacy of medication depends on strict adherence to the dosage schedule.
Special Notes on Administration
Menstruation usually begins two or three days, but may begin as late as the fourth or fifth day, after the brown tablets have been started. In any event, the next course of tablets should be started without interruption. If spotting occurs while the patient is taking blue tablets, continue medication without interruption.
If the patient forgets to take one or more blue tablets, the following is suggested:
One tablet is missed
take tablet as soon as remembered
take next tablet at the regular time
Two consecutive tablets are missed (week 1 or week 2)
take two tablets as soon as remembered
take two tablets the next day
use another birth control method for seven days following the missed tablets
Two consecutive tablets are missed (week 3)
Sunday-Start Regimen:
take one tablet daily until Sunday
discard remaining tablets
start new pack of tablets immediately (Sunday)
use another birth control method for seven days following the missed tablets
Day-1 Start Regimen:
discard remaining tablets
start new pack of tablets that same day
use another birth control method for seven days following the missed tablets
Three (or more) consecutive tablets are missed
Sunday-Start Regimen:
take one tablet daily until Sunday
discard remaining tablets
start new pack of tablets immediately (Sunday)
use another birth control method for seven days following the missed tablets
Day-1 Start Regimen:
discard remaining tablets
start new pack of tablets that same day
use another birth control method for seven days following the missed tablets
The possibility of ovulation occurring increases with each successive day that scheduled blue tablets are missed. While there is little likelihood of ovulation occurring if only one blue tablet is missed, the possibility of spotting or bleeding is increased. This is particularly likely to occur if two or more consecutive blue tablets are missed.
If the patient forgets to take any of the seven brown tablets in week four, those brown tablets that were missed are discarded and one brown tablet is taken each day until the pack is empty. A back-up birth control method is not required during this time. A new pack of tablets should be started no later than the eighth day after the last blue tablet was taken.
In the rare case of bleeding which resembles menstruation, the patient should be advised to discontinue medication and then begin taking tablets from a new tablet blister pack on the next Sunday or the first day (Day-1), depending on her regimen. Persistent bleeding which is not controlled by this method indicates the need for reexamination of the patient, at which time nonfunctional causes should be considered.
Use of Oral Contraceptives in the Event of a Missed Menstrual Period
If the patient has not adhered to the prescribed dosage regimen, the possibility of pregnancy should be considered after the first missed period and oral contraceptives should be withheld until pregnancy has been ruled out.
If the patient has adhered to the prescribed regimen and misses two consecutive periods, pregnancy should be ruled out before continuing the contraceptive regimen.
After several months on treatment, bleeding may be reduced to a point of virtual absence. This reduced flow may occur as a result of medication, in which event it is not indicative of pregnancy.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Oral contraceptives are contraindicated in women who currently have the following conditions:
Thrombophlebitis or thromboembolic disorders
A past history of deep vein thrombophlebitis or thromboembolic disorders
Cerebral vascular or coronary artery disease
Current diagnosis of, or history of, breast cancer, which may be hormone sensitive
Carcinoma of the endometrium or other known or suspected estrogen-dependent neoplasia
Undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding
Cholestatic jaundice of pregnancy or jaundice with prior pill use
Hepatic adenomas or carcinomas
Are receiving Hepatitis C drug combinations containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, due to the potential for ALT elevations (see Warnings, RISK OF LIVER ENZYME ELEVATIONS WITH CONCOMITANT HEPATITIS C TREATMENT ).
ADVERSE REACTIONS
An increased risk of the following serious adverse reactions has been associated with the use of oral contraceptives (see WARNINGS section):
Thrombophlebitis
Arterial thromboembolism
Pulmonary embolism
Myocardial infarction
Cerebral hemorrhage
Cerebral thrombosis
Hypertension
Gallbladder disease
Hepatic adenomas or benign liver tumors
Post Marketing Experience
Five studies that compared breast cancer risk between ever-users (current or past use) of COCs and never-users of COCs reported no association between ever use of COCs and breast cancer risk, with effect estimates ranging from 0.90 - 1.12 (Figure 1) (70-74).
Three studies compared breast cancer risk between current or recent COC users (<6 months since last use) and never users of COCs (Figure 1) (70, 73, 75). One of these studies reported no association between breast cancer risk and COC use. The other two studies found an increased relative risk of 1.19 - 1.33 with current or recent use. Both of these studies found an increased risk of breast cancer with current use of longer duration, with relative risks ranging from 1.03 with less than one year of COC use to approximately 1.4 with more than 8-10 years of COC use.
FIGURE 1: RELEVANT STUDIES OF RISK OF BREAST CANCER WITH COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

RR = relative risk; OR = odds ratio; HR = hazard ratio. “ever COC” are females with current or past COC use; “never COC use” are females that never used COCs.
