Source: European Medicines Agency (EU) Revision Year: 2022 Publisher: Endoceutics S.A., Rue Belliard 40, 1040, Brussels, Belgium
For the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms, Intrarosa should only be initiated for symptoms that adversely affect quality of life. In all cases, a careful appraisal of the risks and benefits should be reassessed at least every 6 months and Intrarosa should only be continued as long as the benefit outweighs the risk following discussions with their doctor.
Before initiating Intrarosa, a complete personal and family medical history should be taken. Physical (including pelvic and breast) examination should be guided by this and by the contraindications and special warnings and precautions for use according to the decision of their doctor. During treatment, periodic check-ups are recommended of a frequency and nature adapted to the individual woman. Women should be advised what changes in their breasts should be reported to their doctor or nurse (see ‘Breast cancer’ below). Investigations, including Pap smears and blood pressure measurements should be carried out in accordance with currently accepted screening practices, modified to the clinical needs of the individual.
If any of the following conditions are present, have occurred previously, and/or have been aggravated during pregnancy or previous hormone treatment, the patient should be closely supervised. It should be taken into account that these conditions may recur or be aggravated during treatment with Intrarosa, in particular:
Therapy should be discontinued in case a contraindication is discovered and in the following situation:
Estrogen is a metabolite of prasterone. In women with an intact uterus, the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma is increased when exogenous oestrogens are administered for prolonged periods. No cases of endometrial hyperplasia have been reported in women treated for 52 weeks during the clinical studies. Intrarosa has not been studied in women with endometrial hyperplasia.
For oestrogen products for vaginal application of which the systemic exposure to oestrogen remains within the normal postmenopausal range, it is not recommended to add a progestagen.
Endometrial safety of long-term of local vaginally administered prasterone has not been studied for more than one year. Therefore, if repeated, treatment should be reviewed at least annually.
If bleeding or spotting appears at any time on therapy, the reason should be investigated, which may include endometrial biopsy to exclude endometrial malignancy.
Unopposed oestrogen stimulation may lead to premalignant or malignant transformation in the residual foci of endometriosis. Therefore caution is advised when using this product in women who have undergone hysterectomy because of endometriosis, especially if they are known to have residual endometriosis since intravaginal prasterone has not been studied in women with endometriosis.
Prasterone is metabolised into estrogenic compounds. The following risks have been associated with systemic HRT and apply to a lesser extent for oestrogen products for vaginal application of which the systemic exposure to the oestrogen remains within the normal postmenopausal range. However, they should be considered in case of long term or repeated use of this product.
The overall evidence suggests an increased risk of breast cancer in women taking combined oestrogen-progestagen and possibly also oestrogen-only systemic HRT, that is dependent on the duration of taking HRT. The excess risk becomes apparent within a few years of use but returns to baseline within a few (at most five) years after stopping treatment.
Intrarosa has not been studied in women with active or past breast cancer. One case of breast cancer at week 52 has been reported on 1196 women who have been exposed with the 6.5 mg dose which is below the incidence rate observed in the normal population of the same age.
Ovarian cancer is much rarer than breast cancer. Epidemiological evidence from a large meta-analysis suggests a slightly increased risk in women taking oestrogen-only systemic HRT, which becomes apparent within 5 years of use and diminishes over time after stopping.
Intrarosa has not been studied in women with active or past ovarian cancer. One Case of ovarian cancer has been reported on 1196 women who have been exposed with the 6.5 mg dose which is above the incidence rate observed in the normal population of the same age. Of note, this case was present before start of treatment and was bearing a BRCA1 mutation.
Intrarosa has not been studied in women with abnormal Pap smears (Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS)) or worse. Cases of abnormal Pap smears corresponding to ASCUS or Low Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL) have been reported in women treated with the 6.5 mg dose (common frequency).
Intrarosa has not been studied in women with current or previous venous thromboembolic disease.
Systemic HRT is associated with a 1.3-3 fold risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), i.e. deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. The occurrence of such an event is more likely in the first year of HRT than later (see section 4.8).
Patients with known thrombophilic states have an increased risk of VTE and HRT may add to this risk. HRT is therefore contraindicated in these patients (see section 4.3).
Generally recognised risk factors for VTE include, use of oestrogens, older age, major surgery, prolonged immobilisation, obesity (BMI >30 kg/m²), pregnancy/postpartum period, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and cancer. There is no consensus about the possible role of varicose veins in VTE.
As in all postoperative patients, prophylactic measures need be considered to prevent VTE following surgery. If prolonged immobilisation is to follow elective surgery temporarily stopping HRT 4 to 6 weeks earlier is recommended. Treatment should not be restarted until the woman is completely mobilised.
In women with no personal history of VTE but with a first degree relative with a history of thrombosis at young age, screening may be offered after careful counselling regarding its limitations (only a proportion of thrombophilic defects are identified by screening). If a thrombophilic defect is identified which segregates with thrombosis in family members or if the defect is ‘severe’ (e.g, antithrombin, protein S, or protein C deficiencies or a combination of defects) HRT is contraindicated.
Women already on chronic anticoagulant treatment require careful consideration of the benefitrisk of use of HRT.
If VTE develops after initiating therapy, the drug should be discontinued. Patients should be told to contact their doctors immediately when they are aware of a potential thromboembolic symptom (e.g. painful swelling of a leg, sudden pain in the chest, dyspnoea).
One case of pulmonary embolism has been reported in the 6.5 mg group and one in the placebo group during clinical trials.
Intrarosa has not been studied in women with uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg) and cardiovascular disease. Cases of hypertension have been reported in clinical trials with an uncommon frequency and similar incidence rates were observed in both groups (6.5 mg prasterone and placebo). No case of coronary artery disease has been reported during clinical trials.
Systemic oestrogen-only therapy is associated with an up to 1.5-fold increase in risk of ischaemic stroke. The relative risk does not change with age or time since menopause. However, as the baseline risk of stroke is strongly age-dependent, the overall risk of stroke in women who use HRT will increase with age (see section 4.8). Intrarosa has not been studied in women with current or previous arterial thromboembolic disease.
No cases of arterial thromboembolic disease have been reported during clinical trials.
Oestrogens may cause fluid retention, and therefore patients with cardiac or renal dysfunction should be carefully observed.
Women with pre-existing hypertriglyceridaemia should be followed closely during oestrogen replacement or hormone replacement therapy, since rare cases of large increases of plasma triglycerides leading to pancreatitis have been reported with oestrogen therapy in this condition.
Oestrogens increase thyroid binding globulin (TBG), leading to increased circulating total thyroid hormone, as measured by protein-bound iodine (PBI), T4 levels (by column or by radioimmunoassay) or T3 levels (by radio-immunoassay). T3 resin uptake is decreased, reflecting the elevated TBG. Free T4 and free T3 concentrations are unaltered. Other binding proteins may be elevated in serum, i.e. corticoid binding globulin (CBG), sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) leading to increased circulating corticosteroids and sex steroids, respectively. Free or biological active hormone concentrations are unchanged. Other plasma proteins may be increased (angiotensinogen/renin substrate, alpha-I-antitrypsin, ceruloplasmin).
HRT use does not improve cognitive function. There is some evidence of increased risk of probable dementia in women who start using continuous combined or oestrogen-only HRT after the age of 65.
None of these conditions has been observed with Intrarosa during the clinical trials. Women with vaginal infection should be treated with appropriate antimicrobial therapy before starting Intrarosa.
Due to melting of the hard fat base added to an expected increase in vaginal secretions due to treatment, vaginal discharge can occur although it does not require to stop the medication (see section 4.8).
Use of Intrarosa with condoms, diaphragms or cervical caps made of latex must be avoided since the rubber may be damaged by the preparation.
Intrarosa has not been studied in women with a current hormonal treatment: hormone replacement therapy (oestrogens alone or combined with progestogens) or androgens treatment.
Concomitant use with systemic hormone replacement therapy (oestrogen-only or oestrogen-progestagen combination or androgen treatment) or vaginal oestrogens has not been investigated and is therefore not recommended.
Intrarosa is not indicated in pre-menopausal women of child-bearing age, including pregnancy.
If pregnancy occurs during treatment with Intrarosa, the treatment should be withdrawn immediately. There are no data on the use of Intrarosa in pregnant women.
