Summary of medicine characteristics - REDUZOL 5 MG TABLETS, CARBIMAZOLE 5 MG TABLETS
1 NAME OF THE MEDICINAL PRODUCT
Carbimazole 5mg Tablets
Reduzol 5mg Tablets
2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION
Each tablet contains 5 mg of carbimazole.
Excipient with known effect
Each tablet contains 68.40 mg lactose monohydrate equivalent to 64.98 mg of lactose (see section 4.4).
For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1.
3 PHARMACEUTICAL FORM
Tablets.
White, circular, biconvex tablets debossed ‘C5’ on one side and plain on the other side.
4 CLINICAL PARTICULARS
4.1 Therapeutic indications
Carbimazole is an anti-thyroid agent. It is indicated in adults and children in all conditions where reduction of thyroid function is required.
Such conditions are:
1. Hyperthyroidism.
2. Preparation for thyroidectomy in hyperthyroidism.
3. Therapy prior to and post radio-iodine treatment.
4.2 Posology and method of administration
Carbimazole should only be administered if hyperthyroidism has been confirmed by laboratory tests.
Posology
Older people
No special dosage regimen is required, but care should be taken to observe the contraindications and warnings as it has been reported that the risk of a fatal outcome to neutrophil dyscrasia may be greater in the elderly (aged 65 or over).
Paediatric population
Use in children and adolescents (3 to 17 years of age):
The usual initial daily dose is 15 mg per day adjusted according to response.
Use in children (2 years of age and under):
Safety and efficacy of carbimazole in children 2 years of age and under have not been evaluated systematically. Use of carbimazole in children 2 years of age and under is therefore not recommended.
Adults
The initial dose is in the range 20 mg to 60 mg, taken as two to three divided doses. The dose should be titrated against thyroid function until the patient is euthyroid in order to reduce the risk of over-treatment and resultant hypothyroidism.
Subsequent therapy may then be administered in one of two ways.
Maintenance regimen: Final dosage is usually in the range 5 mg to 15 mg per day, which may be taken as a single daily dose. Therapy should be continued for at least six months and up to 18 months. Serial thyroid function monitoring is recommended, together with appropriate dosage modification in order to maintain a euthyroid state.
Blocking-replacement regimen: dosage is maintained at the initial level, i.e. 20 mg to 60 mg per day, and supplemental L-thyroxine, 50 mcg to 150 mcg per day, is administered concomitantly, in order to prevent hypothyroidism. Therapy should be continued for at least six months and up to 18 months. Where a single dosage of less than 20 mg is recommended, it is intended that 5 mg or 10 mg tablets should be taken.
Method of administration
Oral.
4.3 Contraindications
Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.
Serious, pre-existing haematological conditions.
Severe hepatic insufficiency.
Patients with a history of acute pancreatitis after administration of carbimazole or its active metabolite thiamazole.
4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use
Bone marrow depression including neutropenia, eosinophilia, leucopenia and agranulocytosis has been reported. Fatalities with carbimazole-induced agranulocytosis have been reported.
Rare cases of pancytopenia/aplastic anaemia and isolated thrombocytopenia have also been reported. Additionally, very rare cases of haemolytic anaemia have been reported.
Patients should always be warned about the onset of sore throats, bruising or bleeding, mouth ulcers, fever and malaise and should be instructed to stop the drug and to seek medical advice immediately. In such patients, white blood cell counts should be performed immediately, particularly where there is any clinical evidence of infection.
Following the onset of any signs and symptoms of hepatic disorder (pain in the upper abdomen, anorexia, general pruritus) in patients, the drug should be stopped and liver function tests performed immediately. Early withdrawal of the drug will increase the chance of complete recovery.
Carbimazole should be used with caution in patients with mild-moderate hepatic insufficiency. If abnormal liver function is discovered, the treatment should be stopped. The half-life may be prolonged due to the liver disorder.
Carbimazole should be stopped temporarily at the time of administration of radio-iodine (to avoid thyroid crisis).
Patients unable to comply with the instructions for use or who cannot be monitored regularly should not be treated with carbimazole.
Regular full blood count checks should be carried out in patients who may be confused or have a poor memory.
Precaution should be taken in patients with intrathoracic goitre, which may worsen during initial treatment with carbimazole. Tracheal obstruction may occur due to intrathoracic goitre.
Women of childbearing potential and pregnancy
Women of childbearing potential have to use effective contraceptive measures during treatment.
The use of carbimazole in pregnant women must be based on the individual benefit/risk assessment. If carbimazole is used during pregnancy, the lowest effective dose without additional administration of thyroid hormones should be administered. Close maternal, foetal and neonatal monitoring is warranted (see section 4.6).
There is a risk of cross-allergy between carbimazole, the active metabolite thiamazole (methimazole) and propylthiouracil.
There have been post-marketing reports of acute pancreatitis in patients receiving carbimazole or its active metabolite thiamazole. In case of acute pancreatitis, carbimazole should be discontinued immediately. Carbimazole must not be given to patients with a history of acute pancreatitis after administration of carbimazole or its active metabolite thiamazole. Re-exposure may result in recurrence of acute pancreatitis, with decreased time to onset.
This medicine contains lactose and sodium
Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicine.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Little is known about interactions.
Particular care is required in case of concurrent administration of medication capable of inducing agranulocytosis.
Since carbimazole is a vitamin K antagonist, the effect of anticoagulants could be intensified. Additional monitoring of PT/INR should be considered, especially before surgical procedures.
The serum levels of theophylline can increase and toxicity may develop if hyperthyroidic patients are treated with antithyroid medications without reducing the theophylline dosage.
Co-administration of prednisolone and carbimazole may result in increased clearance of prednisolone.
Carbimazole may inhibit the metabolism of erythromycin, leading to reduced clearance of erythromycin.
Serum digitalis levels may be increased when hyperthyroid patients on a stable digitalis glycoside regimen become euthyroid; a reduced dosage of digitalis glycosides may be needed.
Hyperthyroidism may cause an increased clearance of beta-adrenergic blockers with a high extraction ratio. A dose reduction of beta blockers may be needed when a hyperthyroid patient becomes euthyroid.
Paediatric population
Interaction studies have not been performed in paediatric patients.
4.6 Fertility, pregnancy and lactation
Women of childbearing potential
Women of childbearing potential have to use effective contraceptive measures during treatment (see section 4.4).
Pregnancy
Hyperthyroidism in pregnant women should be adequately treated to prevent serious maternal and foetal complications.
Carbimazole is able to cross the human placenta.
Based on human experience from epidemiological studies and spontaneous reporting, carbimazole is suspected to cause congenital malformations when administered during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy and at high doses.
Reported malformations include aplasia cutis congenita, craniofacial malformations (choanal atresia; facial dysmorphism), exomphalos, oesophageal atresia, omphalo-mesenteric duct anomaly, and ventricular septal defect.
Carbimazole must only be administered during pregnancy after a strict individual benefit/risk assessment and only at the lowest effective dose without additional administration of thyroid hormones. If carbimazole is used during pregnancy, close maternal, foetal and neonatal monitoring is recommended (see section 4.4).
Therefore, carbimazole should be used in pregnancy only when propylthiouracil is not suitable. If carbimazole is used in pregnancy the dose of carbimazole must be regulated by the patient's clinical condition. The lowest dose possible should be used, and this can often be discontinued three to four weeks before term, in order to reduce the risk of neonatal complications.
The blocking-replacement regimen should not be used during pregnancy since very little thyroxine crosses the placenta in the last trimester.
Breast-feeding
Carbimazole is secreted in breast milk and, if treatment is continued during lactation, the patient should not continue to breast-feed her baby.
4.7 Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Not relevant.
4.8 Undesirable effects
Adverse reactions usually occur in the first eight weeks of treatment. The most frequently occurring reactions are nausea, headache, arthralgia, mild gastric distress, skin rashes and pruritus. These reactions are usually self-limiting and may not require withdrawal of the drug.
Paediatric population
Frequency, type and severity of adverse reactions in children appear to be comparable with those in adults.
The side effects are listed below by System Organ Class and frequency. Frequencies are defined as:
Very common (> 1/10)
Common (> 1/100 to < 1/10)
Uncommon (> 1/1,000 to < 1/100)
Rare (> 1/10,000 to < 1/1,000)
Very rare (<1/10,000)
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
Blood and lymphatic system disorders
Rare: Pancytopenia/aplastic anaemia, isolated thrombocytopenia.
Very rare: Haemolytic anaemia.
Not known: Bone marrow depression including neutropenia, eosinophilia, leucopenia, agranulocytosis, fatalities with carbimazole-induced agranulocytosis have been reported, generalised lymphadenopathy.
