Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
The safety of Zolpidem Tartrate Capsules 7.5 mg for the short-term treatment of transient insomnia characterized by difficulties with sleep initiation in adults is based upon adequate and well-controlled studies of zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release
[see
Clinical Studies (14)]
. The results of these adequate and well-controlled studies are presented below.
Adverse Reactions Leading to Discontinuation of Treatment
Approximately 4% of 1,701 patients who received zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release at all doses in U.S. premarketing clinical trials discontinued treatment because of an adverse reaction.
Reactions most commonly associated with discontinuation from U.S. trials were daytime drowsiness (0.5%), dizziness (0.4%), headache (0.5%), nausea (0.6%), and vomiting (0.5%).
Approximately 4% of 1,959 patients who received zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release at all doses in similar foreign trials discontinued treatment because of an adverse reaction. Reactions most commonly associated with discontinuation from these trials were daytime drowsiness (1.1%), dizziness/vertigo (0.8%), amnesia (0.5%), nausea (0.5%), headache (0.4%), and falls (0.4%).
Data from a clinical study in which selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-treated patients were given zolpidem tartrate revealed that four of the seven discontinuations during double-blind treatment with zolpidem tartrate (n=95) were associated with impaired concentration, continuing or aggravated depression, and manic reaction; one patient treated with placebo (n=97) was discontinued after an attempted suicide.
Most Commonly Observed Adverse Reactions in Controlled Trials
During short-term treatment (up to 10 nights) with zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release at doses up to 10 mg, the most commonly observed adverse reactions associated with the use of zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release and seen at statistically significant differences from placebo-treated patients were drowsiness (reported by 2% of zolpidem tartrate-treated patients), dizziness (1%), and diarrhea (1%).
Adverse Reactions Observed at an Incidence of ≥1% in Controlled Trials
The following tables enumerate adverse reactions frequencies that were observed at an incidence equal to 1% or greater among zolpidem tartrate-treated patients with insomnia and at a greater incidence than placebo-treated patients in U.S. placebo-controlled trials.
Table 1 was derived from results of 11 placebo-controlled short-term U.S. efficacy trials involving zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release.
Table 1: Adverse Reactions (≥1% and > placebo) in Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials Zolpidem Tartrate Tablets Immediate-Release Lasting up to 10 Nights (percentage of patients reporting)Body System Adverse Reaction | Zolpidem Tartrate Tablets Immediate-Release (≤10 mg)* (N=685) % | Placebo (N=473) % |
Central and Peripheral Nervous System |
Headache | 7 | 6 |
Drowsiness | 2 | - |
Dizziness | 1 | - |
Gastrointestinal System |
Diarrhea | 1 | - |
*Zolpidem Tartrate Capsules are available only as a 7.5 mg dosage strength.
|
Dose-Related Adverse Reactions
There is evidence from dose comparison trials suggesting a dose relationship for many of the adverse reactions associated with zolpidem tartrate tablets immediate-release use, particularly for certain CNS and gastrointestinal adverse reactions.
Adverse Reactions During the Premarketing Evaluation of Zolpidem Tartrate Immediate-Release
Zolpidem tartrate immediate-release was administered to 3,660 patients in clinical trials throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The frequencies presented, therefore, represent the proportions of the 3,660 patients exposed to zolpidem tartrate, at all doses, who experienced an event of the type cited on at least one occasion while receiving zolpidem tartrate immediate-release. All reported adverse reactions are included, except those already listed in the table above of adverse reactions in placebo-controlled studies, those coding terms that are so general as to be uninformative, and those events where a drug cause was remote. It is important to emphasize that, although the events reported did occur during treatment with zolpidem tartrate, they were not necessarily caused by it.
Adverse reactions are further classified within body system categories and enumerated in order of decreasing frequency using the following definitions: frequent adverse reactions are defined as those that occurred in greater than 1/100 patients; infrequent adverse reactions are those that occurred in 1/100 to 1/1,000 patients; rare reactions are those that occurred in less than 1/1,000 patients.
