EBIXA Film-coated tablet Ref.[28267] Active ingredients: Memantine

Source: European Medicines Agency (EU)  Revision Year: 2022  Publisher: H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, 2500 Valby, Denmark

4.1. Therapeutic indications

Treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.

4.2. Posology and method of administration

Treatment should be initiated and supervised by a physician experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia.

Posology

Therapy should only be started if a caregiver is available who will regularly monitor the intake of the medicinal product by the patient. Diagnosis should be made according to current guidelines. The tolerance and dosing of memantine should be reassessed on a regular basis, preferably within three months after start of treatment. Thereafter, the clinical benefit of memantine and the patient’s tolerance of treatment should be reassessed on a regular basis according to current clinical guidelines. Maintenance treatment can be continued for as long as a therapeutic benefit is favourable and the patient tolerates treatment with memantine. Discontinuation of memantine should be considered when evidence of a therapeutic effect is no longer present or if the patient does not tolerate treatment.

Adults

Dose titration

The maximum daily dose is 20 mg per day. In order to reduce the risk of undesirable effects, the maintenance dose is achieved by upward titration of 5 mg per week over the first 3 weeks as follows:

Week 1 (day 1-7): The patient should take half a 10 mg film-coated tablet (5 mg) per day for 7 days.

Week 2 (day 8-14): The patient should take one 10 mg film-coated tablet (10 mg) per day for 7 days.

Week 3 (day 15-21): The patient should take one and a half 10 mg film-coated tablets (15 mg) per day for 7 days.

From Week 4 on: The patient should take two 10 mg film-coated tablets (20 mg) or one 20 mg film-coated tablet per day.

Maintenance dose

The recommended maintenance dose is 20 mg per day.

Elderly

On the basis of the clinical studies, the recommended dose for patients over the age of 65 years is 20 mg per day (two 10 mg film-coated tablets or one 20 mg film-coated tablet once a day) as described above.

Renal impairment

In patients with mildly impaired renal function (creatinine clearance 50-80 ml/min) no dose adjustment is required. In patients with moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance 30-49 ml/min) daily dose should be 10 mg per day. If tolerated well after at least 7 days of treatment, the dose could be increased up to 20 mg/day according to standard titration scheme. In patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance 5-29 ml/min) daily dose should be 10 mg per day.

Hepatic impairment

In patients with mild or moderate hepatic impaired function (Child-Pugh A and Child-Pugh B), no dose adjustment is needed. No data on the use of memantine in patients with severe hepatic impairment are available. Administration of Ebixa is not recommended in patients with severe hepatic impairment.

Paediatric population

No data available.

Method of administration

Ebixa should be administered orally once a day and should be taken at the same time every day. The film-coated tablets can be taken with or without food.

4.9. Overdose

Only limited experience with overdose is available from clinical studies and post-marketing experience.

Symptoms

Relative large overdoses (200 mg and 105 mg/day for 3 days, respectively) have been associated with either only symptoms of tiredness, weakness and/or diarrhoea or no symptoms. In the overdose cases below 140 mg or unknown dose the patients revealed symptoms from central nervous system (confusion, drowsiness, somnolence, vertigo, agitation, aggression, hallucination, and gait disturbance) and/or of gastrointestinal origin (vomiting and diarrhoea).

In the most extreme case of overdose, the patient survived the oral intake of a total of 2000 mg memantine with effects on the central nervous system (coma for 10 days, and later diplopia and agitation). The patient received symptomatic treatment and plasmapheresis. The patient recovered without permanent sequelae.

In another case of a large overdose, the patient also survived and recovered. The patient had received 400 mg memantine orally. The patient experienced central nervous system symptoms such as restlessness, psychosis, visual hallucinations, proconvulsiveness, somnolence, stupor, and unconsciousness.

Treatment

In the event of overdose, treatment should be symptomatic. No specific antidote for intoxication or overdose is available. Standard clinical procedures to remove active substance material, e.g. gastric lavage, carbo medicinalis (interruption of potential entero-hepatic recirculation), acidification of urine, forced diuresis should be used as appropriate.

In case of signs and symptoms of general central nervous system (CNS) overstimulation, careful symptomatic clinical treatment should be considered.

6.3. Shelf life

4 years.

6.4. Special precautions for storage

This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.

6.5. Nature and contents of container

Blister: PVDC/PE/PVC/Al-blister or PP/Al-blister.

Ebixa 10 mg film-coated tablets:

Pack sizes of 14, 28, 30, 42, 50, 56, 70, 84, 98, 100,112 film-coated tablets.

Multipack containing 980 (10 packs of 98) and 1000 (20 packs of 50) film-coated tablets.

Perforated unit dose blister: PVDC/PE/PVC/Al-blister or PP/Al-blister.

Pack sizes 49 × 1, 56 × 1, 98 × 1 and 100 × 1 film-coated tablets.

Ebixa 20 mg film-coated tablets:

Pack sizes of 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98, 112 film-coated tablets.

Multipack containing 840 (20 × 42) film-coated tablets.

Perforated unit dose blister: PVDC/PE/PVC/Al-blister or PP/Al-blister.

Pack sizes 49 × 1, 56 × 1, 98 × 1 and 100 × 1 film-coated tablets.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

6.6. Special precautions for disposal and other handling

No special requirements.

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