There is evidence of an association between the following conditions and the use of oral contraceptives, although additional confirmatory studies are needed:
Mesenteric thrombosis
Retinal thrombosis
The following adverse reactions have been reported in patients receiving oral contraceptives and are believed to be drug-related:
Nausea
Vomiting
Gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal cramps and bloating)
Breakthrough bleeding
Spotting
Change in menstrual flow
Amenorrhea
Temporary infertility after discontinuation of treatment
Edema
Melasma which may persist
Breast changes: tenderness, enlargement, secretion
Change in weight (increase or decrease)
Change in cervical erosion and secretion
Diminution in lactation when given immediately postpartum
Cholestatic jaundice
Migraine
Rash (allergic)
Depression
Reduced tolerance to carbohydrates
Vaginal candidiasis
Change in corneal curvature (steepening)
Intolerance to contact lenses
The following adverse reactions have been reported in users of oral contraceptives and the association has been neither confirmed nor refuted:
Pre-menstrual syndrome
Cataracts
Changes in appetite
Cystitis-like syndrome
Headache
Nervousness
Dizziness
Hirsutism
Loss of scalp hair
Erythema multiforme
Erythema nodosum
Hemorrhagic eruption
Vaginitis
Porphyria
Impaired renal function
Hemolytic uremic syndrome
Budd-Chiari syndrome
Acne
Changes in libido
Colitis
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Xiromed, LLC at 844-XIROMED (844-947-6633) or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
DESCRIPTION
Feirza 1.5/30 (Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets, USP and Ferrous Fumarate Tablets) is a progestogen-estrogen combination.
Feirza 1.5/30 provides a continuous dosage regimen consisting of 21 oral contraceptive tablets and seven ferrous fumarate tablets. The ferrous fumarate tablets are present to facilitate ease of drug administration via a 28-day regimen, are non-hormonal, and do not serve any therapeutic purpose.
Each blue tablet contains norethindrone acetate (19-Norpregn-4-en-20-yn-3-one, 17-(acetyloxy)-, (17α)), 1.5 mg; ethinyl estradiol (19-Norpregna-1,3,5(10)-trien-20-yne-3, 17-diol, (17α)-), 30 mcg. Also contains compressible sugar, croscarmellose sodium, dl -α-tocopherol, FD & C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake, lactose anhydrous, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, povidone K-25, sodium lauryl sulphate.
The structural formulas are as follows:

Each brown placebo tablet contains colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, ferrous fumarate, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone K-90. The ferrous fumarate tablets do not serve any therapeutic purpose.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus (which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduce the likelihood of implantation).
Pharmacokinetics
The pharmacokinetics of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets have not been characterized; however, the following pharmacokinetic information regarding norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol is taken from the literature.
Absorption
Norethindrone acetate appears to be completely and rapidly deacetylated to norethindrone after oral administration, since the disposition of norethindrone acetate is indistinguishable from that of orally administered norethindrone (1). Norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol are subject to first-pass metabolism after oral dosing, resulting in an absolute bioavailability of approximately 64% for norethindrone and 43% for ethinyl estradiol (1-3).
Distribution
Volume of distribution of norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol ranges from 2 to 4 L/kg (1 to 3). Plasma protein binding of both steroids is extensive (greater than 95%); norethindrone binds to both albumin and sex hormone binding globulin, whereas ethinyl estradiol binds only to albumin (4).
Metabolism
Norethindrone undergoes extensive biotransformation, primarily via reduction, followed by sulfate and glucuronide conjugation. The majority of metabolites in the circulation are sulfates, with glucuronides accounting for most of the urinary metabolites (5). A small amount of norethindrone acetate is metabolically converted to ethinyl estradiol. Ethinyl estradiol is also extensively metabolized, both by oxidation and by conjugation with sulfate and glucuronide. Sulfates are the major circulating conjugates of ethinyl estradiol and glucuronides predominate in urine. The primary oxidative metabolite is 2-hydroxy ethinyl estradiol, formed by the CYP3A4 isoform of cytochrome P450. Part of the first-pass metabolism of ethinyl estradiol is believed to occur in gastrointestinal mucosa. Ethinyl estradiol may undergo enterohepatic circulation (6).
Excretion
Norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol are excreted in both urine and feces, primarily as metabolites (5, 6). Plasma clearance values for norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol are similar (approximately 0.4 L/hr/kg) (1-3).
Special Population
Race:
The effect of race on the disposition of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets has not been evaluated.
Renal Insufficiency
The effect of renal disease on the disposition of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets has not been evaluated. In premenopausal women with chronic renal failure undergoing peritoneal dialysis who received multiple doses of an oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone, plasma ethinyl estradiol concentrations were higher and norethindrone concentrations were unchanged compared to concentrations in premenopausal women with normal renal function.
Hepatic Insufficiency
The effect of hepatic disease on the disposition of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets has not been evaluated. However, ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone may be poorly metabolized in patients with impaired liver function.
Drug-Drug Interactions
Numerous drug-drug interactions have been reported for oral contraceptives. A summary of these is found under PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions.
HOW SUPPLIED
Feirza 1.5/30 (Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets USP, 1.5 mg/30 mcg and Ferrous Fumarate Tablets, 75 mg) is packaged in cartons of 3 pouches (NDC 70700-309-85); each pouch (NDC 70700-309-84) contains a blister pack of 28 tablets. Each blister pack contains 21 blue, round, flat-faced, unscored tablet debossed with 237 on one side and plain on the other side and 7 brown, round, flat-faced, unscored tablets debossed with 291 on one side and plain on the other side. Each brown tablet contains 75 mg ferrous fumarate.
Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F). [See USP Controlled Room Temperature.]