The recommended dose of Bivalirudin Injection is an intravenous bolus dose of 0.75 mg/kg, followed immediately by a maintenance infusion of 1.75 mg/kg/h for the duration of the procedure. Five minutes after the bolus dose has been administered, an activated clotting time (ACT) should be performed and an additional bolus of 0.3 mg/kg should be given if needed.

Consider extending duration of infusion following PCI at 1.75 mg/kg/h for up to 4 hours post-procedure in patients with ST segment elevation MI (STEMI).

Bolus Dose

No reduction in the bolus dose is needed for any degree of renal impairment.

Maintenance Infusion

In patients with creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min (by Cockcroft Gault equation), reduce the infusion rate to 1 mg/kg/h. Monitor anticoagulant status in patients with renal impairment.

In patients on hemodialysis, reduce the infusion rate to 0.25 mg/kg/h [see Use in Specific Populations (8.6), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

Thawing and Inspection of Plastic Container

• Thaw frozen container at room temperature (25°C/ 77°F) or under refrigeration (5°C/41°F). Do not thaw by immersion in water baths or by microwave irradiation.
• Do not add supplemental medication.
• Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. Check for minute leaks by squeezing container firmly. If the outlet port protector is damaged, detached, or not present, discard container as solution path sterility may be impaired. Components of the solution may precipitate in the frozen state and will dissolve upon reaching room temperature with little or no agitation. Potency is not affected. Agitate after solution has reached room temperature. If after visual inspection the solution remains cloudy or if an insoluble precipitate is noted, if there are any leaks, or if any seals or outlet ports are not intact, the container should be discarded.
• Do not refreeze thawed Bivalirudin Injection. Thawed solution is stable for 14 days under refrigeration (5°C/41°F) or 24 hours at room temperature (25°C/77°F). Discard any unused portion.

Drug Compatibilities

No incompatibilities have been observed with administration sets.

Do not administer the drugs listed in Table 1 in the same intravenous line with Bivalirudin Injection.

Bivalirudin increases the risk of bleeding [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)]. Bivalirudin’s anticoagulant effect subsides approximately one hour after discontinuation [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.2)].

An increased risk of thrombus formation, including fatal outcomes, has been associated with the use of bivalirudin in gamma brachytherapy [see Adverse Reactions (6.3)].

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the 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.

In the BAT trials, 79 of the 2161 (3.7%) of subjects undergoing PCI for treatment of unstable angina and randomized to bivalirudin experienced major bleeding events which consisted of: intracranial bleeding, retroperitoneal bleeding, and clinically overt bleeding with a decrease in hemoglobin >3 g/dL or leading to a transfusion of >2 units of blood.

As with all peptides, there is potential for immunogenicity. The detection of antibody formation is highly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. Additionally, the observed incidence of antibody (including neutralizing antibody) positivity in an assay may be influenced by several factors including assay methodology, sample handling, timing of sample collection, concomitant medications, and underlying disease. For these reasons, comparison of the incidence of antibodies to bivalirudin in the studies described below with the incidence of antibodies in other studies or to other products may be misleading.

In in vitro studies, bivalirudin exhibited no platelet aggregation response against sera from patients with a history of HIT/HITTS.

Among 494 subjects who received bivalirudin in clinical trials and were tested for antibodies, 2 subjects had treatment-emergent positive bivalirudin antibody tests. Neither subject demonstrated clinical evidence of allergic or anaphylactic reactions and repeat testing was not performed. Nine additional patients who had initial positive tests were negative on repeat testing.

Because postmarketing adverse reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of bivalirudin: fatal bleeding; hypersensitivity and allergic reactions including reports of anaphylaxis; lack of anticoagulant effect; thrombus formation during PCI with and without intracoronary brachytherapy, including reports of fatal outcomes; pulmonary hemorrhage; cardiac tamponade; and INR increased.

Risk Summary

There are no available data on use of bivalirudin in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk of adverse developmental outcomes. Reproduction studies in rats and rabbits administered subcutaneously (SC) doses up to 1.6 times and 3.2 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 15 mg/kg/day based on body surface area (BSA) during organogenesis, respectively, revealed no evidence of fetal harm.

All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively.

Data

Animal Data

Reproductive studies have been performed in rats at subcutaneous doses up to 150 mg/kg/day, (1.6 times the maximum recommended human dose based on body surface area) and rabbits at subcutaneous doses up to 150 mg/kg/day (3.2 times the maximum recommended human dose based on body surface area). These studies revealed no harm to the fetus attributable to bivalirudin.

At 500 mg/kg/day (equivalent to 5.4 times the maximum recommended human dose based on body surface area) subcutaneously, litter sizes and live fetuses in rats were reduced. Fetal skeletal variations were also noted. Some of these changes could be attributed to maternal toxicity observed at high doses.

There is no study covering the peri-natal period because of the potential complications of drug-induced hemorrhage during delivery.

Risk Summary

It is not known whether bivalirudin is present in human milk. No data are available on the effects of bivalirudin on the breastfed child or on milk production.

Bivalirudin was administered to lactating rats in reproduction studies (see Data ).

The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for Bivalirudin Injection and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed infant from Bivalirudin Injection or from the underlying maternal condition.

