YASMIN Film-coated tablet Ref.[51089] Active ingredients: 17 alpha-Ethinylestradiol Drospirenone

Drospirenone

Absorption

Orally administered drospirenone is rapidly and almost completely absorbed. Maximum concentrations of the active substance in serum of about 38 ng/ml are reached at about 1-2 h after single ingestion. Bioavailability is between 76 and 85%. Concomitant ingestion of food has no influence on the bioavailability of drospirenone.

Distribution

After oral administration, serum drospirenone levels decrease with a terminal half-life of 31 h. Drospirenone is bound to serum albumin and does not bind to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) or corticoid binding globulin (CBG). Only 3-5% of the total serum concentrations of the active substance are present as free steroid. The ethinylestradiol-induced increase in SHBG does not influence the serum protein binding of drospirenone. The mean apparent volume of distribution of drospirenone is 3.7 ± 1.2 l/kg.

Biotransformation

Drospirenone is extensively metabolized after oral administration. The major metabolites in plasma are the acid form of drospirenone, generated by opening of the lactone ring, and the 4,5-dihydro-drospirenone-3-sulfate, formed by reduction and subsequent sulfatation.

Drospirenone is also subject to oxidative metabolism catalyzed by CYP3A4.

In vitro, drospirenone is capable to inhibit weakly to moderately the cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP1A1, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A4.

Elimination

The metabolic clearance rate of drospirenone in serum is 1.5 ± 0.2 ml/min/kg. Drospirenone is excreted only in trace amounts in unchanged form. The metabolites of drospirenone are excreted with the feces and urine at an excretion ratio of about 1.2 to 1.4. The half-life of metabolite excretion with the urine and feces is about 40 h.

Steady-State Conditions

During a treatment cycle, maximum steady-state concentrations of drospirenone in serum of about 70 ng/ml are reached after about 8 days of treatment. Serum drospirenone levels accumulated by a factor of about 3 as a consequence of the ratio of terminal half-life and dosing interval.

Special Populations

Effect of renal impairment

Steady-state serum drospirenone levels in women with mild renal impairment (creatinine clearance CLcr, 50-80 mL/min) were comparable to those of women with normal renal function. The serum drospirenone levels were on average 37% higher in women with moderate renal impairment (CLcr, 30-50 mL/min) compared to those in women with normal renal function. Drospirenone treatment was also well tolerated by women with mild and moderate renal impairment. Drospirenone treatment did not show any clinically significant effect on serum potassium concentration.

Effect of hepatic impairment

In a single dose study, oral clearance (CL/F) was decreased approximately 50% in volunteers with moderate hepatic impairment as compared to those with normal liver function.The observed decline in drospirenone clearance in volunteers with moderate hepatic impairment did not translate into any apparent difference in terms of serum potassium concentrations. Even in the presence of diabetes and concomitant treatment with spironolactone (two factors that can predispose a patient to hyperkalemia) an increase in serum potassium concentrations above the upper limit of the normal range was not observed. It can be concluded that drospirenone is well tolerated in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh B).

Ethnic groups

No clinically relevant differences in the pharmacokinetics of drospirenone or ethinylestradiol between Japanese and Caucasian women have been observed.

Ethinylestradiol

Absorption

Ethinylestradiol is rapidly and completely absorbed after ingestion. After administration of 30 µg, peak plasma concentrations of 100 pg/ml are reached 1-2 hours after ingestion. Ethinylestradiol undergoes an extensive first-pass effect, which displays great inter-individual variation. The absolute bioavailability is approx. 45%. Distribution Ethinylestradiol has an apparent volume of distribution of 5 l/kg and binding to plasma proteins is approx. 98%. Ethinylestradiol induces the hepatic synthesis of SHBG and CBG. During treatment with 30 µg ethinylestradiol the plasma concentration of SHBG increases from 70 to about 350 nmol/l.

Ethinylestradiol passes in small amounts into breast milk (0.02% of the dose).

Biotransformation

Ethinylestradiol is subject to significant gut and hepatic first-pass metabolism. Ethinylestradiol is primarily metabolized by aromatic hydroxylation but a wide variety of hydroxylated and methylated metabolites are formed, and these are present as free metabolites and as conjugates with glucuronides and sulfate. The metabolic clearance rate of ethinylestradiol is about 5 ml/min/kg.

In vitro, ethinylestradiol is a reversible inhibitor of CYP2C19, CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 as well as a mechanism based inhibitor of CYP3A4/5, CYP2C8, and CYP2J2.

Elimination

Ethinylestradiol is not excreted in unchanged form to any significant extent. The metabolites of ethinylestradiol are excreted at a urinary to biliary ratio of 4:6. The half-life of metabolite excretion is about 1 day. The elimination half-life is 20 hours.

Steady-state conditions

Steady-state conditions are reached during the second half of a treatment cycle and serum levels of ethinylestradiol accumulate by a factor of about 1.4 to 2.1.

In laboratory animals, the effects of drospirenone and ethinylestradiol were confined to those associated with the recognised pharmacological action. In particular, reproduction toxicity studies revealed embryotoxic and fetotoxic effects in animals which are considered as species specific. At exposures exceeding those in users of Yasmin, effects on sexual differentiation were observed in rat fetuses but not in monkeys.

Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA)

Environmental risk assessment studies have shown that ethinylestradiol and drospirenone have the potential of posing a risk to the aquatic environment (see section 6.6).