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Warnings 

 WARNING: EMBRYO-FETAL TOXICITY
See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning

  1. Do not administer OPSUMIT to a pregnant female because it may cause fetal harm.
  2. Females of reproductive potential: exclude pregnancy before start of treatment, monthly during treatment, and 1 month after stopping treatment. Prevent pregnancy during treatment and for one month after treatment by using acceptable methods of contraception.
  3. For all female patients, OPSUMIT is available only through a restricted program called the OPSUMIT Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)

Description 

OPSUMIT® (macitentan) tablets, for oral use
Initial U.S. Approval: 2013
OPSUMIT (macitentan) is an endothelin receptor antagonist.

Macitentan is a crystalline powder that is insoluble in water. In the solid state macitentan is very stable, is not hygroscopic, and is not light sensitive.

OPSUMIT is available as a 10 mg film-coated tablet for once daily oral administration. The tablets include the following inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polysorbate 80, povidone, and sodium starch glycolate Type A. The tablets are film-coated with a coating material containing polyvinyl alcohol, soya lecithin, talc, titanium dioxide, and xanthan gum.

Clinical pharmacology

Mechanism of Action:
Endothelin (ET)-1 and its receptors (ETA and ETB) mediate a variety of deleterious effects, such as vasoconstriction, fibrosis, proliferation, hypertrophy, and inflammation. In disease conditions such as PAH, the local ET system is upregulated and is involved in vascular hypertrophy and in organ damage.

Macitentan is an endothelin receptor antagonist that prevents the binding of ET-1 to both ETA and ETB receptors. Macitentan displays high affinity and sustained occupancy of the ET receptors in human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. One of the metabolites of macitentan is also pharmacologically active at the ET receptors and is estimated to be about 20% as potent as the parent drug in vitro.

Indications and usage 

INDICATIONS AND USAGE:
OPSUMIT® is an endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group I) to delay disease progression. Disease progression included: death, initiation of intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous prostanoids, or clinical worsening of PAH (decreased 6-minute walk distance, worsened PAH symptoms and need for additional PAH treatment). OPSUMIT also reduced hospitalization for PAH.

Contraindications

Pregnancy

Precautions

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS:

  1. Other ERAs cause hepatotoxicity and liver failure. Obtain baseline liver enzymes and monitor as clinically indicated.
  2. Decreases in hemoglobin.
  3. Pulmonary edema in patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. If confirmed, discontinue treatment
  4. Decreases in sperm count have been observed in patients taking ERAs

Adverse reactions

ADVERSE REACTIONS
Most common adverse reactions (more frequent than placebo by ≥3%) are anemia, nasopharyngitis/pharyngitis, bronchitis, headache, influenza, and urinary tract infection.

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Actelion at 1-866-228-3546 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Strong CYP3A4 inducers (rifampin) reduce exposure to macitentan: avoid co-administration with OPSUMIT.

Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (ketoconazole, ritonavir) increase exposure to macitentan: avoid co-administration with OPSUMIT.

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
Nursing mothers: discontinue OPSUMIT or breastfeeding.

See PACKAGE INSERT for PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION and Medication Guide.

Dosage and administration 

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION:
 10 mg once daily. Doses higher than 10 mg once daily have not been studied in patients with PAH and are not recommended

How supplied

DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS

Tablet: 10 mg

Reference

Package insert data:   [Accessed: Jan 2014].

Manufactured for:
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
5000 Shoreline Court, Ste. 200
South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
Issued: October 2013
ACT20131018

© 2013 Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reference(s)

National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed Database.
Provides access to the latest drug monographs submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Please review the latest applicable package insert for additional information and possible updates.  A local search option of this data can be found here.

OPSUMIT® (macitentan) tablets