Prescription Drugs

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Actions Medroxyprogesterone acetate, administered parenterally in the recommended doses to women with adequate endogenous estrogen, transforms proliferative endometrium into secretory endometrium. Medroxyprogesterone acetate inhibits (in the usual dose range) the secretion of pituitary gonadotropin which, in turn, prevents follicular maturation and ovulation. Because of its prolonged action and the resulting difficulty in predicting the time of withdrawal bleeding following injection, medroxyprogesterone acetate is not recommended in secondary amenorrhea or dysfunctional uterine bleeding. In these conditions oral therapy is recommended.

Find Lowest Prices on Depo-Provera® (medroxyprogesterone acetate) Injectable Suspension, USP DESCRIPTION DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension contains medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is a derivative of progesterone and is active by the parenteral and oral routes of administration. It is a white to off-white, odorless crystalline powder, stable in air, melting between 200° and 210° C. It is freely soluble in chloroform, soluble in acetone and in dioxane, sparingly soluble in alcohol and methanol, slightly soluble in ether and insoluble in water. The chemical name for medroxyprogesterone acetate is Pregn-4-ene-3, 20-dione, 17(acetyloxy)-6-methyl-, (6α)-. The structural formula is: DEPO-PROVERA for intramuscular injection is available as 400 mg/mL medroxyprogesterone acetate. Each mL of the 400 mg/mL suspension contains: Medroxyprogesterone acetate .............400 mg Polyethylene glycol 3350....................20.3 mg Sodium sulfate anhydrous .....................11 mg with Myristyl-gamma-picolinium chloride ............................................1.69 mg added as preservative When necessary, pH was adjusted with sodium hydroxide and/or hydrochloric acid.

INDICATIONS Adjunctive therapy and palliative treatment of inoperable, recurrent, and metastatic endometrial or renal carcinoma. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION The suspension is intended for intramuscular administration only, rotating the sites with every injection. As with any intramuscular injection, to avoid an inadvertent subcutaneous injection, body habitus should be assessed prior to each injection to determine if a longer needle is necessary particularly for gluteal intramuscular injection. When multi-dose vials are used, special care to prevent contamination of the contents is essential [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS]. Endometrial Or Renal Carcinoma Doses of 400 mg to 1000 mg of DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension per week are recommended initially. If improvement is noted within a few weeks or months and the disease appears stabilized, it may be possible to maintain improvement with as little as 400 mg per month. Medroxyprogesterone acetate is not recommended as primary therapy, but as adjunctive and palliative treatment in advanced inoperable cases including those with recurrent or metastatic disease. Geriatric Use Renal Carcinoma Of the 349 subjects in a clinical study of Depo Provera in renal carcinoma, 30 percent were 65 and over, while 5 percent were 75 and over. No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between these subjects and younger subjects, and other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients, but greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out. Endometrial Carcinoma This product has been used primarily in post-menopausal women for the treatment of endometrial carcinoma. Clinical experience has not identified differences in safety or effectiveness between elderly and younger patients. Hepatic Impairment DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension should not be used by women with significant liver disease and should be discontinued if jaundice or disturbances of liver function occur [see PRECAUTIONS]. Renal Impairment The effect of renal impairment on DEPO-PROVERA pharmacokinetics has not been studied. HOW SUPPLIED DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension is available as 400 mg/mL in 2.5 mL vials. NDC 0009-0626-01 2.5ml vial Distributed by: Pharmacia & Upjohn Co., Division of Pfizer Inc, NY, NY 10017. Revised: Apr 2017

PATIENT INFORMATION No information provided. Please refer to the WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS sections.