Data

Animal Data

Reproduction studies conducted in lactating female rats dosed subcutaneously daily with bivalirudin at doses up to 150 mg/kg/day (1.6 times the maximum recommended human dose, based on body surface area) from day 2 through day 20 of lactation revealed no adverse developmental outcomes to the pups.

Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.

In studies of patients undergoing PCI, 44% were ≥65 years of age and 12% of patients were ≥75 years old. Elderly patients experienced more bleeding events than younger patients.

The disposition of bivalirudin was studied in PTCA patients with mild, moderate and severe renal impairment. The clearance of bivalirudin was reduced approximately 21% in patients with moderate and severe renal impairment and was reduced approximately 70% in dialysis-dependent patients [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. Reduce the infusion dose of Bivalirudin Injection and monitor the anticoagulant status more frequently in patients with renal impairment creatine clearance less than 30mL/min (by Cockcroft Gault equation) [see Dosage and Administration (2.2)].

Bivalirudin directly inhibits thrombin by specifically binding both to the catalytic site and to the anion-binding exosite of circulating and clot-bound thrombin. Thrombin is a serine proteinase that plays a central role in the thrombotic process, acting to cleave fibrinogen into fibrin monomers and to activate Factor XIII to Factor XIIIa, allowing fibrin to develop a covalently cross-linked framework which stabilizes the thrombus; thrombin also activates Factors V and VIII, promoting further thrombin generation, and activates platelets, stimulating aggregation and granule release. The binding of bivalirudin to thrombin is reversible as thrombin slowly cleaves the bivalirudin-Arg3-Pro4 bond, resulting in recovery of thrombin active site functions.

In healthy volunteers and patients (with ≥70% vessel occlusion undergoing routine PTCA), bivalirudin exhibited dose- and concentration-dependent anticoagulant activity as evidenced by prolongation of the ACT, aPTT, PT, and TT. Intravenous administration of bivalirudin produces an immediate anticoagulant effect. Coagulation times return to baseline approximately 1 hour following cessation of bivalirudin administration. Bivalirudin also increases INR. Therefore INR measurements made in Bivalirudin Injection treated patients may not be useful for determining the appropriate dose of warfarin.

In 291 patients with ≥70% vessel occlusion undergoing routine PTCA, a positive correlation was observed between the dose of bivalirudin and the proportion of patients achieving ACT values of 300 sec or 350 sec. At a bivalirudin dose of 1 mg/kg intravenous bolus plus 2.5 mg/kg/h intravenous infusion (1.4 times higher than the approved dose of 1.75 mg/kg/h) for 4 hours, followed by 0.2 mg/kg/h, all patients reached maximal ACT values >300 sec.

Bivalirudin exhibits linear pharmacokinetics following intravenous administration to patients undergoing PTCA. In these patients, a mean steady state bivalirudin concentration of 12.3 ± 1.7 mcg/mL is achieved following an intravenous bolus of 1 mg/kg and a 4-hour 2.5 mg/kg/h intravenous infusion.

Distribution

Bivalirudin does not bind to plasma proteins (except thrombin) or to red blood cells.

Elimination

Bivalirudin has a half- life of 25 minutes in PTCA patients with normal renal function. The total body clearance of bivalirudin in PTCA patients with normal renal function is 3.4 mL/min/kg.

Metabolism

Bivalirudin is metabolized by proteolytic cleavage.

Excretion

Bivalirudin undergoes glomerular filtration. Tubular secretion and tubular reabsorption are also implicated in the excretion of bivalirudin, although the extent is unknown.

Specific Populations

Patients with Renal Impairment

Total body clearance was similar for PTCA patients with normal renal function and with mild renal impairment. Clearance was reduced by 21% in patients with moderate and severe renal impairment with a half-life of 34 and 57 minutes, respectively. In dialysis patients, clearance was reduced by 70%, with a half- life of 3.5 hours. Approximately 25% bivalirudin is cleared by hemodialysis.

No long-term studies in animals have been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of bivalirudin. Bivalirudin displayed no genotoxic potential in the in vitro bacterial cell reverse mutation assay (Ames test), the in vitro Chinese hamster ovary cell forward gene mutation test (CHO/HGPRT), the in vitro human lymphocyte chromosomal aberration assay, the in vivo rat hepatocyte unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay, and the in vivo rat micronucleus assay. Fertility and general reproductive performance in rats were unaffected by subcutaneous doses of bivalirudin up to 150 mg/kg/day, about 1.6 times the dose on a body surface area basis (mg/m²) of a 50 kg person given the maximum recommended dose of 15 mg/kg/day.

Bivalirudin Injection is supplied as a frozen, premixed, iso-osmotic, sterile, nonpyrogenic single-dose solution packaged in the GALAXY container. When thawed, a clear and colorless solution is obtained. The single-dose GALAXY plastic containers are available as follows:

The 250 mg and 500 mg strength drug products contain 250 mg or 500 mg respectively as bivalirudin (equivalent to an average of 275 or 550 mg bivalirudin trifluoroacetate*).

*The range of bivalirudin trifluoroacetate is 270 to 280 mg (250 mg strength) or 540 to 560 mg (500 mg strength) based on a range of trifluoroacetic acid composition of 1.7 to 2.6 equivalents.

GALAXY containers should be stored frozen at or below -20°C/-4°F.

Product containers may be fragile in the frozen state.