Asenapine

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Asenapine is indicated for: • Bipolar I disorder [see Clinical Studies (14.2)] • Acute monotherapy of manic or mixed episodes, in pediatric patients 10 to 17 years of age • Adjunctive treatment to lithium or valproate in adults Asenapine is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for ( 1 ): Bipolar I disorder o Acute monotherapy treatment of manic or mixed episodes, in pediatric patients 10 to 17 years of age o Adjunctive treatment to lithium or valproate in adults

12.1 Mechanism of Action The mechanism of action of asenapine in bipolar I disorder is unknown.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Starting Dose Recommended Dose Maximum Dose Bipolar mania – pediatric patients (10 to 17 years): monotherapy ( 2.3 ) 2.5 mg sublingually twice daily 2.5 to 10 mg sublingually twice daily 10 mg sublingually twice daily Bipolar mania – adults: as an adjunct to lithium or valproate ( 2.3 ) 5 mg sublingually twice daily 5 to 10 mg sublingually twice daily 10 mg sublingually twice daily • Do not swallow tablet. Asenapine sublingual tablets should be placed under the tongue and left to dissolve completely. The tablet will dissolve in saliva within seconds. Eating and drinking should be avoided for 10 minutes after administration. ( 2.1 , 17 ) 2.1 Administration Instructions Asenapine is a sublingual tablet. To ensure optimal absorption, patients should be instructed to place the tablet under the tongue and allow it to dissolve completely. The tablet will dissolve in saliva within seconds. Asenapine sublingual tablets should not be split, crushed, chewed, or swallowed [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. Patients should be instructed to not eat or drink for 10 minutes after administration [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. 2.3 Bipolar I Disorder Acute Treatment of Manic or Mixed Episodes: Monotherapy in Pediatric Patients: The recommended dose of asenapine is 2.5 mg to 10 mg twice daily in pediatric patients 10 to 17 years of age, and dose may be adjusted for individual response and tolerability. The starting dose of asenapine is 2.5 mg twice daily. After 3 days, the dose can be increased to 5 mg twice daily, and from 5 mg to 10 mg twice daily after 3 additional days. Pediatric patients aged 10 to 17 years appear to be more sensitive to dystonia with initial dosing with asenapine when the recommended escalation schedule is not followed [see Use in Specific Populations (8.4)] . The safety of doses greater than 10 mg twice daily has not been evaluated in clinical trials [see Use in Specific Populations (8.4) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] . Adjunctive Therapy in Adults: The recommended starting dose of asenapine is 5 mg twice daily when administered as adjunctive therapy with either lithium or valproate. Depending on the clinical response and tolerability in the individual patient, the dose can be increased to 10 mg twice daily. The safety of doses above 10 mg twice daily as adjunctive therapy with lithium or valproate has not been evaluated in clinical trials. For patients on asenapine, used as adjunctive therapy with lithium or valproate, it is generally recommended that responding patients continue treatment beyond the acute episode.

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following adverse reactions are discussed in more detail in other sections of the labeling: Use in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1 and 5.2)] Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] Tardive Dyskinesia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)] Metabolic Changes [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)] Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Contraindications, Warnings and Precautions (5.6)] Orthostatic Hypotension, Syncope, and other Hemodynamic Effects [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7)] Falls [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8)] Leukopenia, Neutropenia, and Agranulocytosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9)] QT Interval Prolongation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10)] Hyperprolactinemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11)] Seizures [see Warnings and Precautions (5.12)] Potential for Cognitive and Motor Impairment [see Warnings and Precautions (5.13)] Body Temperature Regulation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.14)] Dysphagia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.15)] The most common adverse reactions (≥5% and at least twice the rate of placebo) reported during the adjunctive therapy trial in bipolar I disorder in adults were somnolence and oral hypoesthesia. The rates were lower at the 5 mg twice daily dose than the 10 mg twice daily dose for all of these most common adverse reactions. The adult information below is derived from a clinical trial database for asenapine consisting of over 5355 patients and/or healthy subjects exposed to one or more sublingual doses of asenapine. A total of 1427 asenapine-treated patients were treated for at least 24 weeks and 785 asenapine-treated patients had at least 52 weeks of exposure at therapeutic doses. In a 3-week monotherapy trial, the most common adverse reactions (≥5% and at least twice the rate of placebo) reported in pediatric patients with bipolar I disorder treated with asenapine were somnolence, dizziness, dysgeusia, oral hypoesthesia, nausea, increased appetite, fatigue, and increased weight. No new major safety findings were reported from a 50-week, open-label, uncontrolled safety trial. A total of 651 pediatric patients were treated with asenapine. Of these patients, 352 pediatric patients were treated with asenapine for at least 180 days and 58 pediatric patients treated with asenapine had at least 1 year of exposure. The safety of asenapine was evaluated in 403 pediatric patients with bipolar I disorder who participated in a 3-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, of whom 302 patients received asenapine at fixed doses ranging from 2.5 mg to 10 mg twice daily. The stated frequencies of adverse reactions represent the proportion of individuals who experienced a treatment-emergent adverse event of the type listed. A reaction was considered treatment emergent if it occurred for the first time or worsened while receiving therapy following baseline evaluation. The most commonly observed adverse reactions (incidence ≥5% and at least twice that for placebo) were ( 6.1 ): Bipolar I Disorder Pediatric Patients (Monotherapy): somnolence, dizziness, dysgeusia, oral paresthesia, nausea, increased appetite, fatigue, increased weight. • Bipolar I Disorder Adults (Adjunctive): somnolence, oral hypoesthesia. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited at 1-866-210-9797 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 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. Monotherapy in Pediatric Patients with Bipolar Mania: The following findings are based on a 3-week , placebo-controlled trial for bipolar mania in which asenapine was administered at doses of 2.5 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg twice daily. Adverse React

5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS • Cerebrovascular Adverse Reactions in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis: Increased incidence of cerebrovascular adverse reactions (e.g., stroke, transient ischemic attack). ( 5.2 ) • Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: Manage with immediate discontinuation and close monitoring. ( 5.3 ) • Tardive Dyskinesia: Discontinue if clinically appropriate. ( 5.4 ) • Metabolic Changes: Monitor for hyperglycemia/diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and weight gain. ( 5.5 ) • Orthostatic Hypotension: Monitor heart rate and blood pressure and warn patients with known cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, and risk of dehydration or syncope. ( 5.7 ) • Leukopenia, Neutropenia, and Agranulocytosis: Perform complete blood counts (CBC) in patients with pre-existing low white blood cell count (WBC) or history of leukopenia or neutropenia. Consider discontinuing asenapine if a clinically significant decline in WBC occurs in absence of other causative factors. ( 5.9 ) • QT Prolongation: Increases in QT interval; avoid use with drugs that also increase the QT interval and in patients with risk factors for prolonged QT interval. ( 5.10 ) • Seizures: Use cautiously in patients with a history of seizures or with conditions that lower the seizure threshold. ( 5.12 ) • Potential for Cognitive and Motor Impairment: Use caution when operating machinery. ( 5.13 ) 5.1 Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of 17 placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients. Over the course of a typical 10-week controlled trial, the rate of death in drug-treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature. Asenapine is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.2)]. 5.2 Cerebrovascular Adverse Events, Including Stroke, In Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis In placebo-controlled trials in elderly subjects with dementia, patients randomized to risperidone, aripiprazole, and olanzapine had a higher incidence of stroke and transient ischemic attack, including fatal stroke. Asenapine is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. 5.3 Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome A potentially fatal symptom complex sometimes referred to as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) has been reported in association with administration of antipsychotic drugs. Clinical manifestations of NMS are hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, delirium, and autonomic instability. Additional signs may include elevated creatine phosphokinase, myoglobinuria (rhabdomyolysis), and acute renal failure. If NMS is suspected, immediately discontinue asenapine and provide intensive symptomatic treatment and monitoring. 5.4 Tardive Dyskinesia Tardive dyskinesia, a syndrome consisting of potentially irreversible, involuntary, dyskinetic movements, may develop in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs, including asenapine. The risk appears to be highest among the elderly, especially elderly women, but it is not possible to predict which patients are likely to develop the syndrome. Whether antipsychotic drug products differ in their potential to cause tardive dyskinesia is unknown. The risk of tardive dyskinesia and the likelihood that it will become irreversible increase with the duration of treatment and the cumulative dose. The syndrome can develop after a relat

4 CONTRAINDICATIONS Asenapine is contraindicated in patients with: Severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh C) [see Specific Populations (8.7), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] . A history of hypersensitivity reactions to asenapine. Reactions have included anaphylaxis, angioedema, hypotension, tachycardia, swollen tongue, dyspnea, wheezing and rash [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6), Adverse Reactions (6)] . • Severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh C). ( 8.7 , 12.3 ) • Known hypersensitivity to asenapine, or to any components in the formulation. ( 4 , 5.6 , 17 )

10 OVERDOSAGE Human Experience: In adult pre-marketing clinical studies involving more than 3350 patients and/or healthy subjects, accidental or intentional acute over dosage of asenapine was identified in 3 patients. Among these few reported cases of overdose, the highest estimated ingestion of asenapine was 400 mg. Reported adverse reactions at the highest dosage included agitation and confusion. Management of Overdosage: There is no specific antidote to asenapine. The possibility of multiple drug involvement should be considered. An electrocardiogram should be obtained and management of overdose should concentrate on supportive therapy, maintaining an adequate airway, oxygenation and ventilation, and management of symptoms. Consult with a Certified Poison Control Center for up-to-date guidance and advice on the management of overdosage (1-800-222-1222.) Hypotension and circulatory collapse should be treated with appropriate measures, such as intravenous fluids and/or sympathomimetic agents (epinephrine and dopamine should not be used, since beta stimulation may worsen hypotension in the setting of asenapine-induced alpha blockade). In case of severe extrapyramidal symptoms, anticholinergic medication should be administered. Close medical supervision and monitoring should continue until the patient recovers.