Drug Reference

Cysteamine

Amino acids and derivatives

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Therapeutic class
Amino acids and derivatives
Action class
Cystine Depleting Agent
Mechanism
Cystine Disulfide Reduction
Habit forming
No
Availability
Prescription (Rx)

Brand names

CystadropsCystagonCystaranProcysbi

Available as

4.4 MG/ML · Ophthalmic Solution25 MG · Oral Capsule75 MG · Oral Capsule300 MG75 MG3.8 MG/ML · Ophthalmic Solution150 MG · Oral Capsule50 MG · Oral Capsule1 MG/ML · Ophthalmic Solution

FDA label sections are from openFDA and may not reflect the most recent labeling — confirm against the current DailyMed label.

Uses
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE CYSTADROPS is a cystine-depleting agent indicated for the treatment of corneal cystine crystal deposits in adults and children with cystinosis. CYSTADROPS is a cystine-depleting agent indicated for the treatment of corneal cystine crystal deposits in adults and children with cystinosis. ( 1 )
How it works
12.1 Mechanism of Action Cysteamine acts as a cystine-depleting agent by converting cystine to cysteine and cysteine-cysteamine mixed disulfides and reduces corneal cystine crystal accumulation.
How to use / dosing
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Instill one drop of CYSTADROPS in each eye, 4 times a day during waking hours. ( 2.1 ) 2.1 Dosage Information Instill one drop of CYSTADROPS in each eye, 4 times a day during waking hours. Do not touch dropper tip to the eyelids, surrounding areas, or any surface, as this may contaminate the solution. In case of concomitant therapy with other topical ocular products, an interval of 10 minutes should be allowed between successive applications. Eye ointments should be administered last. If the patient misses an instillation, the patient should be told to administer a dose as soon as feasible and then continue the treatment with the next scheduled instillation. Discard bottle 7 days after first opening. 2.2 Preparation for Administration Patients should be advised to store new unopened CYSTADROPS bottles in the refrigerator in the original carton between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). Each week, one new bottle should be removed from the refrigerator. Patients are to write the date the bottle was opened in the space on the carton. After first opening, store opened CYSTADROPS at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C). Do not refrigerate after opening. Patients are to wash their hands carefully in order to avoid microbiological contamination of the content in the bottle. Remove the green protective cap (see Figure A ). Remove the metal seal (see Figure B ). Remove the gray stopper (see Figure C ) from the bottle. Do not touch the opening of the bottle after removing the gray stopper. Take the dropper out of its packaging, without touching the end intended to be attached to the bottle, attach it (see Figure D ) to the bottle and do not remove it. Patients should be advised not to lose the small white cap that comes on the top of the dropper (see Figure E ). Keep the small white cap tightly closed when not in use. Instill one drop of CYSTADROPS in each eye, 4 times a day during waking hours. At the end of 7 days, patients should discard the bottle. There may be medication left in the bottle; however, the bottle must be discarded by the patient because the medication is only stable for 7 days after first opening.
Side effects
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions (≥ 10%) are eye pain, vision blurred, eye irritation, ocular hyperaemia, instillation site discomfort, eye pruritus, lacrimation increased, and ocular deposits. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Recordati Rare Diseases Inc. at 1-888-575-8344, 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 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. The most common adverse reactions (≥ 10%) reported during clinical trials were eye pain, vision blurred, eye irritation, ocular hyperaemia, instillation site discomfort, eye pruritus, lacrimation increased, and ocular deposits.

Safety advice

Conservative summary derived from FDA labeling — defaults to “consult your doctor” unless the label is explicit. Not a substitute for your clinician’s advice.

PregnancyUnsafe
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of ophthalmic cysteamine in pregnant women to inform any drug associated risks. Oral administration of cysteamine to pregnant rats throughout the period of organogenesis was teratogenic at doses 240 to 960 times the recommended human ophthalmic dose (based on body surface area) [ see Data ] . CYSTADROPS should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes 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 Teratology studies have been performed in rats at oral doses in the range of 37.5 mg/kg/day to 150 mg/kg/day (240 to 960 times the recommended human ophthalmic dose based on body surface area) and have shown cysteamine bitartrate to be teratogenic. Observed teratogenic findings were intrauterine death, cleft palate, kyphosis, heart ventricular septal defects, microcephaly, exencephaly, and growth deficits.
BreastfeedingConsult your doctor
…8.2 Lactation Risk Summary There is no information regarding the presence of cysteamine in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infants, or the effects on milk production.…
AlcoholNo information
No specific information in the FDA label.
DrivingNo information
No specific information in the FDA label.
KidneyConsult your doctor
…8.6 Renal Impairment The effect of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of cysteamine following ophthalmic administration of cysteamine ophthalmic solution has not been evaluated.…
LiverNo information
No specific information in the FDA label.
Warnings & precautions
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS To minimize the risk of contamination, do not touch the dropper tip to any surface. Keep bottle tightly closed when not in use. ( 5.1 ) 5.1 Contamination of Tip and Solution To minimize contaminating the dropper tip and solution, care should be taken not to touch the eyelids or surrounding areas with the dropper tip of the bottle. Keep bottle tightly closed when not in use. 5.2 Benign Intracranial Hypertension There have been reports of benign intracranial hypertension (or pseudotumor cerebri) associated with oral cysteamine treatment that has resolved with the addition of diuretic therapy. There have also been reports associated with ophthalmic use of cysteamine; however, all of these patients were on concurrent oral cysteamine. 5.3 Contact Lens Use CYSTADROPS contains benzalkonium chloride, which may be absorbed by soft contact lenses. Contact with soft contact lenses should be avoided. Contact lenses should be removed prior to application of solution and may be reinserted 15 minutes following its administration [see Patient Counseling Information ( 17 )] .
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS None. None. ( 4 )

Pediatric use

8.4 Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of CYSTADROPS has been established in pediatric patients. Use of CYSTADROPS is supported by adequate and well controlled trials in pediatric patients and additional experience supporting the safety of CYSTADROPS.

⚑ About half of pediatric medication use is off-label and not described in FDA labels — absence of pediatric information does not mean a medicine is unused or unsafe in children. Confirm with your clinician.

Current FDA labels (DailyMed)

17 marketed products on record (RxNorm)

Reference only — not clinical advice. Verify against current FDA labeling and consult a licensed provider. About half of pediatric drug use is off-label and is not reflected in FDA labels; absence of pediatric information does not mean a medicine is unused or unsafe in children.