Metronidazole

To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of Metronidazole Injection and other antibacterial drugs, Metronidazole Injection should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria. When culture and susceptibility information are available, they should be considered in selecting or modifying antibacterial therapy. In the absence of such data, local epidemiology and susceptibility patterns may contribute to the empiric selection of therapy.

In elderly patients the pharmacokinetics of metronidazole may be altered and therefore monitoring of serum levels may be necessary to adjust the metronidazole dosage accordingly.

The following are the most serious adverse reactions reported in patients treated with metronidazole and are also described elsewhere in the labeling: convulsive seizures, encephalopathy, aseptic meningitis, optic and peripheral neuropathy (characterized mainly by numbness or paresthesia of an extremity) (see WARNINGS).

The following adverse reactions associated with the use of metronidazole products were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports or published literature. Because some of these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

Gastrointestinal: Nausea, anorexia, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, an unpleasant metallic taste, epigastric distress, abdominal cramping, constipation and pancreatitis.

Mouth: A sharp metallic taste. Furry tongue, glossitis, and stomatitis have occurred; these may be associated with a sudden overgrowth of Candida which may occur during therapy with metronidazole.

Hematopoietic: Reversible neutropenia (leukopenia); thrombocytopenia, eosinophilia.

Hepatobiliary Disorders: Hepatotoxicity and liver failure especially in patients with Cockayne syndrome (see CONTRAINDICATIONS), jaundice.

Cardiovascular: QT prolongation has been reported, particularly when metronidazole was administered with drugs with the potential for prolonging the QT interval. Flattening of the T-wave may be seen in electrocardiographic tracings.

Skin and Subcutaneous Disorders: Toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS), erythematous rash, bullae, pruritus, swelling face, urticaria, and hyperhidrosis.

Central Nervous System: Encephalopathy, aseptic meningitis, convulsive seizures, optic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy (mainly numbness or paresthesia of an extremity), dizziness, vertigo, incoordination, ataxia, confusion, psychosis, dysarthria, irritability, depression, weakness, headache, tinnitus, hearing impairment, hearing loss, and insomnia.

Laboratory Investigations: Hepatic enzymes increased.

Hypersensitivity: Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) (see WARNINGS), anaphylaxis, angioedema, hypotension, flushing, nasal congestion, and dryness of mouth (or vagina or vulva).

Renal: Dysuria, cystitis, polyuria, incontinence, a sense of pelvic pressure, and darkened urine.

Hepatic: Cases of severe irreversible hepatotoxicity/acute liver failure, including cases with fatal outcomes with very rapid onset after initiation of systemic use of metronidazole, have been reported in patients with Cockayne Syndrome (latency from drug start to signs of liver failure as short as 2 days) (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).

Local Reactions: Thrombophlebitis after intravenous infusion. This reaction can be minimized or avoided by avoiding prolonged use of indwelling intravenous catheters.

Other: Fever, hiccup, proliferation of Candida in the vagina, dyspareunia, decrease of libido, proctitis, and fleeting joint pains sometimes resembling “serum sickness”. If patients receiving metronidazole drink alcoholic beverages, they may experience abdominal distress, nausea, vomiting, flushing, or headache. A modification of the taste of alcoholic beverages has also been reported.

Patients with Crohn's disease are known to have an increased incidence of gastrointestinal and certain extraintestinal cancers. There have been some reports in the medical literature of breast and colon cancer in Crohn's disease patients who have been treated with metronidazole at high doses for extended periods of time. A cause and effect relationship has not been established. Crohn's disease is not an approved indication for Metronidazole Injection.

Darkened Urine: Instances of darkened urine have also been reported, and this manifestation has been the subject of a special investigation. Although the pigment which is probably responsible for this phenomenon has not been positively identified, it is almost certainly a metabolite of metronidazole and seems to have no clinical significance.

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sagent Pharmaceuticals at 1-866-625-1618 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Drug Interactions

Metronidazole has been reported to potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin and other oral coumarin anticoagulants, resulting in a prolongation of prothrombin time. This possible drug interaction should be considered when Metronidazole Injection is prescribed for patients on this type of anticoagulant therapy.

The simultaneous administration of drugs that induce microsomal liver enzymes, such as phenytoin or phenobarbital, may accelerate the elimination of metronidazole, resulting in reduced plasma levels; impaired clearance of phenytoin has also been reported.

The simultaneous administration of drugs that decrease microsomal liver enzyme activity, such as cimetidine, may prolong the half-life and decrease plasma clearance of metronidazole.

Alcoholic beverages should not be consumed during metronidazole therapy because abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and flushing may occur.

Psychotic reactions have been reported in alcoholic patients who are using metronidazole and disulfiram concurrently. Metronidazole should not be given to patients who have taken disulfiram within the last two weeks.

QT prolongation has been reported, particularly when metronidazole was administered with drugs with the potential for prolonging the QT interval.

Metronidazole Injection, USP is a sterile, parenteral dosage form of metronidazole in water.

Each 100 mL of Metronidazole Injection, USP contains a sterile, nonpyrogenic, isotonic, buffered solution of Metronidazole, USP 500 mg, Sodium Chloride, USP 740 mg, Dibasic Sodium Phosphate Dihydrate, USP 75 mg and Citric Acid Anhydrous, USP 40 mg in Water for Injection, USP. Metronidazole Injection, USP has a calculated osmolality from 270 to 310 mOsmol/kg and a pH from 4.5 to 6.0. Sodium content: 13.5 mEq/container.

Metronidazole is classified as a nitroimidazole antimicrobial and is administered by the intravenous route.

Metronidazole, USP is chemically designated 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-1-ethanol (C6H9N3O3):

Not made with natural rubber latex.

The flexible container is fabricated from a specially formulated non-plasticized, thermoplastic copolyolephine. The amount of water that can permeate from the container into the overwrap is insufficient to affect the solution significantly. Solutions in contact with the flexible container can leach out certain of the container's chemical components in very small amounts within the expiration period. The suitability of the container material has been confirmed by tests in animals according to USP biological tests for plastic containers.

Metronidazole is a synthetic antibacterial compound. Disposition of metronidazole in the body is similar for both oral and intravenous dosage forms, with an average elimination half-life in healthy humans of eight hours.

The major route of elimination of metronidazole and its metabolites is via the urine (60 to 80% of the dose), with fecal excretion accounting for 6 to 15% of the dose. The metabolites that appear in the urine result primarily from side-chain oxidation (1-[β-hydroxyethyl]-2-hydroxymethyl-5-nitroimidazole and 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-1-yl-acetic acid) and glucuronide conjugation, with unchanged metronidazole accounting for approximately 20% of the total. Renal clearance of metronidazole is approximately 10 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Metronidazole is the major component appearing in the plasma, with lesser quantities of the 2-hydroxymethyl metabolite also being present. Less than 20% of the circulating metronidazole is bound to plasma proteins. Both the parent compound and the metabolite possess in vitro bactericidal activity against most strains of anaerobic bacteria.

Metronidazole appears in cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, and human milk in concentrations similar to those found in plasma. Bactericidal concentrations of metronidazole have also been detected in pus from hepatic abscesses.

Plasma concentrations of metronidazole are proportional to the administered dose. An eight-hour intravenous infusion of 100 to 4,000 mg of metronidazole in normal subjects showed a linear relationship between dose and peak plasma concentration.

In patients treated with metronidazole injection using a dosage regimen of 15 mg/kg loading dose followed six hours later by 7.5 mg/kg every six hours, peak steady-state plasma concentrations of metronidazole averaged 25 mcg per mL with trough (minimum) concentrations averaging 18 mcg per mL.

Decreased renal function does not alter the single-dose pharmacokinetics of metronidazole. However, plasma clearance of metronidazole is decreased in patients with decreased liver function.

In one study newborn infants appeared to demonstrate diminished capacity to eliminate metronidazole. The elimination half-life, measured during the first three days of life, was inversely related to gestational age. In infants whose gestational ages were between 28 and 40 weeks, the corresponding elimination half-lives ranged from 109 to 22.5 hours.

Metronidazole Injection, USP is supplied in 100 mL bag, each containing an isotonic buffered solution of 500 mg metronidazole. Metronidazole Injection, USP is sterile premixed solution intended for single dose only.

Mechanism of Action

Metronidazole, a nitroimidazole, exerts antibacterial effects in an anaerobic environment against most obligate anaerobes. Once metronidazole enters the organism by passive diffusion and activated in the cytoplasm of susceptible anaerobic bacteria, it is reduced; this process includes intra-cellular electron transport donors such as ferredoxin and transfer of an electron to the nitro group of the metronidazole leading to formation of a short-lived nitroso free radical. Because of this alteration of the metronidazole molecule, a concentration gradient is created and maintained which promotes the drug's intracellular transport. The reduced form of metronidazole and free radicals may interact with DNA leading to inhibition of DNA synthesis, DNA degradation, and death of bacteria. The precise mechanism of action of metronidazole is unclear.