The most commonly reported adverse experiences were associated with the dosing procedure. In the multiple-dose controlled clinical trials, each dose of SURVANTA was divided into four quarter-doses which were instilled through a catheter inserted into the endotracheal tube by briefly disconnecting the endotracheal tube from the ventilator. Transient bradycardia occurred with 11.9% of doses. Oxygen desaturation occurred with 9.8% of doses.
Other reactions during the dosing procedure occurred with fewer than 1% of doses and included endotracheal tube reflux, pallor, vasoconstriction, hypotension, endotracheal tube blockage, hypertension, hypocarbia, hypercarbia, and apnea. No deaths occurred during the dosing procedure, and all reactions resolved with symptomatic treatment.
The occurrence of concurrent illnesses common in premature infants was evaluated in the controlled trials. The rates in all controlled studies are in Table 3.
Table 3.| All Controlled Studies |
| Concurrent Event | SURVANTA (%) | Control (%) | P-Valuea |
| Patent ductus arteriosus | 46.9 | 47.1 | 0.814 |
| Intracranial hemorrhage | 48.1 | 45.2 | 0.241 |
| Severe intracranial hemorrhage | 24.1 | 23.3 | 0.693 |
| Pulmonary air leaks | 10.9 | 24.7 | < 0.001 |
| Pulmonary interstitial emphysema | 20.2 | 38.4 | < 0.001 |
| Necrotizing enterocolitis | 6.1 | 5.3 | 0.427 |
| Apnea | 65.4 | 59.6 | 0.283 |
| Severe apnea | 46.1 | 42.5 | 0.114 |
| Post-treatment sepsis | 20.7 | 16.1 | 0.019 |
| Post-treatment infection | 10.2 | 9.1 | 0.345 |
| Pulmonary hemorrhage | 7.2 | 5.3 | 0.166 |
| aP-value comparing groups in controlled studies |
When all controlled studies were pooled, there was no difference in intracranial hemorrhage. However, in one of the single-dose rescue studies and one of the multiple-dose prevention studies, the rate of intracranial hemorrhage was significantly higher in SURVANTA patients than control patients (63.3% v 30.8%, P = 0.001; and 48.8% v 34.2%, P = 0.047, respectively). The rate in a Treatment IND involving approximately 8100 infants was lower than in the controlled trials.
In the controlled clinical trials, there was no effect of SURVANTA on results of common laboratory tests: white blood cell count and serum sodium, potassium, bilirubin, and creatinine.
More than 4300 pretreatment and post-treatment serum samples from approximately 1500 patients were tested by Western Blot Immunoassay for antibodies to surfactant-associated proteins SP-B and SP-C. No IgG or IgM antibodies were detected.
Several other complications are known to occur in premature infants. The following conditions were reported in the controlled clinical studies. The rates of the complications were not different in treated and control infants, and none of the complications were attributed to SURVANTA.