No studies in animals were performed with regard to the reproductive toxicity (see section 5.3). The potential risk in humans is unknown.
Intrarosa is not indicated during breast-feeding.
Intrarosa is not indicated in fertile women.
Intrarosa has no influence in the ability to drive and use machines.
The most frequently observed adverse reaction was vaginal discharge. This is due to melting of the hard fat used as vehicle, added to the expected increase in vaginal secretions due to treatment. It is not required to stop Intrarosa if vaginal discharge occurs (see section 4.4).
The adverse reaction observed with prasterone 6.5 mg pessaries obtained from clinical studies is tabulated below.
| MedDRA System Organ Class | Common (≥1/100 to <1/10) | Uncommon (≥1/1,000 to <1/100) |
|---|---|---|
| General disorders and administration site conditions | Application site discharge | |
| Reproductive system and breast disorders | Abnormal Pap smear (mostly ASCUS or LGSIL) | Cervical/uterine polyps Breast mass (benign) |
| Investigations | Weight fluctuation |
Million Women study– Estimated additional risk of breast cancer after 5 years' use:
| Age range (years) | Additional cases per 1000 never-users of HRT over a 5 year period1* | Risk ratio & 95% CI# | Additional cases per 1000 HRT users over 5 years (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oestrogen only HRT | |||
| 50-65 | 9-12 | 1,2 | 1-2 (0-3) |
1* Taken from baseline incidence rates in developed countries
# Overall risk ratio. The risk ratio is not constant but will increase with increasing duration on use.
Note: Since the background incidence of breast cancer differs by EU country, the number of additional cases of breast cancer will also change proportionately.
US WHI studies – additional risk of breast cancer after 5 years' use:
| Age range (yrs) | Incidence per 1000 women in placebo arm over 5 years | Risk ratio & 95% CI | Additional cases per 1000 HRT users over 5 years (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEE oestrogen-only | |||
| 50-79 | 21 | 0.8 (0.7–1.0) | -4 (-6 – 0)2* |
2* WHI study in women with no uterus, which did not show an increase in risk of breast cancer
Use of oestrogen-only or combined oestrogen-progestagen HRT has been associated with a slightly increased risk of having ovarian cancer diagnosed (see section 4.4).
A meta-analysis from 52 epidemiological studies reported an increased risk of ovarian cancer in women currently using HRT compared to women who have never used HRT (RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.31-1.56). For women aged 50 to 54 years taking 5 years of HRT, this results in about 1 extra case per 2000 users. In women aged 50 to 54 who are not taking HRT, about 2 women in 2000 will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer over a 5-year period.
HRT is associated with a 1.3-3-fold increased relative risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), i.e. deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. The occurrence of such an event is more likely in the first year of using HT (see section 4.4). Results of the WHI studies are presented:
WHI Studies – Additional risk of VTE over 5 years' use:
| Age range (years) | Incidence per 1000 women in placebo arm over 5 years | Risk ratio and 95% CI | Additional cases per 1000 HRT users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral oestrogen-only3* | |||
| 50-59 | 7 | 1.2 (0.6 – 2.4) | 1 (-3 – 10) |
The risk of coronary artery disease is slightly increased in users of combined oestrogen-progestagen HRT over the age of 60 (see section 4.4).
The use of oestrogen-only and oestrogen + progestagen therapy is associated with an up to 1.5 fold increased relative risk of ischaemic stroke. The risk of haemorrhagic stroke is not increased during use of HRT.
This relative risk is not dependent on age or on duration of use, but as the baseline risk is strongly age-dependent, the overall risk of stroke in women who use HRT will increase with age, see section 4.4.
WHI studies combined – Additional risk of ischaemic stroke4 over 5 years' use:*
| Age range (years) | Incidence per 1000 women in placebo arm over 5 years | Risk ratio and 95% CI | Additional cases per 1000 HRT users over 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50-59 | 8 | 1.3 (1.1-1.6) | 3 (1-5) |
4* no differentiation was made between ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
Other adverse reactions have been reported in association with oestrogen/progestagen treatment:
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the national reporting system listed in Appendix V.
Not applicable.
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