WARNINGS
Included as part of the PRECAUTIONS section.
PRECAUTIONS
CUTIVATE® Cream contains the excipient imidurea which
releases formaldehyde as a breakdown product. Formaldehyde may cause allergic
sensitization or irritation upon contact with the skin. CUTIVATE® Cream should
not be used in individuals with hypersensitivity to formaldehyde as it may prevent
healing or worsen dermatitis.
General
Systemic absorption of topical corticosteroids can
produce reversible hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis suppression with
the potential for glucocorticosteroid insufficiency after withdrawal from
treatment. Manifestations of Cushing syndrome, hyperglycemia, and glucosuria
can also be produced in some patients by systemic absorption of topical
corticosteroids while on treatment.
Patients applying a potent topical steroid to a large
surface area or to areas under occlusion should be evaluated periodically for
evidence of HPA axis suppression. This may be done by using the ACTH stimulation,
A.M. plasma cortisol, and urinary free cortisol tests.
If HPA axis suppression is noted, an attempt should be
made to withdraw the drug, to reduce the frequency of application, or to
substitute a less potent steroid. Recovery of HPA axis function is generally
prompt upon discontinuation of topical corticosteroids. Infrequently, signs and
symptoms of glucocorticosteroid insufficiency may occur requiring supplemental
systemic corticosteroids. For information on systemic supplementation, see
prescribing information for those products.
Fluticasone propionate cream, 0.05% caused depression of
A.M. plasma cortisol levels in 1 of 6 adult patients when used daily for 7 days
in patients with psoriasis or eczema involving at least 30% of the body
surface. After 2 days of treatment, this patient developed a 60% decrease from
pretreatment values in the A.M. plasma cortisol level.
There was some evidence of corresponding decrease in the
24-hour urinary free cortisol levels. The A.M. plasma cortisol level remained
slightly depressed for 48 hours but recovered by day 6 of treatment.
Fluticasone propionate cream, 0.05%, caused HPA axis
suppression in 2 of 43 pediatric patients, ages 2 and 5 years old, who were
treated for 4 weeks covering at least 35% of the body surface area. Followup testing
12 days after treatment discontinuation, available for 1 of the 2 subjects,
demonstrated a normally responsive HPA axis (see PRECAUTIONS: Pediatric
Use).
Pediatric patients may be more susceptible to systemic
toxicity from equivalent doses due to their larger skin surface to body mass
ratios (see PRECAUTIONS: Pediatric Use).
Fluticasone propionate cream, 0.05% may cause local
cutaneous adverse reactions (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).
Fluticasone propionate cream contains the excipient
imidurea which releases traces of formaldehyde as a breakdown product.
Formaldehyde may cause allergic sensitization or irritation upon contact with
the skin.
If irritation develops, CUTIVATE® Cream should be
discontinued and appropriate therapy instituted. Allergic contact dermatitis
with corticosteroids is usually diagnosed by observing failure to heal rather than
noting a clinical exacerbation as with most topical products not containing
corticosteroids. Such an observation should be corroborated with appropriate
diagnostic patch testing.
If concomitant skin infections are present or develop, an
appropriate antifungal or antibacterial agent should be used. If a favorable
response does not occur promptly, use of CUTIVATE® Cream should be discontinued
until the infection has been adequately controlled.
CUTIVATE® Cream should not be used in the presence of
preexisting skin atrophy and should not be used where infection is present at
the treatment site. CUTIVATE® Cream should not be used in the treatment of rosacea
and perioral dermatitis.
Laboratory Tests
The following tests may be helpful in evaluating patients
for HPA axis suppression:
ACTH stimulation test
A.M. plasma cortisol test
Urinary free cortisol test
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, And Impairment Of Fertility
Two 18-month studies were performed in mice to evaluate
the carcinogenic potential of fluticasone propionate when given topically (as
an 0.05% ointment) and orally. No evidence of carcinogenicity was found in
either study.
Fluticasone propionate was not mutagenic in the standard
Ames test, E. coli fluctuation test, S. cerevisiae gene conversion test, or
Chinese Hamster ovarian cell assay. It was not clastogenic in mouse micronucleus
or cultured human lymphocyte tests.
In a fertility and general reproductive performance study
in rats, fluticasone propionate administered subcutaneously to females at up to
50 mcg/kg per day and to males at up to 100 mcg/kg per day (later reduced to 50
mcg/kg per day) had no effect upon mating performance or fertility. These doses
are approximately 15 and 30 times, respectively, the human systemic exposure
following use of the recommended human topical dose of fluticasone propionate
cream, 0.05%, assuming human percutaneous absorption of approximately 3% and
the use in a 70-kg person of 15 g/day.
Pregnancy
Teratogenic Effects
Pregnancy Category C. Corticosteroids have been shown to
be teratogenic in laboratory animals when administered systemically at
relatively low dosage levels. Some corticosteroids have been shown to be
teratogenic after dermal application in laboratory animals. Teratology studies
in the mouse demonstrated fluticasone propionate to be teratogenic (cleft
palate) when administered subcutaneously in doses of 45 mcg/kg/day and 150
mcg/kg/day. This dose is approximately 14 and 45 times, respectively, the human
topical dose of fluticasone propionate cream, 0.05%. There are no adequate and
well-controlled studies in pregnant women. CUTIVATE® Cream should be used
during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to
the fetus.
Nursing Mothers
Systemically administered corticosteroids appear in human
milk and could suppress growth, interfere with endogenous corticosteroid
production, or cause other untoward effects. It is not known whether topical
administration of corticosteroids could result in sufficient systemic
absorption to produce detectable quantities in human milk. Because many drugs
are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when CUTIVATE® Cream is
administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use
CUTIVATE® Cream may be used with caution in pediatric
patients as young as 3 months of age. The safety and efficacy of drug use for longer
than 4 weeks in this population have not been established. The safety and
efficacy of CUTIVATE® Cream in pediatric patients below 3 months of age have
not been established.
Fluticasone propionate cream, 0.05%, caused HPA axis
suppression in 2 of 43 pediatric patients, ages 2 and 5 years old, who were
treated for 4 weeks covering at least 35% of the body surface area. Followup testing
12 days after treatment discontinuation, available for 1 of the 2 subjects,
demonstrated a normally responsive HPA axis (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).
Adverse effects including striae have been reported with use of topical
corticosteroids in pediatric patients.
HPA axis suppression, Cushing syndrome, linear growth
retardation, delayed weight gain, and intracranial hypertension have been
reported in pediatric patients receiving topical corticosteroids. Manifestations
of adrenal suppression in pediatric patients include low plasma cortisol levels
to an absence of response to ACTH stimulation. Manifestations of intracranial
hypertension include bulging fontanelles, headaches, and bilateral papilledema.
Geriatric Use
A limited number of patients above 65 years of age (n =
126) have been treated with CUTIVATE® Cream in US and non-US clinical trials.
While the number of patients is too small to permit separate analysis of
efficacy and safety, the adverse reactions reported in this population were similar
to those reported by younger patients. Based on available data, no adjustment
of dosage of CUTIVATE® in geriatric patients is warranted.