WARNINGS Thromboembolic Disorders The physician should be alert to the earliest manifestations of thrombotic disorder (thrombophlebitis, cerebrovascular disorder, pulmonary embolism, and retinal thrombosis). Should any of these occur or be suspected, the drug should be discontinued immediately. Ocular Disorders Medication should be discontinued pending examination if there is a sudden partial or complete loss of vision, or if there is a sudden onset of proptosis, diplopia or migraine. If examination reveals papilledema or retinal vascular lesions, medication should be withdrawn. Multi-Dose Use Multi-dose use of DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension from a single vial requires special care to avoid contamination. Although initially sterile, any multi-dose use of vials may lead to contamination unless strict aseptic technique is observed. PRECAUTIONS Physical Examination It is good medical practice for all women to have annual history and physical examinations, including women using DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension. The physical examination, however, may be deferred until after initiation of DEPO PROVERA if requested by the woman and judged appropriate by the clinician. The physical examination should include special reference to blood pressure, breasts, abdomen and pelvic organs, including cervical cytology and relevant laboratory tests. In case of undiagnosed, persistent or recurrent abnormal vaginal bleeding, appropriate measures should be conducted to rule out malignancy. Breast Cancer Women who have or have had a history of breast cancer should be advised against the use of DEPO-PROVERA, as breast cancer may be hormonally sensitive. Women with a strong family history of breast cancer should be monitored with particular care. Fluid Retention Because progestational drugs may cause some degree of fluid retention, conditions which might be influenced by this condition, such as epilepsy, migraine, asthma, cardiac or renal dysfunction, require careful observation. Vaginal Bleeding In cases of breakthrough bleeding, as in all cases of irregular bleeding per vaginum, nonfunctional causes should be borne in mind and adequate diagnostic measures undertaken. Depression Patients who have a history of psychic depression should be carefully observed and the drug discontinued if the depression recurs to a serious degree. Masking Of Climacteric The age of the patient constitutes no absolute limiting factor although treatment with progestin may mask the onset of the climacteric. Use With Estrogen Studies of the addition of a progestin product to an estrogen replacement regimen for seven or more days of a cycle of estrogen administration have reported a lowered incidence of endometrial hyperplasia. Morphological and biochemical studies of endometrial suggest that 10-13 days of a progestin are needed to provide maximal maturation of the endometrium and to eliminate any hyperplastic changes. Whether this will provide protection from endometrial carcinoma has not been clearly established. There are possible risks which may be associated with the inclusion of progestin in estrogen replacement regimen, including adverse effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. The dosage used may be important in minimizing these adverse effects. A decrease in glucose tolerance has been observed in a small percentage of patients on estrogen-progestin combination treatment. The mechanism of this decrease is obscure. For this reason, diabetic patients should be carefully observed while receiving such therapy. Hepatic Dysfunction Monitor patients for hepatic dysfunction periodically and temporarily interrupt DEPOPROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension use if the patient develops hepatic dysfunction. Do not resume use until markers of liver function return to normal. Decrease In Bone Mineral Density Studies in pre-menopausal women show that medroxyprogesterone acetate given as 150 mg intramuscularly every three months reduces serum estrogen levels and is associated with loss of bone mineral density (BMD). It is unknown if use of Depo-Provera during adolescence and early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion, will reduce peak bone mass. An evaluation of BMD may be appropriate in some patients who use higher doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate for long-term treatment of endometrial or renal carcinoma. Effects On The Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Some patients receiving medroxyprogesterone acetate may exhibit suppressed adrenal function. Medroxyprogesterone acetate may have cortisol-like glucocorticoid activity and provide negative feedback to the hypothalamus or pituitary. This may result in decreased plasma cortisol levels, decreased cortisol secretion, and low plasma ACTH levels. The use of DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension may, due to its cortisol-like glucocorticoid activity, also produce Cushingoid symptoms such as weight gain, edema/fluid retention, and facial swelling. Prolonged Use The effect of prolonged use of DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension at the recommended doses on pituitary, ovarian, adrenal, hepatic, and uterine function is not known. Interference With Laboratory Tests The use of DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension may change the results of some laboratory tests, such as coagulation factors, lipids, glucose tolerance, and binding proteins. [See Laboratory Test Interactions]. Multi-Dose Use When multi-dose vials are used, special care to prevent contamination of the contents is essential. There is some evidence that benzalkonium chloride is not an adequate antiseptic for sterilizing DEPO-PROVERA Sterile Aqueous Suspension multi-dose vials. A povidone-iodine solution or similar product is recommended to cleanse the vial top prior to aspiration of contents. [See WARNINGS]. Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment Of Fertility Long-term intramuscular administration of Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) has been shown to produce mammary tumors in beagle dogs. There is no evidence of a carcinogenic effect associated with the oral administration of MPA to rats and mice. Medroxyprogesterone acetate was not mutagenic in a battery of in vitro or in vivo genetic toxicity assays. Medroxyprogesterone acetate at high doses is an anti-fertility drug and return to ovulation and fertility may be delayed after stopping treatment. Pregnancy Teratogenic Effects It is not known whether medroxyprogesterone acetate can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Medroxyprogesterone acetate should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed. Nursing Mothers Published studies report the presence of medroxyprogesterone acetate in human milk. Caution should be exercised when medroxyprogesterone acetate is administered to a nursing woman. Pediatric Use Safety and efficacy of DEPO-PROVERA for endometrial and renal carcinoma have not been established in pediatric patients. Studies in pre-menopausal women show that Depo-Provera is associated with loss of BMD. It is unknown if use of Depo-Provera during adolescence and early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion, will reduce peak bone mass. (See PRECAUTIONS: Decrease in Bone Mineral Density)