Important Changes to the Vertex Specialty Pharmacy Network

Important Safety Information

Transaminase (ALT or AST) Elevations

• Elevated transaminases have been reported in patients with CF receiving KALYDECO. Transaminase elevations were more common in patients with a history of transaminase elevations or in patients who had abnormal transaminases at baseline. It is recommended that ALT and AST be assessed prior to initiating KALYDECO, every 3 months during the first year of treatment, and annually thereafter. For patients with a history of transaminase elevations, more frequent monitoring of liver function tests should be considered
• Patients who develop increased transaminase levels should be closely monitored until the abnormalities resolve. Dosing should be interrupted in patients with ALT or AST of greater than 5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN). Following resolution of transaminase elevations, consider the benefits and risks of resuming KALYDECO dosing

Concomitant Use with CYP3A Inducers

• Use of KALYDECO with strong CYP3A inducers, such as rifampin, substantially decreases the exposure of ivacaftor, which may reduce the therapeutic effectiveness of KALYDECO. Co-administration of KALYDECO with strong CYP3A inducers, such as rifampin, rifabutin, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, phenytoin, and St. John’s wort is not recommended

Cataracts

• Cases of non-congenital lens opacities/cataracts have been reported in pediatric patients treated with KALYDECO. Baseline and follow-up ophthalmological examinations are recommended in pediatric patients initiating KALYDECO treatment

Pediatric Use

• The safety and efficacy of KALYDECO in patients with CF younger than 2 years of age have not been studied. The use of KALYDECO in children under the age of 2 years is not recommended

Serious Adverse Reactions

• Serious adverse reactions, whether considered drug-related or not by the investigators, which occurred more frequently in patients treated with KALYDECO included abdominal pain, increased hepatic enzymes, and hypoglycemia

Adverse Reactions

• The most common adverse reactions in patients with a G551D mutation in the CFTR gene (Trials 1 and 2) with an incidence of ≥8% and at a higher incidence for patients treated with KALYDECO (N=109) than for placebo (N=104) were headache (24% vs 16%), oropharyngeal pain (22% vs 18%), upper respiratory tract infection (22% vs 14%), nasal congestion (20% vs 15%), abdominal pain (16% vs 13%), nasopharyngitis (15% vs 12%), diarrhea (13% vs 10%), rash (13% vs 7%), nausea (12% vs 11%), and dizziness (9% vs 1%)
• The safety profiles for patients with a G1244E, G1349D, G178R, G551S, G970R, S1251N, S1255P, S549N, or S549R mutation enrolled in Trial 4, for patients with an R117H mutation enrolled in Trial 5, and for patients ages 2 to less than 6 years enrolled in
  Trial 6 were similar to that observed in Trials 1 and 2

Click here to access full Prescribing Information for KALYDECO (ivacaftor).

References: 1. KALYDECO (ivacaftor) [prescribing information]. Boston, MA: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated; March 2015. 2. Ramsey BW, Davies J, McElvaney NG, et al; VX08-770-102 Study Group. A CFTR potentiator in patients with cystic fibrosis and the G551D mutation. N Engl J Med. 2011;365(18):1663-1672. 3. Davies JC, Wainwright CE, Canny GJ, et al; VX08-770-103 (ENVISION) Study Group. Efficacy and safety of ivacaftor in patients aged 6 to 11 years with cystic fibrosis with a G551D mutation. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2013;187(11):1219-1225. 4. Zielenski J. Genotype and phenotype in cystic fibrosis. Respiration. 2000;67(2):117-133. 5. Welsh MJ, Ramsey BW, Accurso F, Cutting GR. Cystic fibrosis: membrane transport disorders. In: Valle D, Beaudet A, Vogelstein B, et al, eds. The Online Metabolic & Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc; 2004:part 21, chap 201. http://www.ommbid.com. Accessed February 25, 2016. 6. Welsh MJ, Smith AE. Molecular mechanisms of CFTR chloride channel dysfunction in cystic fibrosis. Cell. 1993;73(7):1251-1254. 7. Orenstein DM, Spahr JE, Weiner DJ. Cystic Fribrosis: A Guide for Patient and Family. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012. 8. Yu H, Burton B, Huang C-J, et al. Ivacaftor potentiation of multiple CFTR channels with gating mutations. J Cyst Fibros. 2012;11(3):237-245.
9. US CF Foundation, Johns Hopkins University. The Hospital for Sick Children. The Clinical and Functional TRanslation of CFTR (CFTR2). http://www.cftr2.org/index.php. Accessed February 25, 2016. 10. Berwouts S, Morris MA, Girodon E, Schwarz M, Stuhrmann M, Dequeker E. Mutation nomenclature in practice: findings and recommendations from the cystic fibrosis external quality assessment scheme. Hum Mutat. 2011;32(11):1197-1203. 11. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site. ndb.nal.usda.gov/. Accessed February 25, 2016.