Source: Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) Revision Year: 2021 Publisher: Upjohn UK Limited, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich, Kent CT13 9NJ, United Kingdom
Pharmacotherapeutic group: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
ATC code: N06AB06
Sertraline is a potent and specific inhibitor of neuronal serotonin (5 HT) uptake in vitro, which results in the potentiation of the effects of 5-HT in animals. It has only very weak effects on norepinephrine and dopamine neuronal reuptake. At clinical doses, sertraline blocks the uptake of serotonin into human platelets. It is devoid of stimulant, sedative or anticholinergic activity or cardiotoxicity in animals. In controlled studies in normal volunteers, sertraline did not cause sedation and did not interfere with psychomotor performance. In accord with its selective inhibition of 5-HT uptake, sertraline does not enhance catecholaminergic activity. Sertraline has no affinity for muscarinic (cholinergic), serotonergic, dopaminergic, adrenergic, histaminergic, GABA or benzodiazepine receptors. The chronic administration of sertraline in animals was associated with down-regulation of brain norepinephrine receptors as observed with other clinically effective antidepressants and antiobsessional drugs.
Sertraline has not demonstrated potential for abuse. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized study of the comparative abuse liability of sertraline, alprazolam and d-amphetamine in humans, sertraline did not produce positive subjective effects indicative of abuse potential. In contrast, subjects rated both alprazolam and d-amphetamine significantly greater than placebo on measures of drug liking, euphoria and abuse potential. Sertraline did not produce either the stimulation and anxiety associated with d-amphetamine or the sedation and psychomotor impairment associated with alprazolam. Sertraline does not function as a positive reinforcer in rhesus monkeys trained to self administer cocaine, nor does it substitute as a discriminative stimulus for either d-amphetamine or pentobarbital in rhesus monkeys.
A study was conducted which involved depressed outpatients who had responded by the end of an initial 8-week open treatment phase on sertraline 50-200 mg/day. These patients (n=295) were randomized to continuation for 44 weeks on double-blind sertraline 50-200 mg/day or placebo. A statistically significantly lower relapse rate was observed for patients taking sertraline compared to those on placebo. The mean dose for completers was 70 mg/day. The % of responders (defined as those patients that did not relapse) for sertraline and placebo arms were 83.4% and 60.8%, respectively.
Combined data from the 3 studies of PTSD in the general population found a lower response rate in males compared to females. In the two positive general population trials, the male and female sertraline vs. placebo responder rates were similar (females: 57.2% vs 34.5%; males: 53.9% vs 38.2%). The number of male and female patients in the pooled general population trials was 184 and 430, respectively and hence the results in females are more robust and males were associated with other baseline variables (more substance abuse, longer duration, source of trauma etc) which are correlated with decreased effect.
In a dedicated thorough QTc study, conducted at steady state at supratherapeutic exposures in healthy volunteers (treated with 400 mg/day, twice the maximum recommended daily dose), the upper bound of the 2-sided 90% CI for the time matched Least Square mean difference of QTcF between sertraline and placebo (11.666 msec) was greater than the predefined threshold of 10 msec at the 4-hour postdose time point. Exposure-response analysis indicated a slightly positive relationship between QTcF and sertraline plasma concentrations [0.036 msec/(ng/mL); p<0.0001]. Based on the exposure response model, the threshold for clinically significant prolongation of the QTcF (i.e. for predicted 90% CI to exceed 10 msec) is at least 2.6-fold greater than the average Cmax (86 ng/mL) following the highest recommended dose of sertraline (200 mg/day) (see sections 4.4, 4.5, 4.8 and 4.9).
The safety and efficacy of sertraline (50-200 mg/day) was examined in the treatment of non-depressed children (6-12 years old) and adolescent (13-17 years old) outpatients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). After a one week single blind placebo lead-in, patients were randomly assigned to twelve weeks of flexible dose treatment with either sertraline or placebo. Children (6-12 years old) were initially started on a 25 mg dose. Patients randomized to sertraline showed significantly greater improvement than those randomised to placebo on the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale CY-BOCS (p=0.005) the NIMH Global Obsessive Compulsive Scale (p=0.019), and the CGI Improvement (p =0.002) scales. In addition, a trend toward greater improvement in the sertraline group than the placebo group was also observed on the CGI Severity scale (p=0.089). For CY-BOCs the mean baseline and change from baseline scores for the placebo group was 22.25 ± 6.15 and -3.4 ± 0.82, respectively, while for the sertraline group, the mean baseline and change from baseline scores were 23.36 ± 4.56 and -6.8 ± 0.87, respectively. In a post-hoc analysis, responders, defined as patients with a 25% or greater decrease in the CY-BOCs (the primary efficacy measure) from baseline to endpoint, were 53% of sertraline-treated patients compared to 37% of placebo-treated patients (p=0.03).
