Get your patient on Itraconazole Oral - Itraconazole solution (Itraconazole)

The solution should be vigorously swished in the mouth (10 mL at a time) for several seconds and swallowed.

The recommended dosage of itraconazole oral solution for oropharyngeal candidiasis is 200 mg (20 mL) daily for 1 to 2 weeks. Clinical signs and symptoms of oropharyngeal candidiasis generally resolve within several days.

For patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis unresponsive/refractory to treatment with fluconazole tablets, the recommended dose is 100 mg (10 mL) b.i.d. For patients responding to therapy, clinical responding to thera in 2 to 4 weeks. Patients may be expected to relapse shortly after discontinuing therapy. Limited data on the safety of long-term use (>6 months) of itraconazole oral solution are available at this time.

The recommended dosage of itraconazole oral solution for esophageal candidiasis is 100 mg (10 mL) daily for a minimum treatment of three weeks. Treatment should continue for 2 weeks following resolution of symptoms. Doses up to 200 mg (20 mL) per day may be used based on medical judgment of the patient's response to therapy.

Itraconazole oral solution and itraconazole capsules should not be used interchangeably. Patients should be instructed to take itraconazole oral solution without food, if possible. Only itraconazole oral solution has been demonstrated effective for oral and/or esophageal candidiasis.

Limited data are available on the use of oral itraconazole in patients with renal impairment. Caution should be exercised when this drug is administered in this patient population. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Special Populations and PRECAUTIONS .)

Limited data are available on the use of oral itraconazole in patients with hepatic impairment. Caution should be exercised when this drug is administered in this patient population. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Special Populations , WARNINGS , and PRECAUTIONS .)

Itraconazole oral solution should not be administered to patients with evidence of ventricular dysfunction such as congestive heart failure (CHF) or a history of CHF except for the treatment of life-threatening or other serious infections. (See BOXED WARNING , WARNINGS , PRECAUTIONS: Drug Interactions-Calcium Channel Blockers , ADVERSE REACTIONS: Post-marketing Experience , and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Special Populations .)

Coadministration of a number of CYP3A4 substrates are contraindicated with itraconazole. Plasma concentrations increase for the following drugs: levaceytlmethadol (levomethadyl), methadone, disopyramide, dofetilide, dronedarone, quinidine, isavuconazole, ergot alkaloids (such as dihydroergotamine, ergometrine (ergonovine), ergotamine, methylergometrine (methylergonovine)), irinotecan, lurasidone, oral midazolam, pimozide, triazolam, felodipine, nisoldipine, ivabradine, ranolazine, eplerenone, cisapride, naloxegol, lomitapide, lovastatin, simvastatin, avanafil, ticagrelor. In addition, coadministration with colchicine, fesoterodine, and solifenacin is contraindicated in subjects with varying degrees of renal or hepatic impairment, and coadministration with eliglustat is contraindicated in subjects that are poor or intermediate metabolizers of CYP2D6 and in subjects taking strong or moderate CYP2D6 inhibitors. (See PRECAUTIONS: Drug Interactions Section for specific examples.) This increase in drug concentrations caused by coadministration with itraconazole may increase or prolong both the pharmacologic effects and/or adverse reactions to these drugs. For example, increased plasma concentrations of some of these drugs can lead to QT prolongation and ventricular tachyarrhythmias including occurrences of torsade de pointes, a potentially fatal arrhythmia. Specific examples are listed in PRECAUTIONS: Drug Interactions .

Itraconazole is contraindicated for patients who have shown hypersensitivity to itraconazole. There is limited information regarding cross-hypersensitivity between itraconazole and other azole antifungal agents. Caution should be used when prescribing itraconazole to patients with hypersensitivity to other azoles.

U.S. adverse experience data are derived from 350 immunocompromised patients (332 HIV seropositive/AIDS) treated for oropharyngeal or esophageal candidiasis. Table 3 below lists adverse events reported by at least 2% of patients treated with itraconazole oral solution in U.S. clinical trials. Data on patients receiving comparator agents in these trials are included for comparison.

Adverse events reported by less than 2% of patients in U.S. clinical trials with itraconazole included: adrenal insufficiency, asthenia, back pain, dehydration, dyspepsia, dysphagia, flatulence, gynecomastia, hematuria, hemorrhoids, hot flushes, implantation complication, infection unspecified, injury, insomnia, male breast pain, myalgia, pharyngitis, pruritus, rhinitis, rigors, stomatitis ulcerative, taste perversion, tinnitus, upper respiratory tract infection, vision abnormal, and weight decrease. Edema, hypokalemia and menstrual disorders have been reported in clinical trials with itraconazole capsules.

A comparative clinical trial in patients who received intravenous itraconazole followed by itraconazole oral solution or received Amphotericin B reported the following adverse events in the itraconazole intravenous/itraconazole oral solution treatment arm which are not listed above in the subsection “Adverse Events Reported in Oropharnyngeal or Esophageal Candidiasis Trials” or listed below as postmarketing reports of adverse drug reactions: serum creatinine increased, blood urea nitrogen increased, renal function abnormal, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia, hypotension, tachycardia and pulmonary infiltration.

In addition, the following adverse drug reactions were reported in patients who participated in itraconazole oral solution clinical trials:

Cardiac Disorders: cardiac failure;

General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: edema;

Hepatobiliary Disorders: hepatic failure, hyperbilirubinemia;

Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: hypokalemia;

Reproductive System and Breast Disorders: menstrual disorder

The following is a list of additional adverse drug reactions associated with itraconazole that have been reported in clinical trials of itraconazole capsules and itraconazole IV excluding the adverse reaction term “Injection site inflammation” which is specific to the injection route of administration:

Cardiac Disorders: left ventricular failure;

Gastrointestinal Disorders: gastrointestinal disorder;

General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: face edema;

Hepatobiliary Disorders: jaundice, hepatic function abnormal;

Investigations: alanine aminotransferase increased, aspartate aminotransferase increased, blood alkaline phosphatase increased, blood lactate dehydrogenase increased, gamma-glutamyltransferase increased, urine analysis abnormal;

Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: hyperglycemia, hyperkalemia;

Nervous System Disorders: somnolence;

Psychiatric Disorders: confusional state;

Renal and Urinary Disorders: renal impairment;

Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders: dysphonia;

Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: rash erythematous;

Vascular Disorders: hypertension

In addition, the following adverse drug reaction was reported in children only who participated in itraconazole oral solution clinical trials: mucosal inflammation.

Adverse drug reactions that have been first identified during post-marketing experience with itraconazole (all formulations) are listed in Table 4 below. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, reliably estimating their frequency or establishing a causal relationship to drug exposure is not always possible.

There is limited information on the use of itraconazole during pregnancy. Cases of congenital abnormalities including skeletal, genitourinary tract, cardiovascular and ophthalmic malformations as well as chromosomal and multiple malformations have been reported during post-marketing experience. A causal relationship with itraconazole has not been established. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Special Populations , CONTRAINDICATIONS , WARNINGS , and PRECAUTIONS: Drug Interactions for more information.)

Two randomized, controlled studies for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis have been conducted (total n = 344). In one trial, clinical response to either 7 or 14 days of itraconazole oral solution, 200 mg/day, was similar to fluconazole tablets and averaged 84% across all arms. Clinical response in this study was defined as cured or improved (only minimal signs and symptoms with no visible lesions). Approximately 5% of subjects were lost to follow-up before any evaluations could be performed. Response to 14 days therapy of itraconazole oral solution was associated with a lower relapse rate than 7 days of itraconazole therapy. In another trial, the clinical response rate (defined as cured or improved) for itraconazole oral solution was similar to clotrimazole troches and averaged approximately 71% across both arms, with approximately 3% of subjects lost to follow-up before any evaluations could be performed. Ninety-two percent of the patients in these studies were HIV seropositive.

In an uncontrolled, open-label study of selected patients clinically unresponsive to fluconazole tablets (n = 74, all patients HIV seropositive), patients were treated with itraconazole oral solution 100 mg b.i.d. (Clinically unresponsive to fluconazole in this study was defined as having received a dose of fluconazole tablets at least 200 mg/day for a minimum of 14 days.) Treatment duration was 14 to 28 days based on response. Approximately 55% of patients had complete resolution of oral lesions. Of patients who responded and then entered a followup phase (n = 22), all relapsed within 1 month (median 14 days) when treatment was discontinued. Although baseline endoscopies had not been performed, several patients in this study developed symptoms of esophageal candidiasis while receiving therapy with itraconazole oral solution. Itraconazole oral solution has not been directly compared to other agents in a controlled trial of similar patients.

A double-blind randomized study (n = 119, 111 of whom were HIV seropositive) compared itraconazole oral solution (100 mg/day) to fluconazole tablets (100 mg/day). The dose of each was increased to 200 mg/day for patients not responding initially. Treatment continued for 2 weeks following resolution of symptoms, for a total duration of treatment of 3 to 8 weeks. Clinical response (a global assessment of cured or improved) was not significantly different between the two study arms, and averaged approximately 86% with 8% lost to follow-up. Six of 53 (11%) itraconazole-treated patients and 12/57 (21%) fluconazole-treated patients were escalated to the 200 mg dose in this trial. Of the subgroup of patients who responded and entered a follow-up phase (n = 88), approximately 23% relapsed across both arms within 4 weeks.