During the premarketing development of CHANTIX, over 4500 individuals
were exposed to CHANTIX, with over 450 treated for at least 24 weeks and
approximately 100 for a year. Most study participants were treated for 12
weeks or less.
In Phase 2 and 3 placebo-controlled studies, the treatment discontinuation
rate due to adverse events in patients dosed with 1 mg BID was 12% for CHANTIX
compared to 10% for placebo in studies of three months' treatment. In this
group, the discontinuation rates for the most common adverse events in CHANTIX
treated patients were as follows: nausea (3% vs. 0.5% for placebo), headache
(0.6% vs. 0.9% for placebo), insomnia (1.2% vs. 1.1% for placebo), and abnormal
dreams (0.3% vs. 0.2% for placebo).
Adverse Events were categorized using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory
Activities (MedDRA, Version 7.1).
The most common adverse events associated with CHANTIX (>5% and twice
the rate seen in placebo-treated patients) were nausea, sleep disturbance,
constipation, flatulence, and vomiting.
Smoking cessation, with or without treatment, is associated with nicotine
withdrawal symptoms.
The most common adverse event associated with CHANTIX treatment is nausea.
For patients treated to the maximum recommended dose of 1 mg BID following
initial dosage titration, the incidence of nausea was 30% compared with
10% in patients taking a comparable placebo regimen. In patients taking
CHANTIX 0.5 mg BID following initial titration, the incidence was 16% compared
with 11% for placebo. Nausea was generally described as mild or moderate
and often transient; however, for some subjects, it was persistent throughout
the treatment period.
Table 3 shows the adverse events for CHANTIX and placebo in the 12 week
fixed dose studies with titration in the first week (Studies 2 (titrated
arm only), 4, and 5). MedDRA High Level Group Terms (HLGT) reported in ≥
5% of patients in the CHANTIX 1 mg BID dose group, and more commonly than
in the placebo group, are listed, along with subordinate Preferred Terms
(PT) reported in ≥ 1% of CHANTIX patients (and at least 0.5% more frequent
than placebo). Closely related Preferred Terms such as 'Insomnia', 'Initial
insomnia', 'Middle insomnia', 'Early morning awakening' were grouped, but
individual patients reporting two or more grouped events are only counted
once.
Table 3: Common Treatment Emergent AEs (%) in the Fixed-Dose, Placebo-Controlled
Studies (≥ 1% in the 1 mg BID CHANTIX Group, and 1 mg BID CHANTIX at least
0.5% more than Placebo)
The overall pattern, and the frequency of adverse events during the longer-term
trials was very similar to that described in Table 3, though several of
the most common events were reported by a greater proportion of patients.
Nausea, for instance, was reported in 40% of patients treated with CHANTIX
1 mg BID in a one-year study, compared to 8% of placebo-treated patients.
Following is a list of treatment-emergent adverse events reported by
patients treated with CHANTIX during all clinical trials. The listing does
not include those events already listed in the previous tables or elsewhere
in labeling, those events for which a drug cause was remote, those events
which were so general as to be uninformative, and those events reported
only once which did not have a substantial probability of being acutely
life-threatening.
BLOOD AND LYMPHATIC SYSTEM DISORDERS. Infrequent: Anemia,
Lymphadenopathy. Rare: Leukocytosis, Thrombocytopenia, Splenomegaly.
CARDIAC DISORDERS. Infrequent: Angina pectoris, Arrhythmia,
Bradycardia, Ventricular extrasystoles, Myocardial infarction, Palpitations,
Tachycardia. Rare: Atrial fibrillation, Cardiac flutter, Coronary
artery disease, Cor pulmonale, Acute coronary syndrome.
EAR AND LABYRINTH DISORDERS. Infrequent: Tinnitus, Vertigo.
Rare: Deafness, Meniere's disease.
ENDOCRINE DISORDERS. Infrequent: Thyroid gland disorders.
EYE DISORDERS. Infrequent: Conjunctivitis, Dry eye, Eye
irritation, Vision blurred, Visual disturbance, Eye pain. Rare:
Acquired night blindness, Blindness transient, Cataract subcapsular, Ocular
vascular disorder, Photophobia, Vitreous floaters.
GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS. Frequent: Diarrhea, Gingivitis.
Infrequent: Dysphagia, Enterocolitis, Eructation, Gastritis,
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, Mouth ulceration, Esophagitis. Rare:
Gastric ulcer, Intestinal obstruction, Pancreatitis acute.
GENERAL DISORDERS AND ADMINISTRATION SITE CONDITIONS. Frequent:
Chest pain, Influenza like illness, Edema, Thirst. Infrequent:
Chest discomfort, Chills, Pyrexia.
HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS. Infrequent: Gall bladder disorder.
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISORDERS. Infrequent: Hypersensitivity.
Rare: Drug hypersensitivity.
INVESTIGATIONS. Frequent: Liver function test abnormal,
Weight increased. Infrequent: Electrocardiogram abnormal,
Muscle enzyme increased, Urine analysis abnormal.
METABOLISM AND NUTRITION DISORDERS. Infrequent: Diabetes
mellitus, Hyperlipidemia, Hypokalemia. Rare: Hyperkalemia,
Hypoglycemia.
MUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS. Frequent:
Arthralgia, Back pain, Muscle cramp, Musculoskeletal pain, Myalgia.
Infrequent: Arthritis, Osteoporosis. Rare: Myositis.
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS. Frequent: Disturbance in attention,
Dizziness, Sensory disturbance. Infrequent: Amnesia, Migraine,
Parosmia, Psychomotor hyperactivity, Restless legs syndrome, Syncope, Tremor.
Rare: Balance disorder, Cerebrovascular accident, Convulsion,
Dysarthria, Facial palsy, Mental impairment, Multiple sclerosis, Nystagmus,
Psychomotor skills impaired, Transient ischemic attack, Visual field defect.
PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. Frequent: Anxiety, Depression, Emotional
disorder, Irritability, Restlessness. Infrequent: Aggression,
Agitation, Disorientation, Dissociation, Libido decreased, Mood swings,
Thinking abnormal. Rare: Bradyphrenia, Euphoric mood, Hallucination,
Psychotic disorder, Suicidal ideation.
RENAL AND URINARY DISORDERS. Frequent: Polyuria.
Infrequent: Nephrolithiasis, Nocturia, Urine abnormality, Urethral
syndrome. Rare: Renal failure acute, Urinary retention.
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM AND BREAST DISORDERS. Frequent: Menstrual
disorder. Infrequent: Erectile dysfunction. Rare:
Sexual dysfunction.
RESPIRATORY, THORACIC AND MEDIASTINAL DISORDERS. Frequent:
Epistaxis, Respiratory disorders. Infrequent: Asthma.
Rare: Pleurisy, Pulmonary embolism.
SKIN AND SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE DISORDERS. Frequent: Hyperhidrosis.
Infrequent: Acne, Dermatitis, Dry skin, Eczema, Erythema,
Psoriasis, Urticaria. Rare: Photosensitivity reaction.
VASCULAR DISORDERS. Frequent: Hot flush, Hypertension.
Infrequent: Hypotension, Peripheral ischemia, Thrombosis.
Post-Marketing Experience:
The following adverse events have been reported during post-approval use of CHANTIX.
Because these events are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is
not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to
drug exposure.
There have been reports of depression, mania, psychosis, hallucinations, paranoia,
delusions, homicidal ideation, aggression, hostility, anxiety, and panic, as well as
suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide in patients attempting to quit
smoking while taking CHANTIX (See Boxed Warning, WARNINGS/Neuropsychiatric
Symptoms and Suicidality, PRECAUTIONS/Information for Patients ).
Smoking cessation with or without treatment is associated with nicotine
withdrawal symptoms and the exacerbation of underlying psychiatric illness.
Not all patients had known pre-existing psychiatric illness and not all had discontinued smoking.
There have been reports of hypersensitivity reactions, including angioedema
(See WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS ).
There have also been reports of serious skin reactions, including Stevens Johnson
Syndrome and Erythema Multiforme in patients taking CHANTIX (See WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS ).