Sotret, 20 mg capsules 30 pcs

Pharmgroup:

Tissue regeneration stimulator.

Pharmacological action:

Retinoid for systemic therapy of acne

Isotretinoin is the stereoisomer of fully trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin). The exact mechanism of action of Sotret is not yet clear, but it has been established that improvement in the clinical picture of severe acne is associated with suppression of sebaceous gland activity and histologically confirmed reduction in their size. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect of isotretinoin on the skin has been proven.

Sotret suppresses the proliferation of sebocytes and acts on acne by restoring the normal process of cell differentiation. Sebum is the main substrate for growth of Propionibacterium acnes, so reducing sebum production suppresses bacterial colonization of the ductus.

Pharmacokinetics:

Because the kinetics of isotretinoin and its metabolites are linear, plasma concentrations during therapy can be predicted from data obtained after a single dose. This property of the drug also indicates that it does not affect the activity of hepatic enzymes involved in drug metabolism.

Is absorption.
Absorption of isotretinoin from the gastrointestinal tract is variable. The absolute bioavailability of isotretinoin has not been determined because there is no human form of the drug for intravenous use.

However, extrapolation of data obtained in an experiment in dogs suggests rather low and variable systemic bioavailability. In acne patients, maximum plasma concentrations (Smax) in equilibrium after fasting administration of 80 mg of isotretinoin were 310 ng/mL (range 188-473 ng/mL) and were reached after 2-4 hours. Plasma concentrations of isotretinoin are approximately 1.7 times higher than blood concentrations, due to poor isotretinoin penetration into erythrocytes.

Eating isotretinoin with food increases bioavailability by a factor of 2 compared to fasting.

Distribution.
Isotretinoin binds strongly (99.9%) to plasma proteins, primarily to albumins, so that over a wide range of therapeutic concentrations the free (pharmacologically active) fraction of the drug is less than 0.1% of its total amount.

The volume of distribution of isotretinoin in humans has not been determined because there is no dosage form for intravenous administration.

The equilibrium blood concentrations (C min ss) of isotretinoin in patients with severe acne who received 40 mg of the drug twice daily ranged from 120 to 200 ng/ml. The 4-oxo-isotretinoin concentrations in these patients were 2.5 times higher than those of isotretinoin. There is insufficient data on the tissue penetration of isotretinoin in humans. Concentrations of isotretinoin in the epidermis are half as high as in serum.

Metabolism.
After oral administration, three major metabolites are detected in plasma: 4-oxo-isotretinoin, tretinoin (fully trans-retinoic acid) and 4-oxo-retinoin.

The main metabolite is 4-oxo-isotretinoin, whose plasma concentrations in equilibrium are 2.5 times higher than those of the parent drug. Less significant metabolites have also been found, including also glucuronides, but the structure of not all metabolites has been established.

The metabolites of isotretinoin have biological activity confirmed in several laboratory tests. Thus, the clinical effects of the drug in patients may be the result of the pharmacological activity of isotretinoin and its metabolites.

Because in vivo isotretinoin and tretinoin (fully trans-retinoic acid) are reversibly converted to each other, the metabolism of tretinoin is related to that of isotretinoin. 20-30% of the dose of isotretinoin is metabolized by isomerization. In the pharmacokinetics of isotretinoin in humans the entero-hepatic circulation may play a significant role.

In vitro metabolism studies have shown that several CYP enzymes are involved in the conversion of isotretinoin to 4-oxo-isotretinoin and tretinoin. None of the isoforms seems to play a dominant role. Sotret and its metabolites have no significant effect on the activity of CYP enzymes.

Elimination.

After oral administration of radioactively labeled isotretinoin, approximately the same amount is detected in the urine and feces. The terminal phase elimination half-life for the unchanged drug in acne patients is, on average, 19 hours. The terminal phase half-life for 4-oxo-isotretinoin appears to be longer, averaging 29 hours.

Isotretinoin refers to natural (physiological) retinoids. Endogenous retinoid concentrations recover about 2 weeks after the end of Sotret.

Pharmacokinetics in special clinical cases.

Because isotretinoin is contraindicated in liver dysfunction, there are limited data on the pharmacokinetics of the drug in this group of patients. Renal insufficiency does not affect the pharmacokinetics of isotretinoin.

Indications

Severe acneSevere forms of acne (cystic nodules, conglobate acne or acne with risk of scarring).

Acnea that does not respond to other therapies.

Active ingredient

Isotretinoin

Composition

Active ingredient:

Isotretinoin 20 mg.

Excipients: hydrogenated soybean oil – 15.30 mg, hydrogenated vegetable oil – 64.26 mg, white beeswax – 18.36 mg, edetate disodium – 0.16 mg, butylhydroxyanisole – 0.032 mg, refined soybean oil – 201.888 mg.

Jelatin capsule: gelatin – 123.651 mg, glycerol – 64.645 mg, allura red dye – 0.198 mg, brilliant blue FCF dye – 0.011 mg, titanium dioxide – 0.495 mg, purified water – q.s, liquid paraffin light* – q.s., isopropanol* – q.s.

Food ink black S-1-17823 – 1.5 mg.

The composition of S-1-17823 Food Black Ink: shellac 45% (20% esterified) in ethanol – 0.666 mg, iron oxide black dye – 0.350 mg, isopropanol* – 0.404 mg, n-butanol* – 0.034 mg, propylene glycol – 0.030 mg, ammonium hydroxide* – 0.016 mg.

* The solvent is not present in the final product, it evaporates during production.

How to take, the dosage

Standard dosing regimen
Orally, with meals once or twice daily.

The therapeutic effectiveness of Sotret and its side effects are dose-dependent and vary from patient to patient. This dictates that the dose should be adjusted individually during treatment.

Treatment with Sotret should be started with a dose of 0.5 mg/kg per day. In most patients, the dose ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg body weight per day. Patients with very severe forms of the disease or with torso acne may require higher daily doses, up to 2.0 mg/kg.

The rate of remission and relapse prevention have been shown to be optimal with a course dose of 120-150 mg/kg (per course of treatment), so the duration of therapy in specific patients varies depending on the daily dose. Complete remission of acne is often achieved in 16-24 weeks of treatment. In patients who are very poorly tolerant of the recommended dose, treatment can be continued at a lower dose, but for longer periods of time.

In most patients, acne completely disappears after a single course of treatment. If there is a clear recurrence, a second course of treatment with Sotret at the same daily and course dose as the first is indicated. Because improvement may continue up to 8 weeks after withdrawal, a second course should not be prescribed until after this time.

Dosing in special cases

In patients with severe renal impairment, treatment should be started at a lower dose (e.g., 10 mg/day) and then increased to 1 mg/kg/day or the maximum tolerated dose.

Interaction

Because of the possible exacerbation of hypervitamin A symptoms, concomitant administration of Sotret and vitamin A should be avoided.

Because tetracyclines may also cause increased intracranial pressure, their use in combination with Sotret is contraindicated.

Isotretinoin may weaken the effectiveness of progesterone preparations, so low-dose progesterone contraceptives should not be used.

Combined use with topical keratolytic or exfoliative medications to treat acne is contraindicated because of the potential for increased local irritation.

Special Instructions

Sotret should only be prescribed by physicians, preferably dermatologists, who are experienced in the use of systemic retinoids and are aware of the risk of teratogenicity of the drug.

In order to avoid accidental exposure of other people to the drug, donor blood should not be taken from patients who are receiving or have received Sotret or have received Sotret shortly before that (1 month).

It is recommended to monitor liver function and liver enzymes before treatment, 1 month after it starts, and then every 3 months or as indicated. Transient and reversible increase in liver transaminases has been noted, in most cases within normal values. If hepatic transaminase levels exceed the norm, the drug dose should be reduced or discontinued. Serum lipid levels should also be determined on an empty stomach before treatment, 1 month after initiation, and then every 3 months or as indicated. Usually lipid concentrations normalize after dose reduction or drug withdrawal, as well as when diet is followed. Clinically significant increases in triglyceride levels should be controlled, since elevations above 800 mg/dL or 9 mmol/L may be accompanied by the development of acute pancreatitis, possibly with a fatal outcome. In case of persistent hypertriglyceridemia or symptoms of pancreatitis, Sotret should be discontinued. In rare cases, depression, psychotic symptoms and, very rarely, suicide attempts have been described in patients treated with Sotret. Although their causal relationship to the use of the drug has not been established, special caution should be exercised in patients with a history of depression and all patients should be monitored for depression during treatment with the drug, referring them to the appropriate specialist if necessary. However, withdrawal of Sotret may not result in disappearance of symptoms and further monitoring and treatment by a specialist may be necessary. In rare cases, an acne flare-up is noted at the start of therapy, which resolves within 7-10 days without adjusting the dose of the drug.

A few years after the use of Sotret for the treatment of dyskeratoses at a total course dose and duration of therapy higher than recommended for acne therapy, bone changes developed, including premature closure of epiphyseal growth zones, hyperostosis, and calcification of ligaments and tendons. Therefore, when prescribing the drug to any patient, the ratio of possible benefits to risks should be carefully evaluated beforehand.

Patients receiving Sotret are recommended to use moisturizing ointment or body cream, lip balm to reduce skin and mucosal dryness at the beginning of therapy.

In the background of taking Sotret, there may be muscle and joint pain, increased serum creatinine phosphokinase, which may be accompanied by decreased tolerance to vigorous physical activity.

Deep chemical dermoabrasion and laser treatment should be avoided in patients receiving Sotret and for 5-6 months after completion of treatment because of the possibility of increased scarring in atypical sites and the occurrence of hyper- and hypopigmentation. During Sotret treatment and for 6 months after treatment, wax applications should not be performed because of the risk of detachment of the epidermis, development of scarring, and dermatitis.

Because some patients may have decreased visual acuity at night, which sometimes persists after therapy ends, patients should be informed about the possibility of this condition by advising them to exercise caution when driving at night.

The condition of visual acuity should be monitored closely. Conjunctival dryness, corneal opacities, worsening night vision, and keratitis usually go away after withdrawal of the drug. If the mucous membrane of the eyes is dry, applications of moisturizing eye ointment or artificial tears may be used. Patients with dry conjunctivae should be monitored for possible keratitis.

Patients with visual complaints should be referred to an ophthalmologist and consideration should be given to whether Sotret should be withdrawn. If contact lenses are intolerant, glasses should be used for the duration of therapy. Exposure to sunlight and UV rays should be limited. If necessary, sunscreen with a high SPF of at least 15 should be used.

Rare cases of benign intracranial hypertension (“pseudotumor of the brain”) have been described, including when combined with tetracyclines. Sotret should be immediately discontinued in these patients.

In therapy with Sotretin, inflammatory bowel disease may occur. In patients with severe hemorrhagic diarrhea, Sotretem should be stopped immediately.

Rare cases of anaphylactic reactions have been described that occurred only after prior external use of retinoids.

Severe allergic reactions dictate withdrawal of the drug and close monitoring of the patient. Patients in high-risk groups (with diabetes mellitus, obesity, chronic alcoholism or fat metabolism disorders) may require more frequent laboratory monitoring of glucose and lipid levels during treatment with Sotret. If diabetes is present or suspected, more frequent glycemic determination is recommended.

Contraindications

Pregnancy, lactation period (see section “Pregnancy and lactation”), hepatic insufficiency, hypervitaminosis A, marked hyperlipidemia, concomitant therapy with tetracyclines.

Hypersensitivity to the drug or its components.

Children under 12 years of age.

With caution
Depression in history, diabetes mellitus, obesity, lipid metabolism disorders, alcoholism.

Side effects

Most of the side effects of Sotret are dose-dependent. Generally, the benefit/risk ratio, given the severity of the disease, is acceptable to the patient when prescribing the recommended doses. Side effects are usually reversible after adjusting the dose or cancelling the drug, but some may persist after stopping treatment.

Symptoms associated with hypervitamin A: dry skin, mucous membranes, including lips (cheilitis), nasal cavity (bleeding), pharynx (hoarseness of voice), eyes (conjunctivitis, reversible corneal clouding and contact lens intolerance).

The skin and its appendages: rash, itching, facial erythema/dermatitis, sweating, pyogenic granuloma, paronychia, onychodystrophy, increased growth of granulation tissue, persistent thinning of hair, reversible hair loss, fulminant forms of acne, hirsutism, hyperpigmentation, photosensitivity, photoallergy, mild skin traumability. At the beginning of treatment, acne exacerbation may occur and persist for several weeks.

Muscular system: muscle pain with or without elevated serum CPK levels, joint pain, hyperostosis, arthritis, calcification of ligaments and tendons, other bone changes, tendinitis.

Central nervous system and mental system: behavioral disorders, depression, headache, increased intracranial pressure (“pseudotumor of the brain”: headache, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, optic nerve edema), seizures.

Sensory organs: individual cases of visual acuity disorders, photophobia, disorder of dark adaptation (decreased acuity of crepuscular vision), rarely – color perception disorders (which pass after drug withdrawal), lenticular cataract, keratitis, blepharitis, conjunctivitis, eye irritation, optic nerve edema (as a manifestation of intracranial hypertension); hearing disorders at certain sound frequencies.

Gastrointestinal tract: nausea, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease (colitis, ileitis), bleeding; pancreatitis (especially with concomitant hypertriglyceridemia above 800 mg/dL). Rare cases of pancreatitis with fatal outcome have been described. Transient and reversible increase in liver transaminase activity, isolated cases of hepatitis.

In many of these cases the changes were within normal limits and returned to baseline values during treatment, but in some situations it was necessary to reduce the dose or discontinue Sotret.

Respiratory organs: rarely – bronchospasm (more often in patients with a history of bronchial asthma).

Blood system: anemia, decreased hematocrit, leukopenia, neutropenia, increased or decreased number of platelets, accelerated sed rate.

Laboratory parameters: hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, decreased high-density lipoproteins, rarely – hyperglycemia. Cases of newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus have been reported during administration of Sotret. In some patients, especially those engaged in intensive physical activity, isolated cases of increased serum CPK activity have been described.

The immune system: local or systemic infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus).

Other: lymphadenopathy, hematuria, proteinuria, vasculitis (Wegener’s granulomatosis, allergic vasculitis), systemic hypersensitivity reactions, glomerulonephritis.

Overdose

In case of overdose, there may be signs of hypervitaminosis A. Gastric lavage may be necessary in the first few hours after an overdose.

Pregnancy use

Pregnancy is an absolute contraindication for therapy with Sotret. If pregnancy occurs, despite the warnings, during treatment or within a month after completion of therapy, there is a very high risk of the birth of a child with severe malformations.

Isotretinoin is a drug with strong teratogenic effects. If a pregnancy occurs while a woman is taking isotretinoin orally (in any dose or for any length of time) there is a very high risk that the baby will be born with malformations.
Sotret is contraindicated in women of childbearing age unless the woman meets all of the following criteria:

– she must suffer from a severe form of acne that is resistant to conventional treatments;
– she must surely understand and follow the doctor’s instructions;
– she must be informed by her doctor of the risk of pregnancy during Sotret treatment, within one month thereafter, and urgent consultation if pregnancy is suspected;
– she must be warned about possible contraceptive failure;
– she must confirm that she understands the precautions;
– she must understand the need for and continually use effective contraception for one month before, during and one month after treatment with Sotretem (see She must be able to obtain a negative, reliable pregnancy test within 11 days prior to starting Sotret drug therapy; a pregnancy test is highly recommended monthly during treatment and 5 weeks after treatment ends;
-she should not start Sotret drug therapy until day 2-3 of her next normal menstrual cycle;
-she should understand the need for effective contraception.

The use of contraception according to the above guidelines during treatment with isotretinoin should be recommended even for women who do not normally use contraception because of infertility (except for patients who have had a hysterectomy), amenorrhea, or who report that they are not sexually active.

The physician must be sure that:
– the patient has severe acne (cystic nodules, conglobate acne, or acne at risk for scarring); acne not amenable to other therapies;
– a negative reliable pregnancy test was obtained before starting the drug, during therapy, and 5 weeks after therapy; dates and results of the pregnancy test should be documented;
– the patient is using at least one, preferably two, effective methods of contraception, including a barrier method, within one month before starting Sotret treatment, during treatment, and within one month after treatment ends;
– the patient is able to understand and comply with all of the above requirements for pregnancy prevention;
– the patient meets all of the above conditions.

Pregnancy test

It is current practice to perform the pregnancy test with a minimum sensitivity of 25 dU/mL on the first 3 days of the menstrual cycle:

Pre-therapy:
– To rule out possible pregnancy before starting contraception, the result and date of the initial pregnancy test should be recorded by a physician. In patients with irregular periods, the timing of the pregnancy test depends on sexual activity and should be performed 3 weeks after unprotected intercourse. The doctor should inform the patient about the contraceptive methods.
– The pregnancy test is performed on the day of the Sotret prescription or 3 days before the patient’s visit to the doctor. The specialist should record the test results. The drug can be prescribed only to patients who received effective contraception for at least 1 month before starting therapy with Sotret.

During therapy:
The patient should see her doctor every 28 days. The need for monthly pregnancy testing is determined according to local practice and taking into account sexual activity, previous menstrual irregularities. If indicated, the pregnancy test is performed on the day of the visit or three days before the visit and the results of the test must be recorded.

The end of therapy:
Five weeks after the end of therapy, a test is performed to rule out pregnancy.

The prescription for Sotret to a woman capable of childbearing can be prescribed only for 30 days of treatment, continuation of therapy requires a new prescription of the drug by the doctor. It is recommended that the pregnancy test, prescription and dispensing be done on the same day.
Dispense Sotret in a pharmacy only within 7 days of issuing the prescription.

Complete information about teratogenic risks and strict adherence to measures to prevent pregnancy should be given to both men and women.

Similarities

Acnecutane, Roaccutane, Retinoic ointment, Retasol