Bridion 100 mg/mL Solution for Injection Molecular Formula: C72 H104 O48 S8 Na8 Molecular mass: 2178.01

DESCRIPTION

Sugammadex is a white to off-white powder. It is soluble at room temperature in water, normal saline and 5% mannitol in water. Bridion solution for injection contains sugammadex 100 mg/mL, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydrochloride for pH adjustment and Water for Injections. It is a clear and colourless to slightly yellow solution in 2 mL or 5 mL vials. The pH is between 7 and 8 and osmolality is between 300 and 500 mOsm/kg.

PHARMACOLOGY

Sugammadex is a modified gamma cyclodextrin which is a Selective Relaxant Binding Agent (SRBA). It forms a complex with the neuromuscular blocking agents rocuronium or vecuronium and it reduces the amount of neuromuscular blocking agent available to bind to nicotinic receptors in the neuromuscular junction. This results in the reversal of neuromuscular blockade induced by rocuronium or vecuronium.

Sugammadex has been administered in doses ranging from 0.5 mg/kg to 16 mg/kg in dose-response studies of rocuronium-induced blockade (0.6, 0.9, 1.0 and 1.2 mg/kg rocuronium bromide with and without maintenance doses) and vecuronium-induced blockade (0.1 mg/kg vecuronium bromide with or without maintenance doses) at different time points/depths of blockade. In these studies a clear dose-response relationship was observed.

The sugammadex pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from the total sum of non-complex and complex-bound concentrations of sugammadex. Pharmacokinetic parameters as clearance and volume of distribution are assumed to be the same for non-complex-bound and complex-bound sugammadex in anaesthetised subjects.

The steady-state volume of distribution of sugammadex is approximately 11 to 14 litres. Neither sugammadex nor the complex of sugammadex and rocuronium bind to plasma proteins or erythrocytes, as was shown in vitro using male human plasma and whole blood. Sugammadex exhibits linear kinetics in the dosage range of 1 to 16 mg/kg when administered as an IV bolus dose.

In preclinical and clinical studies no metabolites of sugammadex have been observed and only renal excretion of the unchanged product was observed as the route of elimination.

The elimination half-life (t1/2 ) of sugammadex in typical adults with normal renal function is 2.0 hours and plasma clearance is estimated to be 84 mL/min. A mass balance study demonstrated that > 90% of the dose was excreted within 24 hours. Overall 96% of the dose was excreted in the urine, of which at least 95% could be attributed to unchanged sugammadex. Excretion via faeces or expired air was less than 0.02% of the dose. Administration of sugammadex to healthy volunteers resulted in increased renal elimination of rocuronium in complex with sugammadex.

In two pharmacokinetic studies comparing patients with severe renal impairment to patients with normal renal function, sugammadex levels in plasma were similar during the first hour after dosing. Total exposure to sugammadex was prolonged, leading to approximately 15-fold higher exposure in patients with severe renal impairment. In some of the patients with severe renal insufficiency, sugammadex levels were minimally detectable in plasma one month after dosing. The pharmacokinetic parameters of sugammadex based on pharmacokinetic modeling in children to elderly by renal function are presented in Table 1.

Table 1 Pharmacokinetic Parameters of Sugammadex Based on Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling in Children to Elderly by Renal Function

In a study in healthy Japanese and Caucasian subjects, no clinically relevant differences in pharmacokinetic parameters were observed: Clearance (CL) was 9% lower and volume of distribution (Vss ) was 12% lower in the Japanese compared to the Caucasian subjects, but after body weight normalisation these parameters were similar in both ethnic groups. Limited data does not indicate differences in pharmacokinetic parameters in Black or African Americans.

Although no clinical trials have examined the pharmacokinetics of sugammadex in obese and normal individuals, population pharmacokinetic analysis of adult and elderly patients showed no clinically relevant relationship of clearance and volume of distribution with body weight.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Sugammadex can be administered at several time points after administration of rocuronium or vecuronium bromide.

The ability of sugammadex to routinely reverse shallow or profound neuromuscular blockade induced by rocuronium or vecuronium was studied in three multicentre trials in adults.

The geometric mean times to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 after rocuronium- or vecuronium- induced neuromuscular blockade were 17.3 times and 14.9 times faster, respectively, following the administration of sugammadex, compared with neostigmine.