Long term safety and efficacy data are lacking for this paediatric population.
No data is available for children under 6 years of age.
In man, following an oral once-daily dosage of 50 to 200 mg for 14 days, peak plasma concentrations of sertraline occur at 4.5 to 8.4 hours after the daily administration of the drug. Food does not significantly change the bioavailability of sertraline tablets.
Approximately 98% of the circulating drug is bound to plasma proteins.
Sertraline undergoes extensive first-pass hepatic metabolism.
Based on clinical and in-vitro data, it can be concluded that sertraline is metabolized by multiple pathways including CYP3A4, CYP2C19 (see section 4.5) and CYP2B6. Sertraline and its major metabolite desmethylsertraline are also substrate of P-glycoprotein in-vitro.
The mean half-life of sertraline is approximately 26 hours (range 22-36 hours). Consistent with the terminal elimination half-life, there is an approximately two-fold accumulation up to steady state concentrations, which are achieved after one week of once-daily dosing. The half-life of N-desmethylsertraline is in the range of 62 to 104 hours. Sertraline and N-desmethylsertraline are both extensively metabolized in man and the resultant metabolites excreted in faeces and urine in equal amounts. Only a small amount (<0.2%) of unchanged sertraline is excreted in the urine.
Sertraline exhibits dose proportional pharmacokinetics in the range of 50 to 200 mg.
Pharmacokinetics of sertraline was studied in 29 paediatric patients aged 6-12 years old, and 32 adolescent patients aged 13-17 years old. Patients were gradual uptitrated to a 200 mg daily dose within 32 days, either with 25 mg starting dose and increment steps, or with 50 mg starting dose or increments. The 25 mg regimen and the 50 mg regimen were equally tolerated. In steady state for the 200 mg dose, the sertraline plasma levels in the 6-12 year old group were approximately 35% higher compared to the 13-17 year old group, and 21% higher compared to adult reference group. There were no significant differences between boys and girls regarding clearance. A low starting dose and titration steps of 25 mg are therefore recommended for children, especially with low bodyweight. Adolescents could be dosed like adults.
The pharmacokinetic profile in adolescents or elderly is not significantly different from that in adults between 18 and 65 years.
In patients with liver damage, the half life of sertraline is prolonged and AUC is increased three fold (see sections 4.2 and 4.4).
In patients with moderate-severe renal impairment, there was no significant accumulation of sertraline.
Plasma levels of sertraline were about 50% higher in poor metabolizers of CYP2C19 versus extensive metabolizers. The clinical meaning is not clear, and patients need to be titrated based on clinical response.
Preclinical data does not indicate any special hazard for humans based on conventional studies of safety pharmacology, repeated dose toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenesis. Reproduction toxicity studies in animals showed no evidence of teratogenicity or adverse effects on male fertility. Observed foetotoxicity was probably related to maternal toxicity. Postnatal pup survival and body weight were decreased only during the first days after birth. Evidence was found that the early postnatal mortality was due to in-utero exposure after day 15 of pregnancy. Postnatal developmental delays found in pups from treated dams were probably due to effects on the dams and therefore not relevant for human risk.
Animal data from rodents and non-rodents does not reveal effects on fertility.
A juvenile toxicology study in rats has been conducted in which sertraline was administered orally to male and female rats on Postnatal Days 21 through 56 (at doses of 10, 40, or 80 mg/kg/day) with a nondosing recovery phase up to Postnatal Day 196. Delays in sexual maturation occurred in males and females at different dose levels (males at 80 mg/kg and females at ≥10 mg/kg), but despite this finding there were no sertraline-related effects on any of the male or female reproductive endpoints that were assessed. In addition, on Postnatal Days 21 to 56, dehydration, chromorhinorrhea, and reduced average body weight gain was also observed. All of the aforementioned effects attributed to the administration of sertraline were reversed at some point during the nondosing recovery phase of the study. The clinical relevance of these effects observed in rats administered sertraline has not been established.
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