Sarecycline

Risk Summary

Sarecycline, like tetracycline class drugs, may cause fetal harm, permanent discoloration of teeth, and reversible inhibition of bone growth when administered during pregnancy. The limited available human data are not sufficient to inform a drug-associated risk for birth defects or miscarriage. Tetracyclines are known to cross the placental barrier; therefore, sarecycline may be transmitted from the mother to the developing fetus. In animal reproduction studies, sarecycline induced skeletal malformations in fetuses when orally administered to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis at a dose 1.4 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 150 mg/day (based on AUC comparison). When dosing with sarecycline continued through the period of lactation, decreases in offspring survival, offspring body weight, and implantation sites and viable embryos in offspring females occurred at a dose 3 times the MRHD (based on AUC comparison) [see Data]. The potential risk to the fetus outweighs the potential benefit to the mother from sarecycline use during pregnancy; therefore, pregnant patients should discontinue sarecycline as soon as pregnancy is recognized.

All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively.

Data

Animal Data

In an embryofetal developmental study in rats, sarecycline was administered to pregnant rats at oral doses up to 500 mg/kg/day during the period of organogenesis. Decreases in maternal body weight, fetal body weight and litter size and increases in the number of resorption and postimplantation loss occurred at 500 mg/kg/day (7 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison). Skeletal malformations (bent forelimb, hindlimb, and scapula) occurred at all dose levels (≥50 mg/kg/day, 1.4 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison).

In an embryofetal developmental study in rabbits, sarecycline was administered to pregnant rabbits at oral doses up to 150 mg/kg/day during the period of organogenesis. Excessive maternal toxicity (mortality/moribundity/abortion) occurred at 150 mg/kg/day (5 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison) and this dose group was terminated early. Maternal moribundity also occurred at 100 mg/kg/day (0.6 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison). No significant embryofetal toxicity or malformations were observed at doses up to 100 mg/kg/day (0.6 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison).

In a pre- and post-natal developmental study in rats, sarecycline was administered to maternal rats at oral doses up to 400 mg/kg/day during the period of organogenesis through lactation. Excessive litter toxicity (litter loss and stillbirth) occurred at 400 mg/kg/day (8 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison), which led to early termination of dams at parturition. Decreases in body weight and food consumption of dams during the lactation period occurred at 150 mg/kg/day (3 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison). Decreases in offspring survival and offspring body weight during the preweaning and growth period, and decreases in implantation sites and viable embryos in female offspring occurred at 150 mg/kg/day (3 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison). No significant maternal or developmental toxicity was observed at 50 mg/kg/day (1.4 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison).

In a 2-year oral mouse carcinogenicity study and a 2-year oral rat carcinogenicity study, no drug-related neoplasms were observed in male mice at oral doses of sarecycline up to 100 mg/kg/day (approximately equal to the MRHD based on AUC comparison) or in female mice at doses up to 60 mg/kg/day (approximately equal to the MRHD based on AUC comparison), or in rats at doses up to 200/100 mg/kg/day (dose reduced from 200 to 100 mg/kg/day due to increased mortality; 8 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison).

Sarecycline was not mutagenic or clastogenic in a series of in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity studies, including a bacteria reverse mutation (Ames) assay, an in vitro chromosomal aberration assay in CHO cells, the L5178Y/TK^+/- Mouse Lymphoma Assay, and an in vivo micronucleus assay in rats.

In a fertility and early embryonic development study in rats, sarecycline was administered to both male and female rats at oral doses up to 400 mg/kg/day prior to pairing and through the mating and postmating period. Female fertility was not affected at doses up to 400 mg/kg/day (8 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison). In sperm evaluation, decreased sperm motility, decreased sperm count and concentration, and an increase in percent abnormal sperm occurred at 400 mg/kg/day (8 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison). Male fertility was not affected at doses up to 150 mg/kg/day (4 times the MRHD based on AUC comparison).

Patients who experience central nervous system symptoms should be cautioned about driving vehicles or using hazardous machinery while on sarecycline therapy. Patients should seek medical help for persistent central nervous system symptoms.

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

A total of 1064 subjects and 1069 subjects with moderate to severe acne vulgaris were treated with sarecycline and placebo, respectively, for 12 weeks in 3 controlled clinical trials. The only adverse drug reaction that was reported in at least 1% of subjects was nausea, sarecycline (3.1%) versus placebo (2.0%).

The following additional adverse drug reactions occurred in less than 1% of female sarecycline subjects: vulvovaginal mycotic infection (0.8%) and vulvovaginal candidiasis (0.6%).