Ibu

Carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of Ibuprofentablets and other treatment options before deciding to use Ibuprofen.Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent withindividual patient treatment goals (see WARNINGS). IBU tablets are indicated for relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. IBU tablets are indicated for relief of mild to moderate pain. IBU tablets are also indicated for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. Controlled clinical trials to establish the safety and effectiveness of IBU tablets in children have not been conducted.

IBU tablets are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivityto ibuprofen. IBU tablets should not be given to patients who have experienced asthma, urticaria, or allergic-type reactions after taking aspirin orother NSAIDs. Severe, rarely fatal, anaphylactic-like reactions to NSAIDs have been reported in such patients (see WARNINGS, ANAPHYLACTOID REACTIONS, and PRECAUTIONS, PREEXISTING ASTHMA). IBU tablets are contraindicated in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery(see WARNINGS).

CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events Clinical trials of several COX-2 selective and nonselective NSAIDs of up to three years duration have shown an increased risk of serious cardiovascular (CV) thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke, which can be fatal. Based on available data, it is unclear that the risk for CV thrombotic events is similar for all NSAIDs.The relative increase in serious CV thrombotic events over baseline conferred by NSAID use appears to be similar in those with and without known CV disease or risk factors for CV disease. However, patients with known CV disease or risk factors had a higher absolute incidence of excess serious CV thrombotic events, due to their increased baseline rate. Some observational studies found that this increased risk of serious CV thrombotic events began as early as the first weeks of treatment. The increase in CV thrombotic risk has been observed most consistently at higher doses. To minimize the potential risk for an adverse CV event in NSAID-treated patients, use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration possible. Physicians and patients should remain alert for the development of such events, throughout the entire treatment course, even in the absence of previous CV symptoms. Patients should be informed about the symptoms of serious CV events and the steps to take if they occur. There is no consistent evidence that concurrent use of aspirin mitigates the increased risk of serious CV thrombotic events associated with NSAID use. The concurrent use of aspirin and an NSAID, such as ibuprofen, increases the risk of serious gastrointestinal (GI) events (see WARNINGS). Status Post Coronary Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery Two large, controlled clinical trials of a COX-2 selective NSAID for the treatment of pain in the first 10-14 days following CABG surgery found an increased incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke. NSAIDs are contraindicated in the setting of CABG (see CONTRAINDICATIONS). Post-MI Patients Observational studies conducted in the Danish National Registry have demonstrated that patients treated with NSAIDs in the post-MI period were at increased risk of reinfarction, CV-related death, and all-cause mortality beginning in the first week of treatment. In this same cohort, the incidence of death in the first year post MI was 20 per 100 person years in NSAID-treated patients compared to 12 per 100 person years in non-NSAID exposed patients. Although the absolute rate of death declined somewhat after the first year post-MI, the increased relative risk of death in NSAID users persisted over at least the next four years to follow-up. Avoid the use of Ibuprofen in patients with a recent MI unless the benefits are expected to outweigh the risk of recurrent CV thrombotic events. If Ibuprofen is used in patients with a recent MI, monitor patients for signs of cardiac ischemia. Hypertension NSAIDs including IBU tablets, can lead to onset of new hypertensionor worsening of preexisting hypertension, either of which maycontribute to the increased incidence of CV events. Patients takingthiazides or loop diuretics may have impaired response to these therapieswhen taking NSAIDs. NSAIDs, including IBU tablets, should beused with caution in patients with hypertension. Blood pressure (BP)should be monitored closely during the initiation of NSAID treatmentand throughout the course of therapy. Heart Failure and Edema The Coxib and traditional NSAID Trialists’ Collaboration meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails demonstrated an approximately two-fold increase in hospitalizations for heart failure in COX-2 selective-treated patients and nonselective NSAID-treated patients compared to placebo-treated patients. In a Danish National Registry study of patients with heart failure, NSAID use increased the risk of MI, hospitalization for heart failure, and death. Additionally, fluid retention and edema have been observed in some patients treated with NSAIDs. Use of ibuprofen may blunt the CV effects of several therapeutic agents used to treat these medical conditions [e.g., diuretics, ACE inhibitors, or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)] [See DRUG INTERACTIONS]. Avoid the use of IBU tablets in patients with severe heart failure unless the benefits are expected to outweigh the risk of worsening heart failure. If IBU tablets is used in patients with severe heart failure, monitor patients for signs of worsening heart failure. Gastrointestinal Effects – Risk of Ulceration, Bleeding, and Perforation NSAIDs, including IBU tablets, can cause serious gastrointestinal(GI) adverse events including inflammation, bleeding, ulceration, and perforation of the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine, which can be fatal. These serious adverse events can occur at any time, with or without warning symptoms, in patients treated with NSAIDs. Only one in five patients, who develop a serious upper GI adverse event on NSAID therapy, is symptomatic. Upper GI ulcers, gross bleeding, or perforation caused by NSAIDs occur in approximately 1% of patientstreated for 3-6 months, and in about 2-4% of patients treated for oneyear. These trends continue with longer duration of use, increasing the likelihood of developing a serious GI event at some time during the course of therapy. However, even short-term therapy is not without risk. NSAIDs should be prescribed with extreme caution in thosewith a prior history of ulcer disease or gastrointestinal bleeding.Patients with a prior history of peptic ulcer disease and/or gastrointestinal bleeding who use NSAIDs have a greater than 10-fold increased risk for developing a GI bleed compared to patients treatedwith neither of these risk factors. Other factors that increase the riskof GI bleeding in patients treated with NSAIDs include concomitant use of oral corticosteroids or anticoagulants, longer duration of NSAID therapy, smoking, use of alcohol, older age, and poor general health status. Most spontaneous reports of fatal GI events are in elderly or debilitated patients and therefore, special care should be taken in treating this population. To minimize the potential risk for an adverse GI event in patients treated with an NSAID, the lowest effective dose should be used for the shortest possible duration. Patients and physicians should remain alert for signs and symptoms of GIulcerations and bleeding during NSAID therapy and promptly initiate additional evaluation and treatment if a serious GI event is suspected.This should include discontinuation of the NSAID until a serious GI adverse event is ruled out. For high-risk patients, alternate therapies that do not involve NSAIDs should be considered. Renal Effects Long-term administration of NSAIDs has resulted in renal papillary necrosis and other renal injury. Renal toxicity has also been seen in patients in whom renal prostaglandins have a compensatory role in the maintenance of renal perfusion. In these patients, administration of a NSAID may cause a dose dependent reduction in prostaglandin formation and, secondarily, in renal blood flow, which may precipitate overt renal decompensation. Patients at greatest riskof this reaction are those with impaired renal function, heart failure,liver dysfunction, those taking diuretics and ACE inhibitors, and the elderly. Discontinuation of NSAID therapy is usually followed by recovery to the pretreatment state. Advanced Renal Disease No information is available from controlled clinical studies regarding the use of Ibuprofen tablets in patients with advanced renal disease.Therefore, treatment with IBU tablets is not recommended in these patients with advanced renal disease. If IBU tablet therapy must be initiated, close monitoring of the patients renal function is advisable. Anaphylactoid Reactions As with other NSAIDs, anaphylactoid reactions may occur inpatients without known prior exposure to IBU tablets. […]

