Prescription Drug Information: Misoprostol

MISOPROSTOL- misoprostol tablet
ReadyMeds

WARNING

MISOPROSTOL ADMINISTRATION TO WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT CAN CAUSE ABORTION, PREMATURE BIRTH, OR BIRTH DEFECTS. UTERINE RUPTURE HAS BEEN REPORTED WHEN MISOPROSTOL TABLETS WERE ADMINISTERED IN PREGNANT WOMEN TO INDUCE LABOR OR TO INDUCE ABORTION BEYOND THE EIGHTH WEEK OF PREGNANCY (see also PRECAUTIONS and LABOR AND DELIVERY). MISOPROSTOL TABLETS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN BY PREGNANT WOMEN TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ULCERS INDUCED BY NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDs) (see CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, and PRECAUTIONS).

PATIENTS MUST BE ADVISED OF THE ABORTIFACIENT PROPERTY AND WARNED NOT TO GIVE THE DRUG TO OTHERS.

Misoprostol Tablets should not be used for reducing the risk of NSAID-induced ulcers in women of childbearing potential unless the patient is at high risk of complications from gastric ulcers associated with use of the NSAID, or is at high risk of developing gastric ulceration. In such patients, Misoprostol Tablets may be prescribed if the patient

  • has had a negative serum pregnancy test within 2 weeks prior to beginning therapy.
  • is capable of complying with effective contraceptive measures.
  • has received both oral and written warnings of the hazards of misoprostol, the risk of possible contraception failure, and the danger to other women of childbearing potential should the drug be taken by mistake.
  • will begin Misoprostol Tablets only on the second or third day of the next normal menstrual period.

DESCRIPTION

Misoprostol oral tablets contain either 100 mcg or 200 mcg of misoprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analog.

Misoprostol contains approximately equal amounts of the two diastereomers presented below with their enantiomers indicated by (±):

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(click image for full-size original)

Misoprostol is a water-soluble, viscous liquid.

Inactive ingredients of tablets are hydrogenated castor oil, microcrystalline cellulose, and crospovidone.

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Pharmacokinetics

Misoprostol is extensively absorbed, and undergoes rapid de-esterification to its free acid, which is responsible for its clinical activity and, unlike the parent compound, is detectable in plasma. The alpha side chain undergoes beta oxidation and the beta side chain undergoes omega oxidation followed by reduction of the ketone to give prostaglandin F analogs.

In normal volunteers, misoprostol is rapidly absorbed after oral administration with a Tmax of misoprostol acid of 12 ± 3 minutes and a terminal half-life of 20 to 40 minutes.

There is high variability of plasma levels of misoprostol acid between and within studies but mean values after single doses show a linear relationship with dose over the range of 200 to 400 mcg. No accumulation of misoprostol acid was noted in multiple dose studies; plasma steady state was achieved within two days.

Maximum plasma concentrations of misoprostol acid are diminished when the dose is taken with food and total availability of misoprostol acid is reduced by use of concomitant antacid. Clinical trials were conducted with concomitant antacid, however, so this effect does not appear to be clinically important.

Mean ± SD Cmax(pg/ml) AUC(0–4)(pg·hr/ml) Tmax(min)
Fasting 811 ± 317 417 ± 135 14 ± 8
With Antacid 689 ± 315 349 ± 108* 20 ± 14
With High Fat Breakfast 303 ± 176* 373 ± 111 64 ± 79*

*Comparisons with fasting results statistically significant, p<0.05.

After oral administration of radiolabeled misoprostol, about 80% of detected radioactivity appears in urine. Pharmacokinetic studies in patients with varying degrees of renal impairment showed an approximate doubling of T1/2, Cmax , and AUC compared to normals, but no clear correlation between the degree of impairment and AUC. In subjects over 64 years of age, the AUC for misoprostol acid is increased. No routine dosage adjustment is recommended in older patients or patients with renal impairment, but dosage may need to be reduced if the usual dose is not tolerated.

Drug interaction studies between misoprostol and several nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs showed no effect on the kinetics of ibuprofen or diclofenac, and a 20% decrease in aspirin AUC, not thought to be clinically significant.

Pharmacokinetic studies also showed a lack of drug interaction with antipyrine and propranolol when these drugs were given with misoprostol. Misoprostol given for 1 week had no effect on the steady state pharmacokinetics of diazepam when the two drugs were administered 2 hours apart.

The serum protein binding of misoprostol acid is less than 90% and is concentration-independent in the therapeutic range.

After a single oral dose of misoprostol to nursing mothers, misoprostol acid was excreted in breast milk. The maximum concentration of misoprostol acid in expressed breast milk was achieved within 1 hour after dosing and was 7.6 pg/mL (CV 37%) and 20.9 pg/ml (CV 62%) after single 200 mg and 600 mg misoprostol administration, respectively. The misoprostol acid concentrations in breast milk declined to < 1 pg/ml at 5 hours post-dose.

Pharmacodynamics

Misoprostol has both antisecretory (inhibiting gastric acid secretion) and (in animals) mucosal protective properties. NSAIDs inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, and a deficiency of prostaglandins within the gastric mucosa may lead to diminishing bicarbonate and mucus secretion and may contribute to the mucosal damage caused by these agents. Misoprostol can increase bicarbonate and mucus production, but in man this has been shown at doses 200 mcg and above that are also antisecretory. It is therefore not possible to tell whether the ability of misoprostol to reduce the risk of gastric ulcer is the result of its antisecretory effect, its mucosal protective effect, or both.