Autonomic nervous system:dry mouth; Infrequent: increased sweating, pallor, postural hypotension, syncope. Rare: abnormal accommodation, altered saliva, flushing, glaucoma, hypotension, impotence, increased saliva, tenesmus.
Body as a whole:back pain, chest pain, influenza-like symptoms; Frequent: asthenia. Infrequent: edema, falling, fatigue, fever, malaise, trauma. Rare: allergic reaction, allergy aggravated, anaphylactic shock, face edema, hot flashes, increased ESR, pain, restless legs, rigors, tolerance increased, weight decrease.
Cardiovascular system:palpitation; Infrequent: cerebrovascular disorder, hypertension, tachycardia. Rare: angina pectoris, arrhythmia, arteritis, circulatory failure, extrasystoles, hypertension aggravated, myocardial infarction, phlebitis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary edema, varicose veins, ventricular tachycardia.
Central and peripheral nervous system:abnormal dreams, amnesia, depression, drugged feeling, lethargy, lightheadedness, sleep disorder; Frequent: ataxia, confusion, euphoria, insomnia, vertigo. Infrequent: agitation, anxiety, decreased cognition, detached, difficulty concentrating, dysarthria, emotional lability, hallucination, hypoesthesia, illusion, leg cramps, migraine, nervousness, paresthesia, sleeping (after daytime dosing), speech disorder, stupor, tremor. Rare: abnormal gait, abnormal thinking, aggressive reaction, apathy, appetite increased, decreased libido, delusion, dementia, depersonalization, dysphasia, feeling strange, hypokinesia, hypotonia, hysteria, intoxicated feeling, manic reaction, neuralgia, neuritis, neuropathy, neurosis, panic attacks, paresis, personality disorder, somnambulism, suicide attempts, tetany, yawning.
Gastrointestinal system:abdominal pain; Frequent: dyspepsia, hiccup, nausea. Infrequent: anorexia, constipation, dysphagia, flatulence, gastroenteritis, vomiting. Rare: enteritis, eructation, esophagospasm, gastritis, hemorrhoids, intestinal obstruction, rectal hemorrhage, tooth caries.
Hematologic and lymphatic system:Rare: anemia, hyperhemoglobinemia, leukopenia, lymphadenopathy, macrocytic anemia, purpura, thrombosis.
Immunologic system:Infrequent: infection. Rare: abscess herpes simplex herpes zoster, otitis externa, otitis media.
Liver and biliary system:Infrequent: abnormal hepatic function, increased SGPT. Rare: bilirubinemia, increased SGOT.
Metabolic and nutritional:Infrequent: hyperglycemia, thirst. Rare: gout, hypercholesteremia, hyperlipidemia, increased alkaline phosphatase, increased BUN, periorbital edema.
Musculoskeletal system:Frequent: arthralgia, myalgia. Infrequent: arthritis. Rare: arthrosis, muscle weakness, sciatica, tendinitis.
Reproductive system:Infrequent: menstrual disorder, vaginitis. Rare: breast fibroadenosis, breast neoplasm, breast pain.
Respiratory system:pharyngitis, sinusitis; Frequent: upper respiratory infection, lower respiratory infection. Infrequent: bronchitis, coughing, dyspnea, rhinitis. Rare: bronchospasm, respiratory depression, epistaxis, hypoxia, laryngitis, pneumonia.
Skin and appendages:rash; Infrequent: pruritus. Rare: acne, bullous eruption, dermatitis, furunculosis, injection-site inflammation, photosensitivity reaction, urticaria.
Special senses:Frequent: diplopia, vision abnormal. Infrequent: eye irritation, eye pain, scleritis, taste perversion, tinnitus. Rare: conjunctivitis, corneal ulceration, lacrimation abnormal, parosmia, photopsia.
Urogenital system:Frequent: urinary tract infection. Infrequent: cystitis, urinary incontinence. Rare: acute renal failure, dysuria, micturition frequency, nocturia, polyuria, pyelonephritis, renal pain, urinary retention.