Source: European Medicines Agency (EU) Revision Year: 2019 Publisher: Atnahs Pharma Netherlands B.V., Strawinskylaan 3127, 1077 ZX Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pharmaco-therapeutic group: Medicinal products for treatment of bone diseases, bisphosphonate
ATC Code: M05BA06
Ibandronic acid belongs to the bisphosphonate group of compounds which act specifically on bone. Their selective action on bone tissue is based on the high affinity of bisphosphonates for bone mineral. Bisphosphonates act by inhibiting osteoclast activity, although the precise mechanism is still not clear.
In vivo, ibandronic acid prevents experimentally-induced bone destruction caused by cessation of gonadal function, retinoids, tumours or tumour extracts. The inhibition of endogenous bone resorption has also been documented by 45Ca kinetic studies and by the release of radioactive tetracycline previously incorporated into the skeleton.
At doses that were considerably higher than the pharmacologically effective doses, ibandronic acid did not have any effect on bone mineralisation.
Bone resorption due to malignant disease is characterized by excessive bone resorption that is not balanced with appropriate bone formation. Ibandronic acid selectively inhibits osteoclast activity, reducing bone resorption and thereby reducing skeletal complications of the malignant disease.
Clinical studies in patients with breast cancer and bone metastases have shown that there is a dose dependent inhibitory effect on bone osteolysis, expressed by markers of bone resorption, and a dose dependent effect on skeletal events.
Prevention of skeletal events in patients with breast cancer and bone metastases with Bondronat 50 mg tablets was assessed in two randomized placebo controlled phase III trials with a duration of 96 weeks. Female patients with breast cancer and radiologically confirmed bone metastases were randomised to receive placebo (277 patients) or 50 mg Bondronat (287 patients). The results from these trials are summarised below.
The primary endpoint of the trials was the skeletal morbidity period rate (SMPR). This was a composite endpoint which had the following skeletal related events (SREs) as sub-components:
The analysis of the SMPR was time-adjusted and considered that one or more events occurring in a single 12 week period could be potentially related. Multiple events were therefore, counted only once in any given 12 week period for the purposes of the analysis. Pooled data from these studies demonstrated a significant advantage for Bondronat 50 mg p.o. over placebo in the reduction in SREs measured by the SMPR (p=0.041). There was also a 38% reduction in the risk of developing an SRE for Bondronat treated patients when compared with placebo (relative risk 0.62, p=0.003). Efficacy results are summarised in Table 2.
Table 2. Efficacy Results (Breast Cancer Patients with Metastatic Bone Disease):
| All Skeletal Related Events (SREs) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Placebo n=277 | Bondronat 50 mg n=287 | p-value | |
| SMPR (per patient year) | 1.15 | 0.99 | p=0.041 |
| SRE relative risk | - | 0.62 | p=0.003 |
A statistically significant improvement in bone pain score was shown for Bondronat 50 mg compared to placebo. The pain reduction was consistently below baseline throughout the entire study and accompanied by a significantly reduced use of analgesics compared to placebo. The deterioration in Quality of Life and WHO performance status was significantly less in Bondronat treated patients compared with placebo. Urinary concentrations of the bone resorption marker CTx (C-terminal telopeptide released from Type I collagen) were significantly reduced in the Bondronat group compared to placebo. This reduction in urinary CTx levels was significantly correlated with the primary efficacy endpoint SMPR (Kendall-tau-b (p<0.001)). A tabular summary of the secondary efficacy results is presented in Table 3.
Table 3. Secondary Efficacy Results (Breast Cancer Patients with Metastatic Bone Disease):
| Placebo n=277 | Bondronat 50 mg n=287 | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone pain* | 0.20 | -0.10 | p=0.001 |
| Analgesic use* | 0.85 | 0.60 | p=0.019 |
| Quality of Life* | -26.8 | -8.3 | p=0.032 |
| WHO performance score* | 0.54 | 0.33 | p=0.008 |
| Urinary CTx** | 10.95 | -77.32 | p=0.001 |
* Mean change from baseline to last assessment.
** Median change from baseline to last assessment
The safety and efficacy of Bondronat in children and adolescents below the age of 18 years have not been established. No data are available.
The absorption of ibandronic acid in the upper gastrointestinal tract is rapid after oral administration. Maximum observed plasma concentrations were reached within 0.5 to 2 hours (median 1 hour) in the fasted state and absolute bioavailability was about 0.6%. The extent of absorption is impaired when taken together with food or beverages (other than water). Bioavailability is reduced by about 90% when ibandronic acid is administered with a standard breakfast in comparison with bioavailability seen in fasted subjects. When taken 30 minutes before a meal, the reduction in bioavailability is approximately 30%. There is no meaningful reduction in bioavailability provided ibandronic acid is taken 60 minutes before a meal.
Bioavailability was reduced by approximately 75% when Bondronat tablets were administered 2 hours after a standard meal. Therefore, it is recommended that the tablets should be taken after an overnight fast (minimum 6 hours) and fasting should continue for at least 30 minutes after the dose has been taken (see section 4.2).
After initial systemic exposure, ibandronic acid rapidly binds to bone or is excreted into urine. In humans, the apparent terminal volume of distribution is at least 90 l and the amount of dose reaching the bone is estimated to be 40-50% of the circulating dose. Protein binding in human plasma is approximately 87% at therapeutic concentrations, and thus interaction with other medicinal products, due to displacement is unlikely.
There is no evidence that ibandronic acid is metabolized in animals or humans.
The absorbed fraction of ibandronic acid is removed from the circulation via bone absorption (estimated to be 40-50%) and the remainder is eliminated unchanged by the kidney. The unabsorbed fraction of ibandronic acid is eliminated unchanged in the faeces.
The range of observed apparent half-lives is broad and dependent on dose and assay sensitivity, but the apparent terminal half-life is generally in the range of 10-60 hours. However, early plasma levels fall quickly, reaching 10% of peak values within 3 and 8 hours after intravenous or oral administration respectively.
Total clearance of ibandronic acid is low with average values in the range 84-160 ml/min. Renal clearance (about 60 ml/min in healthy postmenopausal females) accounts for 50-60% of total clearance and is related to creatinine clearance. The difference between the apparent total and renal clearances is considered to reflect the uptake by bone.
The secretory pathway of renal elimination does not appear to include known acidic or basic transport systems involved in the excretion of other active substances In addition, ibandronic acid does not inhibit the major human hepatic P450 isoenzymes and does not induce the hepatic cytochrome P450 system in rats.
Bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of ibandronic acid are similar in both men and women.
There is no evidence for clinically relevant interethnic differences between Asians and Caucasians in ibandronic acid disposition. There are only very few data available on patients with African origin.
Exposure to ibandronic acid in patients with various degree of renal impairment is related to creatinine clearance (CLcr). Subjects with severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min) receiving oral administration of 10 mg ibandronic acid daily for 21 days, had 2-3 fold higher plasma concentrations than subjects with normal renal function (CLcr ≥80 mL/min). Total clearance of ibandronic acid was reduced to 44 ml/min in the subjects with severe renal impairment compared with 129 mL/min in subjects with normal renal function. No dosage adjustment is necessary for patients with mild renal impairment (CLcr ≥50 and <80 mL/min). For patients with moderate renal impairment (CLcr ≥30 and <50 mL/min) or severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min) an adjustment in the dose is recommended (see section 4.2).
There are no pharmacokinetic data for ibandronic acid in patients who have hepatic impairment. The liver has no significant role in the clearance of ibandronic acid since it is not metabolized but is cleared by renal excretion and by uptake into bone. Therefore dosage adjustment is not necessary in patients with hepatic impairment. Further, as protein binding of ibandronic acid is approximately 87% at therapeutic concentrations, hypoproteinaemia in severe liver disease is unlikely to lead to clinically significant increases in free plasma concentration.
In a multivariate analysis, age was not found to be an independent factor of any of the pharmacokinetic parameters studied. As renal function decreases with age, this is the only factor to take into consideration (see renal impairment section).
There are no data on the use of Bondronat in patients less than 18 years old.
Effects in non-clinical studies were observed only at exposures sufficiently in excess of the maximum human exposure indicating little relevance to clinical use. As with other bisphosphonates, the kidney was identified to be the primary target organ of systemic toxicity.
No indication of carcinogenic potential was observed. Tests for genotoxicity revealed no evidence of genetic activity for ibandronic acid.
No evidence of direct foetal toxicity or teratogenic effects was observed for ibandronic acid in intravenously or orally treated rats and rabbits. In reproductive studies in rats by the oral route effects on fertility consisted of increased preimplantation losses at dose levels of 1 mg/kg/day and higher. In reproductive studies in rats by the intravenous route, ibandronic acid decreased sperm counts at doses of 0.3 and 1 mg/kg/day and decreased fertility in males at 1 mg/kg/day and in females at 1.2 mg/kg/day. Adverse effects of ibandronic acid in reproductive toxicity studies in the rat were those expected for this class of medicinal products (bisphosphonates). They include a decreased number of implantation sites, interference with natural delivery (dystocia), an increase in visceral variations (renal pelvis ureter syndrome) and teeth abnormalities in F1 offspring in rats.
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