Source: FDA, National Drug Code (US) Revision Year: 2020
AMICAR should not be used when there is evidence of an active intravascular clotting process.
When there is uncertainty as to whether the cause of bleeding is primary fibrinolysis or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), this distinction must be made before administering AMICAR.
The following tests can be applied to differentiate the two conditions:
Platelet count is usually decreased in DIC but normal in primary fibrinolysis.
Protamine paracoagulation test is positive in DIC; a precipitate forms when protamine sulfate is dropped into citrated plasma. The test is negative in the presence of primary fibrinolysis.
The euglobulin clot lysis test is abnormal in primary fibrinolysis but normal in DIC.
AMICAR must not be used in the presence of DIC without concomitant heparin.
In patients with upper urinary tract bleeding, AMICAR administration has been known to cause intrarenal obstruction in the form of glomerular capillary thrombosis or clots in the renal pelvis and ureters. For this reason, AMICAR should not be used in hematuria of upper urinary tract origin, unless the possible benefits outweigh the risk.
Subendocardial hemorrhages have been observed in dogs given intravenous infusions of 0.2 times the maximum human therapeutic dose of AMICAR and in monkeys given 8 times the maximum human therapeutic dose of AMICAR.
Fatty degeneration of the myocardium has been reported in dogs given intravenous doses of AMICAR at 0.8 to 3.3 times the maximum human therapeutic dose and in monkeys given intravenous doses of AMICAR at 6 times the maximum human therapeutic dose.
Rarely, skeletal muscle weakness with necrosis of muscle fibers has been reported following prolonged administration. Clinical presentation may range from mild myalgias with weakness and fatigue to a severe proximal myopathy with rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and acute renal failure. Muscle enzymes, especially creatine phosphokinase (CPK) are elevated. CPK levels should be monitored in patients on long-term therapy. AMICAR administration should be stopped if a rise in CPK is noted. Resolution follows discontinuation of AMICAR; however, the syndrome may recur if AMICAR is restarted.
The possibility of cardiac muscle damage should also be considered when skeletal myopathy occurs. One case of cardiac and hepatic lesions observed in man has been reported. The patient received 2 g of aminocaproic acid every 6 hours for a total dose of 26 g. Death was due to continued cerebrovascular hemorrhage. Necrotic changes in the heart and liver were noted at autopsy.
AMICAR is generally well tolerated. The following adverse experiences have been reported:
General: Edema, headache, malaise.
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Allergic and anaphylactoid reactions, anaphylaxis.
Cardiovascular: Bradycardia, hypotension, peripheral ischemia, thrombosis.
Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting.
Hematologic: Agranulocytosis, coagulation disorder, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia.
Musculoskeletal: CPK increased, muscle weakness, myalgia, myopathy (see WARNINGS), myositis, rhabdomyolysis.
Neurologic: Confusion, convulsions, delirium, dizziness, hallucinations, intracranial hypertension, stroke, syncope.
Respiratory: Dyspnea, nasal congestion, pulmonary embolism.
Skin: Pruritis, rash.
Special Senses: Tinnitus, vision decreased, watery eyes.
Urogenital: BUN increased, renal failure. There have been some reports of dry ejaculation during the period of AMICAR treatment. These have been reported to date only in hemophilia patients who received the drug after undergoing dental surgical procedures. However, this symptom resolved in all patients within 24 to 48 hours of completion of therapy.
AMICAR inhibits both the action of plasminogen activators and to a lesser degree, plasmin activity. The drug should NOT be administered without a definite diagnosis and/or laboratory finding indicative of hyperfibrinolysis (hyperplasminemia). 1 Inhibition of fibrinolysis by aminocaproic acid may theoretically result in clotting or thrombosis. However, there is no definite evidence that administration of aminocaproic acid has been responsible for the few reported cases of intravascular clotting which followed this treatment. Rather, it appears that such intravascular clotting was most likely due to the patient’s preexisting clinical condition, e.g., the presence of DIC. It has been postulated that extravascular clots formed in vivo may not undergo spontaneous lysis as do normal clots.
Reports have appeared in the literature of an increased incidence of certain neurological deficits such as hydrocephalus, cerebral ischemia, or cerebral vasospasm associated with the use of antifibrinolytic agents in the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). All of these events have also been described as part of the natural course of SAH, or as a consequence of diagnostic procedures such as angiography. Drug relatedness remains unclear.
Aminocaproic acid should not be administered with Factor IX Complex concentrates or Anti-Inhibitor Coagulant concentrates, as the risk of thrombosis may be increased.
The use of AMICAR should be accompanied by tests designed to determine the amount of fibrinolysis present. There are presently available: (a) general tests such as those for the determination of the lysis of a clot of blood or plasma; and (b) more specific tests for the study of various phases of the fibrinolytic mechanisms. These latter tests include both semiquantitative and quantitative techniques for the determination of profibrinolysin, fibrinolysin, and antifibrinolysin.
Pregnancy Category C.
Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with AMICAR. It is also not known whether AMICAR can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. AMICAR should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.
It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when AMICAR is administered to a nursing woman.
Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.
Prolongation of the template bleeding time has been reported during continuous intravenous infusion of AMICAR at dosages exceeding 24 g/day. Platelet function studies in these patients have not demonstrated any significant platelet dysfunction. However, in vitro studies have shown that at high concentrations (7.4 mMol/L or 0.97 mg/mL and greater) aminocaproic acid inhibits ADP and collagen-induced platelet aggregation, the release of ATP and serotonin, and the binding of fibrinogen to the platelets in a concentration-response manner. Following a 10 g bolus of AMICAR, transient peak plasma concentrations of 4.6 mMol/L or 0.60 mg/mL have been obtained. The concentration of AMICAR necessary to maintain inhibition of fibrinolysis is 0.99 mMol/L or 0.13 mg/mL. Administration of a 5 g bolus followed by 1 to 1.25 g/hr should achieve and sustain plasma levels of 0.13 mg/mL. Thus, concentrations which have been obtained in vivo clinically in patients with normal renal function are considerably lower than the in vitro concentrations found to induce abnormalities in platelet function tests. However, higher plasma concentrations of AMICAR may occur in patients with severe renal failure.
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