Table 2: Time (min:sec) from administration of sugammadex or neostigmine at profound neuromuscular blockade (1 - 2 PTCs) after rocuronium or vecuronium to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9.

a p-value obtained from a 2-way ANOVA on log transformed times to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 Comparative study of sugammadex versus neostigmine as a reversal agent of neuromuscular blockade induced by rocuronium or vecuronium, at reappearance of T2 : In a multicentre, randomised, parallel group, comparative, active controlled, safety assessor blinded study comparing sugammadex and neostigmine, 189 patients (87 females and 102 males, the majority were Caucasian and ASA class 1 and 2, the median age in the rocuronium and vecuronium groups were 50 and 51 years, respectively) who were scheduled for a surgical procedure with general anaesthesia (with sevoflurane) with the use of a neuromuscular blocker for endotracheal intubation and maintenance of neuromuscular blockade, were randomly assigned to the rocuronium or vecuronium group. After the last dose of rocuronium or vecuronium, at the reappearance of T 2 , 2 mg/kg sugammadex or 50 microgram/kg neostigmine was administered in a randomised order as single bolus injections. The time from start of administration of sugammadex or neostigmine to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 was assessed. See Table 3. The geometric mean times to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 after rocuronium- or vecuronium- induced neuromuscular blockade were 12.7 times and 6.7 times faster, respectively, following the administration of sugammadex, compared with neostigmine.

Table 3: Time (min:sec) from administration of sugammadex or neostigmine at reappearance of T2 after rocuronium or vecuronium to recovery of the T4/T1 ratio to 0.9.

a p-value obtained from a 2-way ANOVA on log transformed times to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 Comparative study of rocuronium and sugammadex versus cisatracurium and neostigmine when neuromuscular bockade is reversed at reappearance of T2 : In a multicentre, randomised, parallel group, comparative, active controlled, safety assessor blinded study comparing rocuronium and sugammadex versus cisatracurium and neostigmine, 73 patients (36 females and 37 males, the majority were Caucasian and ASA class 1 and 2, the median age was 43 years) who were scheduled for a surgical procedure under general anaesthesia (with propofol) with the use of a neuromuscular blocker for endotracheal intubation and maintenance of neuromuscular blockade, were randomised to rocuronium followed by 2 mg/kg sugammadex or cisatracurium followed by 50 microgram/kg neostigmine. The reversal agents were administered as single bolus injections at the reappearance of T2 . The time from start of administration of sugammadex or neostigmine to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 was assessed. See Table 4. The geometric mean time to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 following reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade by sugammadex was 4.3 times faster than the geometric mean time to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 following reversal of cisatracurium-induced neuromuscular blockade by neostigmine.

Table 4: Time (min:sec) from administration of sugammadex or neostigmine at reappearance of T2 after rocuronium or cisatracurium to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9.

a p-value obtained from a 2-way ANOVA on log transformed times to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9

A multicentre, randomised, parallel group, comparative, active controlled, safety assessor blinded study in 110 adult patients (64 females and 46 males, the majority were Caucasian and ASA class 1 and 2, the median age was 43 years scheduled for a surgical procedure with general anaesthesia with propofol) was conducted to assess the time to recovery from neuromuscular blockade induced by suxamethonium compared with recovery from neuromuscular blockade induced by rocuronium followed 3 minutes later with sugammadex. Recovery to T1 of 10% after neuromuscular blockade induced by 1.2 mg/kg rocuronium reversed at 3 minutes by 16 mg/kg sugammadex was compared to spontaneous recovery after a neuromuscular blockade induced by 1 mg/kg suxamethonium. See Table 5. The mean time to a T1 of 10% (relative to the time of administration of rocuronium or suxamethonium) was approximately 2.7 minutes faster in the rocuronium + sugammadex group compared with suxamethonium alone.

Table 5: Time (min:sec) from administration of rocuronium or suxamethonium to recovery of T1 10%.

a p-value obtained from a 2-way ANOVA on log transformed times to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 In a pooled analysis, the following recovery times for 16 mg/kg sugammadex after 1.2 mg/kg rocuronium bromide were reported:

Table 6: Time (min:sec) from administration of sugammadex at 3 minutes after rocuronium to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9, 0.8 or 0.7.

Two open labelled studies compared the efficacy and safety of sugammadex in surgical patients with and without severe renal impairment. In one study, sugammadex was administered following rocuronium induced blockade at 1-2 post-tetanic counts (PTC) (4 mg/kg, N=68). In the other study, sugammadex was administered at the reappearance of T2 (2 mg/kg, N=30). Recovery from neuromuscular blockade was modestly longer for patients with severe renal impairment relative to patients without renal impairment. No residual or recurrence of neuromuscular blockade was reported for patients with severe renal impairment in these studies.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

PRECAUTIONS

In volunteers, sugammadex has been administered repeatedly in 2 to up to 3 dosing periods. However, there is no experience with sugammadex on repeated exposure in patients.

There are no data for immediate reversal following vecuronium blockade (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

Ventilatory support is mandatory for patients until adequate spontaneous respiration is restored following reversal of neuromuscular blockade. Even if recovery from neuromuscular blockade is complete, other drugs used in the peri- and postoperative period could depress respiratory function and therefore ventilatory support might still be required. Should neuromuscular blockade recur following extubation, adequate ventilation should be provided.

In clinical trials, a prolonged neuromuscular blockade was reported mainly when sub-optimal doses (in dose-finding studies) were administered. In order to prevent prolonged neuromuscular blockade, doses lower than the recommended doses (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION) should not be used.

In in-vitro experiments, additional activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT) prolongation was noted for sugammadex in combination with vitamin K antagonists, unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparinoids, rivaroxaban and dabigatran. In a study of volunteers, doses of 4 mg/kg and 16 mg/kg of sugammadex resulted in maximum mean prolongations of aPTT by 17 and 22% respectively and of PT(INR) by 11 and 22% respectively. These limited mean aPPT and PT(INR) prolongations were of short duration (<= than 30 minutes). Although there is limited data on peri- or postoperative bleeding events in the clinical trial database (N=1738), there is no indication of a clinically relevant increased incidence of bleeding events after sugammadex alone, or after sugammadex in combination with anticoagulants. Considering the transient nature of the limited prolongation of aPTT and PT caused by sugammadex alone or on top of these anticoagulants, it is unlikely that sugammadex had an increased risk of bleeding. Since there is no information on the use of sugammadex in patients with known coagulopathies, it is recommended that these patients have their aPTT, PT and PT (INR) monitored after administration of sugammadex.

Sugammadex is not recommended for use in patients with severe renal impairment, including those requiring dialysis (see CLINICAL TRIALS).

Sugammadex is not metabolised or excreted by the liver; therefore dedicated studies in patients with hepatic impairment have not been conducted. Caution should be exercised when considering the use of sugammadex in patients with severe hepatic impairment or when hepatic impairment is accompanied by coagulopathy (see Effect on haemostasis).

When drugs which potentiate neuromuscular blockade are used in the post-operative period, special attention should be paid to the possibility of recurrence of blockade. Please refer to the Product Information for rocuronium or vecuronium for a list of the specific drugs which potentiate neuromuscular blockade. In case recurrence of blockade is observed, it is advised to ventilate the patient.

When neuromuscular blockade was reversed in the middle of anaesthesia in clinical trials, i.e. when investigating immediate reversal, signs of light anaesthesia were noted occasionally (movement, coughing, grimacing and suckling of the tracheal tube). If neuromuscular blockade is reversed, while anaesthesia is continued, additional doses of anaesthetic and/or opioid should be given as clinically indicated (see ADVERSE EFFECTS).

In rare instances, marked bradycardia has been observed within minutes after administration of sugammadex for reversal of neuromuscular blockade. Isolated cases of bradycardia with cardiac arrest have been reported (see ADVERSE EFFECTS). Patients should be closely monitored for haemodynamic changes during and after reversal of neuromuscular blockade. Treatment with anti- cholinergic agents such as atropine should be administered if clinically significant bradycardia is observed.

Use for reversal of neuromuscular blocking agents other than rocuronium or vecuronium

Sugammadex should not be used to reverse blockade induced by nonsteroidal neuromuscular blocking agents such as suxamethonium or benzylisoquinolinium compounds.

Sugammadex should not be used for reversal of neuromuscular blockade induced by steroidal neuromuscular blocking agents other than rocuronium or vecuronium, since there are no efficacy and safety data for these situations. Limited data are available for reversal of pancuronium-induced blockade, but sugammadex is not recommended to reverse blockade induced with pancuronium.

Conditions associated with prolonged circulation time such as cardiovascular disease, old age, or oedematous state may be associated with longer recovery times.

Clinicians should be prepared for the possibility of drug hypersensitivity reactions (including anaphylactic reactions) and take the necessary precautions. A dose response relationship appears to be present with respect to drug hypersensitivity reactions (see CLINICAL TRIALS and ADVERSE EFFECTS).

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER MEDICINES

No formal clinical interaction studies have been conducted in adults with sugammadex and other drugs. Sugammadex has no potential to cause drug-drug interaction due to inhibition or induction of drug metabolising enzymes. The mechanism of potential drug-drug interaction is through binding of sugammadex to other compounds, which cannot be assessed via traditional drug-drug interaction studies. Therefore a strategy (based on binding affinity between sugammadex and other drugs, pre- clinical experiments and simulations of a Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic (PK - PD) model) was applied to assess both the capturing and displacement interactions. Based on in vitro data and taking into consideration pharmacokinetics and other relevant information, no clinically significant pharmacodynamic interaction with other drugs are expected, with the exception of toremifene, flucloxacillin, fusidic acid and hormonal contraceptives (see below). For these drugs a clinical relevant interaction could not be excluded. No clinically relevant interactions were reported during clinical development in approximately 1700 patients. Paediatric Population: No formal interaction studies have been performed. The interactions for adults and the warnings in PRECAUTIONS should also be taken into account for the paediatric population.

Interactions potentially affecting the efficacy of sugammadex (see also DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION)

For toremifene and fusidic acid, which have a relatively high affinity constant and relatively high plasma concentrations, some displacement of vecuronium or rocuronium from the complex with sugammadex could occur. The recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 could therefore be delayed in patients who have received toremifene on the same day of the operation.

High doses of flucloxacillin (infusion of 500 mg or more) might cause some displacement of rocuronium or vecuronium from sugammadex. The use of high doses of flucloxacillin in the pre- operative phase might give some delay in the recovery for the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9. The use of high doses of flucloxacillin in the post-operative phase (up to 3 times the half-life of sugammadex (2.2 hours; see Pharmacokinetics for the half-lives in elderly, renally impaired and paediatric patients)) should be avoided. Ventilation should be closely observed in case it is essential to administer flucloxacillin.

Interactions potentially affecting the efficacy of other drugs (see also DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION)

In a simulation performed with a PK/PD model, it was found that the interaction between 4 mg/kg sugammadex and a progestogen could lead to a decrease in progestogen exposure (34% of AUC) similar to the decrease seen when a daily dose of an oral contraceptive is taken 12 hours too late, which might lead to a reduction in effectiveness. For estrogens the effect is expected to be lower. Therefore the administration of a bolus dose of sugammadex is considered to be equivalent to one missed daily dose of oral contraceptive steroids (either combined or progestogen only). Refer to the missed dose advice in the package insert of the oral contraceptive for any actions required if an oral contraceptive is taken on the same day that sugammadex is administered. In the case of non-oral hormonal contraceptives, the patient must use an additional non-hormonal contraceptive method for the next 7 days.

Due to the administration of sugammadex, certain drugs could become less effective due to a lowering of the (free) plasma concentrations. Theoretically, for certain drugs (acute) withdrawal effects could also be expected after administration of sugammadex.

When such a situation (reduced effect and/or withdrawal effect) is observed, the clinician is advised to consider the re-administration of the drug, the administration of a therapeutically equivalent drug (preferably from a different chemical class) and /or non pharmacological interventions as appropriate.

Due to the administration of certain drugs after sugammadex, theoretically rocuronium or vecuronium could be displaced from sugammadex. As a result, recurrence of neuromuscular blockade might be observed. In this situation the patient must be ventilated.

Administration of the medicinal product which caused displacement should be stopped in case of an infusion. In situations when potential displacement interactions can be anticipated, patients should be carefully monitored for signs of recurrence of neuromuscular blockade (approximately up to 15 minutes) after parenteral administration of another medicinal product occurring within a period of 6 hours after sugammadex administration.

ADVERSE EFFECTS

The safety of sugammadex has been evaluated based on an integrated safety database of approximately 1700 patients and 120 healthy volunteers. Next to this database, adverse events in the pooled phase 1-3 trials database (640 patients on sugammadex and 140 on placebo group) was also used in the evaluation of adverse events:

Table 7: Adverse events by MedDRA system organ class (SOC) and preferred term (PT) in at least 2% of sugammadex subjects in pooled Phase 1-3 trials with a placebo group

MedDRA 9.1		Rocuronium or vecuronium +
MedDRA 9.1		Sugammadex (N=640)	Placebo (N=140)
SOC	PT	n (%)	n (%)
At least one AE	Total	437 (68)	101 (72)
Injury, poisoning and procedural complications	Total	242 (38)	56 (40)
	Procedural pain	134 (21)	43 (31)
	Anaesthetic complication	52 (8)	2(1)
	Procedural hypotension	31 (5)	4 (3)
	Procedural hypertension	16 (3)	4 (3)
	Postoperative wound complication	13 (2)	3 (2)
Gastrointestinal disorders	Total	175 (27)	41 (29)
	Nausea	106 (17)	25 (18)
	Vomiting	61 (10)	11 (8)
	Constipation	15 (2)	7 (5)
	Abdominal pain	15 (2)	3 (2)
	Diarrhoea	14 (2)	4 (3)
General disorders and administration site conditions	Total	107 (17)	27 (19)
	Pain	37 (6)	7 (5)
	Pyrexia	33 (5)	11 (8)
	Chills	22 (3)	3 (2)
Investigations	Total	79 (12)	13 (9)
Investigations	Electrocardiogram QT corrected interval prolonged	15 (2)	2 (1)
	Beta 2 microglobulin urine increased a	15 (2)	4 (3)
	Albumin urine present	10 (2)	0 (0)
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders	Total	79 (12)	14 (10)
	Pharyngolaryngeal pain	31 (5)	9 (6)
	Cough	19 (3)	2 (1)
Nervous system disorders	Total	70 (11)	22 (16)
	Headache	29 (5)	11 (8)
	Dizziness	13 (2)	4 (3)
	Hypoaesthesia	12 (2)	1 (1)
Musculosketal and connective tissue disorders	Total	49 (8)	9 (6)
Musculosketal and connective tissue disorders	Back pain	20 (3)	3 (2)
Renal and urinary disorders	Total	44 (7)	10 (7)
Vascular disorders	Total	38 (6)	9 (6)
	Hypertension	14 (2)	4 (3)
	Hypotension	12 (2)	2 (1)
Psychiatric disorders	Total	30 (5)	6 (4)
Psychiatric disorders	Insomnia	11 (2)	3 (2)
Skin & subcutaneous tissue disorders	Total	20 (3)	10 (7)
Metabolism and nutrition disorders	Total	21 (3)	3 (2)
Ear & labyrinth disorders	Total	17 (3)	5 (4)
Ear & labyrinth disorders	Vertigo	14 (2)	4 (3)
Cardiac disorders	Total	15 (2)	8 (6)
Infections and infestations	Total	12 (2)	6 (4)

Includes AEs coded to beta 2 microglobulin urine increased (13 sugammadex subjects, 2 placebo subjects) plus AEs coded

to beta 2 microglobulin increased (2 sugammadex subjects, 2 placebo subjects).

Notes: This table includes AEs that occurred in at least 2% of sugammadex subjects whether summarised by SOC or by PT. If a SOC is listed with no subordinate PT, there was no subordinate PT in that SOC that occurred in at least 2% of sugammadex subjects.

The following adverse events were biologically plausible irrespective of incidence, or for which a causal relationship could not be excluded and which could be clinically relevant in the anticipated setting.

Neuromuscular blockade prolonged (i.e. recurrence of blockade)

: In pooled phase I - III studies with a placebo group, the incidence of recurrence of neuromuscular blockade as measured with neuromuscular monitoring was 2% after sugammadex and 0% in the placebo group. Virtually all of these cases were from dose-finding studies in which a sub-optimal dose (less than 2 mg/kg) was administered.

Anaesthetic complication

: This complication, indicative of the restoration of neuromuscular function (movement of a limb or the body or coughing during anaesthetic procedure or during surgery, grimacing or suckling on the endotracheal tube), was judged to be related to treatment with sugammadex in about 1% of the patients and in none of the placebo group. Most occurrences of anaesthetic complications were mild to moderate.

Drug hypersensitivity reactions

: Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, have occurred in some patients and healthy volunteers. (see Healthy Volunteers below). In clinical trials, of surgical patients, these reactions were reported uncommonly (>= 1/1000 to < 1/100) and for post-marketing reports the frequency is unknown.

These reactions varied from isolated skin reactions to serious systemic reactions (i.e. anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock) and have occurred in patients with no prior exposure to sugammadex. Symptoms associated with these reactions can include: flushing, urticaria, erythematous rash, (severe) hypotension, tachycardia and swelling of tongue and pharynx. Severe hypersensitivity reactions can be fatal.

Marked bradycardia

: In post-marketing, isolated cases of marked bradycardia and bradycardia with cardiac arrest have been observed within minutes after administration of sugammadex (see PRECAUTIONS).

Healthy Volunteers

A randomised, double-blind study examined the incidence of drug hypersensitivity reactions in healthy volunteers given up to 3 doses of placebo (N=150), sugammadex 4 mg/kg (N=148) or sugammadex 16 mg/kg (N=150). Reports of suspected hypersensitivity were adjudicated by a blinded committee. The incidence of adjudicated hypersensitivity was 0%, 0.7% and 4.7% in the placebo, sugammadex 4 mg/kg and sugammadex 16 mg/kg groups, respectively. There were three adjudicated cases of anaphylaxis, all after sugammadex 16 mg/kg (incidence 2.0%). Most cases of hypersensitivity and all cases of anaphylaxis occurred after the first dose of sugammadex. Sugammadex-associated hypersensitivity appears to be dose-related and due to a non-lgE/IgG mediated mechanism that occurs without basophil/mast cell degranulation. In this study, dose-dependent trends were also observed for dysgeusia, nausea and flushing.

Paediatric population.

A limited database suggests that the safety profile of sugammadex (up to 4 mg/kg) in paediatric patients was similar to that in adults.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION

The use of an appropriate neuromuscular monitoring technique is recommended to monitor the recovery of neuromuscular blockade. The recommended dose of sugammadex depends on the level of neuromuscular blockade to be reversed. The recommended dose does not depend on the anaesthetic regimen.

Sugammadex can be used to reverse different levels of rocuronium or vecuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade:

A dose of 4.0 mg/kg sugammadex is recommended if recovery has reached 1 - 2 post-tetanic counts (PTC) following rocuronium- or vecuronium-induced blockade. Median time to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 is around 3 minutes (see CLINICAL TRIALS). A dose of 2.0 mg/kg sugammadex is recommended, if spontaneous recovery has occurred up to the reappearance of T2 following rocuronium- or vecuronium-induced blockade. Median time to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 is around 2 minutes (see CLINICAL TRIALS). Using the recommended doses for routine reversal will result in a slightly faster median time to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 of rocuronium-induced blockade, when compared to vecuronium- induced neuromuscular blockade (see CLINICAL TRIALS).

If there is a clinical need for immediate reversal following administration of rocuronium, a dose of 16.0 mg/kg sugammadex is recommended. Administration of 16.0 mg/kg sugammadex 3 minutes following a bolus dose of 1.2 mg/kg rocuronium bromide provides a median time to recovery of the T 4 /T1 ratio to

There are no data to recommend the use of sugammadex for immediate reversal following vecuronium-induced blockade.

The same dose recommendations as for adults can be followed for routine reversal of rocuronium- induced blockade at reappearance of T2 in children and adolescents (2 - 17 years). Other routine reversal situations have not been investigated and are therefore not recommended until further data become available. The use of higher doses (as for immediate reversal) in children and adolescents has not been investigated and is therefore not recommended until further data become available. Bridion may be diluted to increase the accuracy of dosing in the paediatric population (see Method of Administration).

There is only limited experience with infants (30 days to 2 years); neonates (less than 30 days) have not been studied. Therefore the use of sugammadex in neonates and infants is not recommended until further data become available.

The dose recommendations for mild and moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance between 30 and 80 mL/min) are the same as for adults without renal impairment. For re-administration with rocuronium or vecuronium see PRECAUTIONS for waiting times. Sugammadex is not recommended for use in patients with severe renal impairment (including patients requiring dialyses) (see PRECAUTIONS). Studies in patients with severe renal impairment do not provide sufficient safety information to support the use of sugammadex in these patients (see CLINICAL TRIALS).

The dose recommendations are the same as for adults without hepatic impairment, as sugammadex is mainly excreted renally. See PRECAUTIONS for use of sugammadex when hepatic impairment is accompanied by coagulopathy.

After administration of sugammadex at reappearance of T2 following a rocuronium-induced blockade, the median time to recovery of the T4 /T1 ratio to 0.9 in adults (18 - 64 years) was 2.2 minutes, in elderly adults (65 - 74 years) it was 2.6 minutes and in very elderly adults (> 75 years) it was 3.6 minutes. Even though the recovery time in elderly tends to be slower, the same dose recommendation as for adults should be followed (see PRECAUTIONS).

In obese patients, the dose of sugammadex should be based on actual body weight. The same dose recommendation as for adults should be followed.

Sugammadex should be administered intravenously as a single bolus injection. The bolus injection should be given rapidly, within 10 seconds directly into a vein or into an existing IV line. Sugammadex has only been administered as a single bolus injection in clinical trials.

: Sugammadex can be injected into the intravenous line of a running infusion with the following intravenous solutions: 0.9% sodium chloride; 5% dextrose, Gelofusine; 0.45% sodium chloride and 2.5% dextrose; Ringers lactate solution; Ringers solution; Lactec; Lactec D and G; Hespander; Veen-F; Physio 140; 5% dextrose in 0.9% sodium chloride; and isolyte P with 5% dextrose.

For paediatric patients, Bridion can be diluted using 0.9% sodium chloride to a concentration of 25 mg/mL (see Storage and Shelf Life).

Incompatibilities: Bridion must not be mixed with other medical products except those mentioned in the above "Compatibility" section. If Bridion is administered via the same infusion line that is also used for other drugs, it is important that this infusion line is adequately flushed (e.g with 0.9% sodium chloride) between administration of Bridion and drugs for which incompatibility with Bridion has been demonstrated or for which compatibility with Bridion has not been established. Physical incompatibility was observed with verapamil, ondansetron and ranitidine.

Waiting times for re-administration with neuromuscular blocking agents after reversal with sugammadex (based on a PK-PD model simulation and the half-life of sugammadex). If re- administration of rocuronium or vecuronium is required after reversal with sugammadex, the following waiting times are recommended (see Table 8):

Table 8: In patients with normal renal function (creatinine clearance >80 mL/min)

Re-administration of 1.2 mg/kg rocuronium bromide at the recommended waiting time may be associated with a predicted median onset time (defined as time to TOF twitch height 10% of the baseline twitch height) of 1.9 minutes (2 hour after 4 mg/kg sugammadex) and 2.8 minutes (10 minutes after 2 mg/kg sugammadex). These onset times are slightly slower than predicted for the onset time of 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium bromide (1.7 minutes) without sugammadex. If neuromuscular blockade is required before the recommended waiting time has passed, a

OVERDOSAGE

In clinical studies, 1 case of an accidental overdose with 40 mg/kg was reported without any significant side effects. In a human tolerance study sugammadex was well tolerated in doses up to 96 mg/kg. Sugammadex can be removed using haemodialysis with a high flux filter. Based upon clinical studies, sugammadex concentrations in plasma are reduced with a high flux filter by about 70% after a 3-6 hour dialysis session. For information on haemodialysis see PRECAUTIONS.

PRESENTATION AND STORAGE CONDITIONS

: Single-use injection vial of hydrolytic resistant glass closed with a grey chlorobutyl rubber closure. The rubber closure is held in position on the glass vial by a roll-on aluminium crimp-cap with a "flip-off" seal. The rubber stopper in the vial does not contain latex.

Store below 30degC. Do not freeze. Store in the original package. Bridion has a 3-year shelf-life when stored under these conditions. The vials may be stored out of the carton for up to 5 days. Contains no antimicrobial agent. Product is for single use in one patient only. Discard any residue. After dilution with infusion fluids (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION), chemical and physical in- use stability has been demonstrated for 48 hours at 2 - 25oC. From a microbiological view point, the diluted product should be used immediately.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE SPONSOR

Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Limited 54-68 Ferndell Street South Granville NSW 2142 Australia

Merck Sharp & Dohme (NZ) Ltd P O Box 99 851 Newmarket Auckland 1149 Tel: 0800 500 673

Typical subject	Renal Class (mean creatinine clearance in mL/min)	Mean Clearance in mL/min (CV (%))	Mean Volume of Distribution at Steady State (L)	Mean Elimination half-life in h (CV (%))
Adult 40yrs 75kg	Normal (100)	84 (22%)	11.9	2.0 (19%)
	Mild (50)	48 (22%)	13.1	3.6 (20%)
	Moderate (30)	29 (23%)	13.7	6.1 (21%)
	Severe (10)	9 (19%)	14.2	20.3 (20%)
Elderly 75yrs 75kg	Normal (80)	72 (26%)	12.4	2.4 (23%)
	Mild (50)	49 (22%)	13.1	3.5 (19%)
	Moderate (30)	29 (22%)	13.7	6.1 (20%)
	Severe (10)	8 (19%)	14.2	21.0 (23%)
Adolescent 15yrs 56kg	Normal (95)	76 (20%)	9.3	1.7 (17%)
	Mild (48)	45 (24%)	10.1	3.0 (21%)
	Moderate (29)	26 (22%)	10.5	5.2 (19%)
	Severe (10)	7 (18%)	10.9	17.8 (18%)
Child 7yrs 23kg	Normal (51)	40 (21%)	4.3	1.5 (16%)
	Mild (26)	20 (20%)	4.5	2.9 (19%)
	Moderate (15)	11 (27%)	4.6	5.2 (24%)
	Severe (5)	3 (22%)	4.7	19.4 (23%)

Neuromuscular blocking agent	Treatment regimen
Neuromuscular blocking agent	Sugammadex (4.0 mg/kg)	Neostigmine (70 microgram/kg)
Rocuronium	37	37
n	37	37
Geometric mean (95% CI)	2:52 (2:27, 3:22)	50:22 (43:29, 58:21)
Median	2:42	49:00
Range	1:13-16:05	13:16-145:40
p-value a	< 0.001
Vecuronium	47	36
n	47	36
Geometric mean (95% CI)	4:28 (3:20, 6:00)	66:12 (53:35, 78:51)
Median	3:15	49:53
Range	1:26-68:25	46:01-312:39
p-value a	< 0.001

Neuromuscular blocking agent	Treatment regimen
Neuromuscular blocking agent	Sugammadex (2.0 mg/kg)	Neostigmine (50 microgram/kg)
Rocuronium	48	48
n	48	48
Geometric mean (95% CI)	1:29 (1:20, 1:39)	18:30 (14:20, 23:51)
Median	1:24	17:36
Range	0:55-5:25	3:40-106:53
p-value a	< 0.001
Vecuronium	48	45
n	48	45
Geometric mean (95% CI)	2:48 (2:16, 3:27)	16:48 (12:53, 21:54)
Median	2:08	18:56
Range	1:12-64:12	2:55-76:09

	Treatment regimen
	Rocuronium and Sugammadex (2.0 mg/kg)	Cisatracurium and Neostigmine (50 microgram/kg)
n	34	39
Geometric mean (95% CI)	2:02 (1:42, 2:55)	8:46 (7:24, 10:24)
Median	1:55	7:12
Range	0:41-6:24	4:12-28:14
p-value a	< 0.001

	Treatment regime	n
	Rocuronium and Sugammadex (16.0 mg/kg) S	uxamethonium (1.0 mg/kg)
n Mean (SD) Median (min:sec) Range	55 4:22 (0:44) 4:11 3:28-7:43	55 7:04 (1:34) 7:06 3:45-10:28

NAME OF THE MEDICINE