Patients should always be warned about the onset of sore throats, bruising or bleeding, mouth ulcers, fever and malaise and should be instructed to stop the drug and to seek medical advice immediately. In such patients, white blood cell counts should be performed immediately, particularly where there is any clinical evidence of infection.
Immune system disorders
Not known: Angioedema and multi-system hypersensitivity reactions such as cutaneous vasculitis, liver, lung and renal effects occur.
Endocrine disorders
Not known: Insulin autoimmune syndrome (with pronounced decline in blood glucose level).
Nervous system disorders
Common: Headache, neuritis, polyneuropathy.
Vascular disorders
Not known: Bleeding.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Not known: Nausea, mild gastrointestinal disturbance. Loss of sense of taste has been observed. Acute salivary gland swelling. Acute pancreatitis.
Hepatobiliary disorders
Very common: Jaundice.
Not known: Hepatic disorders, including abnormal liver function tests, hepatitis, cholestatic hepatitis, cholestatic jaundice have been reported; in these cases carbimazole should be withdrawn.
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Very rare: Severe cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in both adult and paediatric patients, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (very rare including isolated reports: severe forms, including generalised dermatitis, have only been described in isolated cases).
Not known: Skin rashes, pruritus, urticaria. Hair loss has been occasionally reported.
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Not known: Isolated cases of myopathy have been reported. Patients experiencing myalgia after the intake of carbimazole should have their creatine phosphokinase levels monitored.
General disorders and administration site conditions
Not known: Fever, malaise.
Injury, poisoning and procedural complications
Not known: Bruising.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme, website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
4.9 Overdose
4.9 OverdoseSymptoms
No symptoms are likely from a single large dose.
Treatment
No specific treatment is indicated.
5 PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties
Pharmacotherapeutic group: Sulfur-containing imidazole derivatives, ATC Code: H03BB01
Mechanism of action:
Carbimazole, a thionamide, is a pro-drug which undergoes rapid and virtually complete metabolism to the active metabolite, thiamazole, also known as methimazole. The method of action is believed to be inhibition of the organification of iodide and the coupling of iodothyronine residues which in turn suppress the synthesis of thyroid hormones.
5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties
Absorption
Carbimazole is rapidly metabolised to thiamazole. After oral ingestion, peak plasma concentrations of thiamazole, the active moiety, occur at 1 to 2 hours.
Distribution
The total volume of distribution of thiamazole is 0.5 l/kg. Thiamazole is concentrated in the thyroid gland. This intrathyroidal concentration of thiamazole has the effect of prolonging its activity. However, thiamazole has a shorter half-life in hyperthyroid patients than in normal controls and so more frequent initial doses are required while the hyperthyroidism is active.
Biotransformation
Thiamazole is moderately bound to plasma proteins.
Carbimazole has a half-life of 5.3 to 5.4 hours. It is possible that the plasma half-life may also be prolonged by renal or hepatic disease. See section 4.2.
Thiamazole crosses the placenta and appears in breast milk. The plasma:milk ratio approaches unity.
Elimination
Over 90% of orally administered carbimazole is excreted in the urine as thiamazole or its metabolites. The remainder appears in faeces. There is 10% enterohepatic circulation.
5.3 Preclinical safety data
5.3 Preclinical safety dataThere are no preclinical data of relevance to the prescriber which are additional to that already included in other sections of the Summary of Product Characteristics.
6 PHARMACEUTICAL PARTICULARS
6.1 List of excipients
Lactose monohydrate
Acacia, spray dried
Citric acid monohydrate
Croscarmellose sodium
Magnesium stearate.
6.2 Incompatibilities
Not applicable.
6.3 Shelf life
3 years.
6.4 Special precautions for storage
Do not store above 25°C.
6.5 Nature and contents of container
This medicine is available in PVC-Alu blisters. Packs containing 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 30, 56, 60, 84, 90, 100 or 112 tablets are available.
6.6 Special precautions for disposal
6.6 Special precautions for disposalNo special requirements.
Any unused medicinal product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.
7 MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER
Morningside Healthcare Ltd.
Unit C, Harcourt Way
Leicester
LE19 1WP
United Kingdom
8 MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBER(S)
PL 20117/0272
9 DATE OF FIRST AUTHORISATION/RENEWAL OF THEAUTHORISATION
29/11/2017