In vitro studies on canine parietal cells using tritiated misoprostol acid as the ligand have led to the identification and characterization of specific prostaglandin receptors. Receptor binding is saturable, reversible, and stereospecific. The sites have a high affinity for misoprostol, for its acid metabolite, and for other E type prostaglandins, but not for F or I prostaglandins and other unrelated compounds, such as histamine or cimetidine. Receptor-site affinity for misoprostol correlates well with an indirect index of antisecretory activity. It is likely that these specific receptors allow misoprostol taken with food to be effective topically, despite the lower serum concentrations attained.

Misoprostol produces a moderate decrease in pepsin concentration during basal conditions, but not during histamine stimulation. It has no significant effect on fasting or postprandial gastrin nor on intrinsic factor output.

Effects on gastric acid secretion

Misoprostol, over the range of 50 to 200 mcg, inhibits basal and nocturnal gastric acid secretion, and acid secretion in response to a variety of stimuli, including meals, histamine, pentagastrin, and coffee. Activity is apparent 30 minutes after oral administration and persists for at least 3 hours. In general, the effects of 50 mcg were modest and shorter lived, and only the 200-mcg dose had substantial effects on nocturnal secretion or on histamine and meal-stimulated secretion.

Uterine effects

Misoprostol Tablets has been shown to produce uterine contractions that may endanger pregnancy. (See boxed WARNINGS.)

Other pharmacologic effects

Misoprostol Tablets does not produce clinically significant effects on serum levels of prolactin, gonadotropins, thyroid-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, thyroxine, cortisol, gastrointestinal hormones (somatostatin, gastrin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and motilin), creatinine, or uric acid. Gastric emptying, immunologic competence, platelet aggregation, pulmonary function, or the cardiovascular system are not modified by recommended doses of Misoprostol Tablets.

Clinical Studies

In a series of small short-term (about 1 week) placebo-controlled studies in healthy human volunteers, doses of misoprostol were evaluated for their ability to reduce the risk of NSAID-induced mucosal injury. Studies of 200 mcg q.i.d. of misoprostol with tolmetin and naproxen, and of 100 and 200 mcg q.i.d. with ibuprofen, all showed reduction of the rate of significant endoscopic injury from about 70 to 75% on placebo to 10 to 30% on misoprostol. Doses of 25 to 200 mcg q.i.d. reduced aspirin-induced mucosal injury and bleeding.

Reducing the risk of gastric ulcers caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Two 12-week, randomized, double-blind trials in osteoarthritic patients who had gastrointestinal symptoms but no ulcer on endoscopy while taking an NSAID compared the ability of 200 mcg of Misoprostol Tablets, 100 mcg of Misoprostol Tablets, and placebo to reduce the risk of gastric ulcer (GU) formation. Patients were approximately equally divided between ibuprofen, piroxicam, and naproxen, and continued this treatment throughout the 12 weeks. The 200-mcg dose caused a marked, statistically significant reduction in gastric ulcers in both studies. The lower dose was somewhat less effective, with a significant result in only one of the studies.

[No. of patients with ulcer(s) (%)]
Therapy Duration
Therapy 4 weeks 8 weeks 12 weeks
* Statistically significantly different from placebo at the 5% level.
** Combined data from Study No. 1 and Study No. 2.
Study No. 1
Misoprostol Tablets 200 mcg q.i.d. (n=74) 1 (1.4) 0 0 1 (1.4)*
Misoprostol Tablets 100 mcg q.i.d. (n=77) 3 (3.9) 1 (1.3) 1 (1.3) 5 (6.5)*
Placebo (n=76) 11 (14.5) 4 (5.3) 4 (5.3) 19 (25.0)
Study No. 2
Misoprostol Tablets 200 mcg q.i.d. (n=65) 1 (1.5) 1 (1.5) 0 2 (3.1)*
Misoprostol Tablets 100 mcg q.i.d. (n=66) 2 (3.0) 2 (3.0) 1 (1.5) 5 (7.6)
Placebo (n=62) 6 (9.7) 2 (3.2) 3 (4.8) 11 (17.7)
Studies No. 1 & No. 2**
Misoprostol Tablets 200 mcg q.i.d. (n=139) 2 (1.4) 1 (0.7) 0 3 (2.2)*
Misoprostol Tablets 100 mcg q.i.d. (n=143) 5 (3.5) 3 (2.1) 2 (1.4) 10 (7.0)*
Placebo (n=138) 17 (12.3) 6 (4.3) 7 (5.1) 30 (21.7)

In these trials there were no significant differences between Misoprostol Tablets and placebo in relief of day or night abdominal pain. No effect of Misoprostol Tablets in reducing the risk of duodenal ulcers was demonstrated, but relatively few duodenal lesions were seen.

In another clinical trial, 239 patients receiving aspirin 650 to 1300 mg q.i.d. for rheumatoid arthritis who had endoscopic evidence of duodenal and/or gastric inflammation were randomized to misoprostol 200 mcg q.i.d. or placebo for 8 weeks while continuing to receive aspirin. The study evaluated the possible interference of Misoprostol Tablets on the efficacy of aspirin in these patients with rheumatoid arthritis by analyzing joint tenderness, joint swelling, physician’s clinical assessment, patient’s assessment, change in ARA classification, change in handgrip strength, change in duration of morning stiffness, patient’s assessment of pain at rest, movement, interference with daily activity, and ESR. Misoprostol Tablets did not interfere with the efficacy of aspirin in these patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

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