Tacrolimus

Tacrolimus ointment, both 0.03% and 0.1% for adults, and only 0.03% for children aged 2 to 15 years, is indicated as

• •Apply a thin layer of tacrolimus ointment to the affected skin twice daily. The minimum amount should be rubbed in gently and completely to control signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis. Stop using when signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis resolve.
• •If signs and symptoms (e.g. itch, rash, and redness) do not improve within 6 weeks, patients should be re-examined by their healthcare provider to confirm the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.
• •Continuous long-term use of topical calcineurin inhibitors, including tacrolimus ointment should be avoided, and application should be limited to areas of involvement with atopic dermatitis.

The safety of tacrolimus ointment under occlusion, which may promote systemic exposure, has not been evaluated. Tacrolimus ointment should not be used with occlusive dressings.

• •Apply a thin layer of tacrolimus ointment, 0.03% to the affected skin twice daily. The minimum amount should be rubbed in gently and completely to control signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis. Stop using when signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis resolve.
• •If signs and symptoms (e.g. itch, rash, and redness) do not improve within 6 weeks, patients should be re-examined by their healthcare provider to confirm the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.
• •Continuous long-term use of topical calcineurin inhibitors, including tacrolimus ointment should be avoided, and application should be limited to areas of involvement with atopic dermatitis.

The safety of tacrolimus ointment under occlusion, which may promote systemic exposure, has not been evaluated. Tacrolimus Ointment should not be used with occlusive dressings.

No phototoxicity and no photoallergenicity were detected in clinical studies with 12 and 216 normal volunteers, respectively. One out of 198 normal volunteers showed evidence of sensitization in a contact sensitization study.

In three 12 week randomized vehicle-controlled studies and four safety studies, 655 and 9,163 patients respectively, were treated with tacrolimus ointment. The duration of follow-up for adult and pediatric patients in the safety studies is tabulated below.

The following table depicts the adjusted incidence of adverse events pooled across the 3 identically designed 12-week controlled studies for patients in vehicle, tacrolimus ointment 0.03%, and tacrolimus ointment 0.1% treatment groups. The table also depicts the unadjusted incidence of adverse events in four safety studies, regardless of relationship to study drug.

Other adverse events which occurred at an incidence between 0.2% and less than 1% in clinical studies in the above table include: abnormal vision, abscess, anaphylactoid reaction, anemia, anorexia, anxiety, arthritis, arthrosis, bilirubinemia, blepharitis, bone disorder, breast neoplasm benign, bursitis, cataract NOS, chest pain, chills, colitis, conjunctival edema, constipation, cramps, cutaneous moniliasis, cystitis, dehydration, dizziness, dry eyes, dry mouth/nose, dyspnea, ear disorder, ecchymosis, edema, epistaxis, eye pain, furunculosis, gastritis, gastrointestinal disorder, hernia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertonia, hypothyroidism, joint disorder, laryngitis, leukoderma, lung disorder, malaise, migraine, moniliasis, mouth ulceration, nail disorder, neck pain, neoplasm benign, oral moniliasis, otitis externa, photosensitivity reaction, rectal disorder, seborrhea, skin carcinoma, skin discoloration, skin hypertrophy, skin ulcer, stomatitis, tendon disorder, thinking abnormal, tooth caries, sweating, syncope, tachycardia, taste perversion, unintended pregnancy, vaginal moniliasis, vaginitis, valvular heart disease, vasodilatation, and vertigo.

Formal topical drug interaction studies with tacrolimus ointment have not been conducted. Based on its extent of absorption, interactions of tacrolimus ointment with systemically administered drugs are unlikely to occur but cannot be ruled out (see

Tacrolimus Ointment contains tacrolimus, USP a macrolide immunosuppressant produced by

Tacrolimus, USP has a molecular formula of C₄₄H₆₉NO₁₂•H₂O and a formula weight of 822.03. Each gram of tacrolimus ointment contains either 0.03% or 0.1% w/w of tacrolimus, USP in a base of mineral oil, paraffin, propylene carbonate, white petrolatum and white wax.