General IBU tablets cannot be expected to substitute for corticosteroids orto treat corticosteroid insufficiency. Abrupt discontinuation of corticosteroidsmay lead to disease exacerbation. Patients on prolongedcorticosteroid therapy should have their therapy tapered slowly if adecision is made to discontinue corticosteroids. The pharmacological activity of IBU tablets in reducing fever andinflammation may diminish the utility of these diagnostic signs indetecting complications of presumed noninfectious, painful conditions. Hepatic effects Borderline elevations of one or more liver tests may occur in upto 15% of patients taking NSAIDs, including IBU tablets. These laboratoryabnormalities may progress, may remain unchanged, or maybe transient with continuing therapy. Notable elevations of ALT orAST (approximately three or more times the upper limit of normal)have been reported in approximately 1% of patients in clinical trialswith NSAIDs. In addition, rare cases of severe hepatic reactions,including jaundice, fulminant hepatitis, liver necrosis, and hepaticfailure, some of them with fatal outcomes have been reported. Apatient with symptoms and/or signs suggesting liver dysfunction, orwith abnormal liver test values, should be evaluated for evidence ofthe development of a more severe hepatic reaction while on therapywith IBU tablets. If clinical signs and symptoms consistent with liverdisease develop, or if systemic manifestations occur (e.g.,eosinophilia, rash, etc.), IBU tablets should be discontinued. Hematological effects Anemia is sometimes seen in patients receiving NSAIDs, includingIBU tablets. This may be due to fluid retention, occult or gross GIblood loss, or an incompletely described effect upon erythropoiesis.Patients on long-term treatment with NSAIDs, including IBU tablets,should have their hemoglobin or hematocrit checked if they exhibitany signs or symptoms of anemia. In two postmarketing clinical studies the incidence of a decreasedhemoglobin level was greater than previously reported. Decrease inhemoglobin of 1 gram or more was observed in 17.1% of 193patients on 1600 mg ibuprofen daily (osteoarthritis), and in 22.8% of189 patients taking 2400 mg of ibuprofen daily (rheumatoid arthritis).Positive stool occult blood tests and elevated serum creatinine levelswere also observed in these studies. NSAIDs inhibit platelet aggregation and have been shown to prolongbleeding time in some patients. Unlike aspirin, their effect onplatelet function is quantitatively less, of shorter duration, and reversible. Patients receiving IBU tablets who may be adversely affected byalterations in platelet function, such as those with coagulation disordersor patients receiving anticoagulants should be carefully monitored. Preexisting asthma Patients with asthma may have aspirin-sensitive asthma. The useof aspirin in patients with aspirin-sensitive asthma has been associatedwith severe bronchospasm, which can be fatal. Since cross reactivity,including bronchospasm, between aspirin and NSAIDs hasbeen reported in such aspirin-sensitive patients, IBU tablets shouldnot be administered to patients with this form of aspirin sensitivityand should be used with caution in patients with preexisting asthma. Ophthalmological effects. Blurred and/or diminished vision, scotomata, and/or changes incolor vision have been reported. If a patient develops such complaintswhile receiving IBU tablets, the drug should be discontinued, and thepatient should have an ophthalmologic examination which includescentral visual fields and color vision testing. Aseptic Meningitis Aseptic meningitis with fever and coma has been observed on rareoccasions in patients on ibuprofen therapy. Although it is probablymore likely to occur in patients with systemic lupus erythematosusand related connective tissue diseases, it has been reported inpatients who do not have an underlying chronic disease. If signs orsymptoms of meningitis develop in a patient on IBU tablets, the possibilityof its being related to IBU tablets should be considered. Information for Patients Patients should be informed of the following information beforeinitiating therapy with an NSAID and periodically during the course ofongoing therapy. Patients should also be encouraged to read theNSAID Medication Guide that accompanies each prescription dispensed

• Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events: Advise patients to be alert for the symptoms of cardiovascular thrombotic events, including chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, or slurring of speech, and to report any of these symptoms to their health care provider immediately [see WARNINGS].
• IBU tablets, like other NSAIDs, can cause GI discomfort and, rarely,serious GI side effects, such as ulcers and bleeding, which mayresult in hospitalization and even death. Although serious GI tractulcerations and bleeding can occur without warning symptoms,patients should be alert for the signs and symptoms of ulcerationsand bleeding, and should ask for medical advice when observingany indicative signs or symptoms including epigastric pain, dyspepsia,melena, and hematemesis. Patients should be apprised of theimportance of this follow-up (see WARNINGS,GASTROINTESTINAL EFFECTS-RISK OF ULCERATION, BLEEDING AND PERFORATION).
• IBU tablets, like other NSAIDs, can cause serious skin side effectssuch as exfoliative dermatitis, SJS and TEN, which may result inhospitalization and even death. Although serious skin reactions mayoccur without warning, patients should be alert for the signs andsymptoms of skin rash and blisters, fever, or other signs of hypersensitivitysuch as itching, and should ask for medical advice whenobserving any indicative sign or symptoms. Patients should beadvised to stop the drug immediately if they develop any type ofrash and contact their physicians as soon as possible.
• Heart Failure and Edema: Advise patients to be alert for the symptoms of congestive heart failure including shortness of breath, unexplained weight gain, or edema and to contact their healthcare provider if such symptoms occur [see WARNINGS].
• Patients should be informed of the warning signs and symptoms ofhepatotoxicity (e.g., nausea, fatigue, lethargy, pruritus, jaundice,right upper quadrant tenderness and “flu-like” symptoms). If theseoccur, patients should be instructed to stop therapy and seek immediatemedical therapy.
• Patients should be informed of the signs of an anaphylactoid reaction(e.g. difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat). If theseoccur, patients should be instructed to seek immediate emergencyhelp (see WARNINGS).
• In late pregnancy, as with other NSAIDs, IBU tablets should beavoided because it may cause premature closure of the ductus arteriosus. Laboratory Tests Because serious GI tract ulcerations and bleeding can occur withoutwarning symptoms, physicians should monitor for signs orsymptoms of GI bleeding. Patients on long-term treatment withNSAIDs should have their CBC and chemistry profile checked periodically.If clinical signs and symptoms consistent with liver or renaldisease develop, systemic manifestations occur (e.g., eosinophilia,rash etc.), or abnormal liver tests persist or worsen, IBU tabletsshould be discontinued. Drug Interactions ACE-inhibitors:Reports suggest that NSAIDs may diminish the antihypertensiveeffect of ACE-inhibitors. This interaction should be given considerationin patients taking NSAIDs concomitantly with ACE-inhibitors. AspirinWhen IBU tablets are administered with aspirin, its protein bindingis reduced, although the clearance of free IBU tablets is notaltered. The clinical significance of this interaction is not known; however,as with other NSAIDs, concomitant administration of ibuprofenand aspirin is not generally recommended because of the potential forincreased adverse effects. […]

The most frequent type of adverse reaction occurring withIbuprofen tablets is gastrointestinal. In controlled clinical trials thepercentage of patients reporting one or more gastrointestinal complaintsranged from 4% to 16%. In controlled studies when Ibuprofen tablets were compared toaspirin and indomethacin in equally effective doses, the overall incidenceof gastrointestinal complaints was about half that seen in eitherthe aspirin- or indomethacin-treated patients. Adverse reactions observed during controlled clinical trials at anincidence greater than 1% are listed in the table. Those reactions listedin Column one encompass observations in approximately 3,000patients. More than 500 of these patients were treated for periods ofat least 54 weeks. Still other reactions occurring less frequently than 1 in 100 werereported in controlled clinical trials and from marketing experience.These reactions have been divided into two categories: Column twoof the table lists reactions with therapy with Ibuprofen tablets wherethe probability of a causal relationship exists: for the reactions inColumn three, a causal relationship with Ibuprofen tablets has notbeen established. Reported side effects were higher at doses of 3200 mg/day thanat doses of 2400 mg or less per day in clinical trials of patients withrheumatoid arthritis. The increases in incidence were slight and stillwithin the ranges reported in the table