Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Adults
Safety in nine randomized comparative US clinical trials in patients with GERD included 1,473 patients on oral pantoprazole (20 mg or 40 mg), 299 patients on an H2-receptor antagonist, 46 patients on another PPI, and 82 patients on placebo. The most frequently occurring adverse reactions are listed in Table 2.
The number of patients treated in comparative studies with pantoprazole sodium for injection is limited; however, the adverse reactions seen were similar to those seen in the oral studies. Thrombophlebitis was the only new adverse reaction identified with pantoprazole sodium for injection.
| Oral Pantoprazole Sodium (n=1473) % | Comparators (n=345) % | Placebo (n=82) % |
| Headache | 12.2 | 12.8 | 8.5 |
| Diarrhea | 8.8 | 9.6 | 4.9 |
| Nausea | 7.0 | 5.2 | 9.8 |
| Abdominal pain | 6.2 | 4.1 | 6.1 |
| Vomiting | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Flatulence | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.7 |
| Dizziness | 3.0 | 2.9 | 1.2 |
| Arthralgia | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Additional adverse reactions that were reported for oral pantoprazole sodium in US clinical trials with a frequency of ≤2% are listed below by body system:
Body as a Whole: allergic reaction, fever, photosensitivity reaction, facial edema, thrombophlebitis (intravenous only)
Gastrointestinal: constipation, dry mouth, hepatitis
Hematologic: leukopenia (reported in ex-US clinical trials only), thrombocytopenia
Metabolic/Nutritional: elevated CPK (creatine phosphokinase), generalized edema, elevated triglycerides, liver function tests abnormal
Musculoskeletal: myalgia
Nervous: depression, vertigo
Skin and Appendages: urticaria, rash, pruritus
Special Senses: blurred vision
Zollinger-Ellison (ZE) Syndrome
In clinical studies of ZE Syndrome, adverse reactions reported in 35 patients administered pantoprazole sodium for injection doses of 80 mg to 240 mg per day for up to 2 years were similar to those reported in adult patients with GERD.
Pediatric use information is approved for Pfizer Inc.'s PROTONIX® I.V. (pantoprazole sodium) for Injection. However, due to Pfizer Inc.'s marketing exclusivity rights, this drug product is not labeled with that information.
Table 3 includes drugs with clinically important drug interactions and interaction with diagnostics when administered concomitantly with pantoprazole sodium and instructions for preventing or managing them.
Consult the labeling of concomitantly used drugs to obtain further information about interactions with PPIs.
Risk Summary
Available data from published observational studies did not demonstrate an association of major malformations or other adverse pregnancy outcomes with pantoprazole.
In animal reproduction studies, no evidence of adverse development outcomes was observed with pantoprazole sodium. Reproduction studies have been performed in rats at intravenous doses up to 20 mg/kg/day (4 times the recommended human dose) and rabbits at intravenous doses up to 15 mg/kg/day (6 times the recommended human dose) with administration of pantoprazole sodium during organogenesis in pregnant animals and have revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus due to pantoprazole in this study (see Data).
A pre-and post-natal development toxicity study in rats with additional endpoints to evaluate the effect on bone development was performed with pantoprazole sodium. Oral pantoprazole doses of 5, 15, and 30 mg/kg/day (approximately 1, 3, and 6 times the human dose of 40 mg/day) were administered to pregnant females from gestation day (GD) 6 through lactation day (LD) 21. Changes in bone morphology were observed in pups exposed to pantoprazole in utero and through milk during the period of lactation as well as by oral dosing from postnatal day (PND) 4 through PND 21 [see Use in Specific Populations (8.4)]. There were no drug-related findings in maternal animals. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk of fetal harm.
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 the clinically recognized pregnancies is 2 to 4% and 15 to 20%, respectively.
In one study of gastric pH in healthy subjects, pantoprazole was administered orally (40 mg enteric coated tablets) or pantoprazole sodium for injection (40 mg) once daily for 5 days and pH was measured for 24 hours following the fifth dose. The outcome measure was median percent of time that pH was ≥4 and the results were similar for intravenous and oral medications; however, the clinical significance of this parameter is unknown.
Serum Gastrin Effects
Serum gastrin concentrations were assessed in two placebo-controlled studies.
In a 5-day study of oral pantoprazole with 40 and 60 mg doses in healthy subjects, following the last dose on day 5, median 24-hour serum gastrin concentrations were elevated by 3- to 4-fold compared to placebo in both 40 and 60 mg dose groups. However, by 24 hours following the last dose, median serum gastrin concentrations for both groups returned to normal levels.
In another placebo-controlled, 7-day study of 40 mg intravenous or oral pantoprazole in patients with GERD and a history of EE, the mean serum gastrin concentration increased approximately 50% from baseline and as compared with placebo, but remained within the normal range.
During 6 days of repeated administration of pantoprazole sodium for injection in patients with ZE Syndrome, consistent changes of serum gastrin concentrations from baseline were not observed.
Enterochromaffin-Like (ECL) Cell Effects
There are no data available on the effects of intravenous pantoprazole sodium on ECL cells.
In a nonclinical study in Sprague-Dawley rats, lifetime exposure (24 months) to oral pantoprazole at doses of 0.5 to 200 mg/kg/day resulted in dose-related increases in gastric ECL-cell proliferation and gastric neuroendocrine (NE)-cell tumors. Gastric NE-cell tumors in rats may result from chronic elevation of serum gastrin concentrations. The high density of ECL cells in the rat stomach makes this species highly susceptible to the proliferative effects of elevated gastrin concentrations produced by PPIs. However, there were no observed elevations in serum gastrin following the administration of oral pantoprazole at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day. In a separate study, a gastric NE-cell tumor without concomitant ECL-cell proliferative changes was observed in 1 female rat following 12 months of dosing with oral pantoprazole at 5 mg/kg/day and a 9 month off-dose recovery [see Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1)].
Endocrine Effects
In a clinical pharmacology study, pantoprazole 40 mg given orally once daily for 2 weeks had no effect on the levels of the following hormones: cortisol, testosterone, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid-stimulating hormone, thyronine-binding protein, parathyroid hormone, insulin, glucagon, renin, aldosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin and growth hormone.
In a 1-year study of GERD patients treated with pantoprazole 40 mg or 20 mg, there were no changes from baseline in overall levels of T3, T4, and TSH.
Adverse Reactions
Advise patients to report to their healthcare provider if they experience any signs or symptoms consistent with: