Infulgan

Paracetamol.

Each mL contains: Active ingredient: Paracetamol 10 mg.
Excipients/Inactive Ingredients: Citric acid monohydrate; sodium citrate; sorbitol (E 420), sodium sulfite anhydrous (E 221); hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and nitrogen to q.s., water for injection to q.s. to 1 mL.

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Other analgesics and antipyretics. ATC code: N02B E01.
Pharmacology: Pharmacodynamics: The precise mechanism of the analgesic and antipyretic properties of paracetamol has yet to be established; it may involve central and peripheral actions. INFULGAN provides onset of pain relief within 5 to 10 minutes after the start of administration. The peak analgesic effect is obtained in 1 hour and the duration of this effect is usually 4 to 6 hours. INFULGAN reduces fever within 30 minutes after the start of administration with a duration of the antipyretic effect of at least 6 hours.
Pharmacokinetics: Adults: Absorption: Paracetamol pharmacokinetics is linear up to 2 g after single administration and after repeated administration during 24 hours. The bioavailability of paracetamol following infusion of 500 mg and 1 g of INFULGAN is similar to that observed following infusion of 1 g and 2 g propacetamol (corresponding to 500 mg and 1 g paracetamol respectively). The maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) of paracetamol observed at the end of 15-minutes intravenous infusion of 500 mg and 1 g of INFULGAN is about 15 μg/mL and 30 μg/mL respectively.
Distribution: The volume of distribution of paracetamol is approximately 1 L/kg. Paracetamol is not extensively bound to plasma proteins. Following infusion of 1 g paracetamol, significant concentrations of paracetamol (about 1.5 μg/mL) were observed in the cerebrospinal fluid as and from the 20^th minute following infusion.
Metabolism: Paracetamol is metabolised mainly in the liver following two major hepatic pathways: glucuronic acid conjugation and sulphuric acid conjugation. The latter route is rapidly saturable at doses that exceed the therapeutic doses. A small fraction (less than 4%) is metabolised by cytochrome P450 to a reactive intermediate (N-acetyl benzoquinone imine) which, under normal conditions of use, is rapidly detoxified by reduced glutathione and eliminated in the urine after conjugation with cysteine and mercapturic acid. However, during massive overdosing, the quantity of this toxic metabolite is increased.
Elimination: The metabolites of paracetamol are mainly excreted in the urine. 90% of the dose administered is excreted in 24 hours, mainly as glucuronide (60-80%) and sulphate (20-30%) conjugates. Less than 5% is eliminated unchanged. Plasma half-life is 2.7 hours and total body clearance is 18 L/h.
Neonates, Infants and Children: The pharmacokinetic parameters of paracetamol observed in infants and children are similar to those observed in adults, except for the plasma half-life that is slightly shorter (1.5 to 2 h) than in adults. In neonates, the plasma half-life is longer than in infants i.e. around 3.5 hours. Neonates, infants and children up to 10 years excrete significantly less glucuronide and more sulphate conjugates than adults. (See Table 1.)

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Special populations: Renal Insufficiency: In cases of severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance 10-30 ml/min), the elimination of paracetamol is slightly delayed, the elimination half-life ranging from 2 to 5.3 hours. For the glucuronide and sulphate conjugates, the elimination rate is 3 times slower in subjects with severe renal impairment than in healthy subjects. Therefore when giving paracetamol to patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance <30 ml/min), the minimum interval between each administration to 6 hours.
Elderly Subjects: The pharmacokinetics and the metabolism of paracetamol are not modified in elderly subjects. No dose adjustment is required in this population.

INFULGAN is indicated for the short-term treatment of moderate pain, especially following surgery and for the short-term treatment of fever, when administration by intravenous route is clinically justified by an urgent need to treat pain or hyperthermia and/or when other routes of administration are not possible.

Intravenous route. The 100 ml bottle is restricted to adults, adolescents and children weighing more than 33 kg. The 20 ml bottle is adapted to term newborn infants, infants, toddlers and children weighing less than 33 kg.
Posology: Dosing based on patient weight (please see the dosing table here as follows). (See Table 2).

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Severe renal insufficiency: It is recommended, when giving paracetamol to patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance ≤30 mL/min), to increase the minimum interval between each administration to 6 hours. In adults with hepatocellular insufficiency, chronic alcoholism, chronic malnutrition (low reserves of hepatic glutathione), dehydration: The maximum daily dose must not exceed 3 g.
Method of administration: Take care when prescribing and administering INFULGAN to avoid dosing errors due to confusion between milligram (mg) and milliliter (mL), which could result in accidental overdose and death. Take care to ensure the proper dose is communicated and dispensed. When writing prescriptions, include both the total dose in mg and the total dose in volume.
The paracetamol solution is administered as a 15-minute intravenous infusion.
Patients weighing ≤10 kg: The glass bottles of INFULGAN should not be hung as an infusion due to the small volume of the medicinal product to be administered in this population.
The volume to be administered should be withdrawn from the bottle and could be administered undiluted or diluted (from one to nine volumes diluent) in a 0.9% sodium chloride solution or 5% glucose solution and administered in 15-minute.
Use the diluted solution within the hour following its preparation (infusion time included).
A 5 or 10 ml syringe should be used to measure the dose as appropriate for the weight of the child and the desired volume. However, this should never exceed 7.5 ml per dose.
The user should be referred to the product information for dosing guidelines.
Text for the 20 ml and 100 ml bottles: To remove solution, use a 0.8 mm needle (21 gauge needle) and vertically perforate the stopper at the spot specifically indicated. As for all solutions for infusion presented in glass bottle, it should be remembered that close monitoring is needed notably at the end of the infusion, regardless of administration route. This monitoring at the end of the perfusion applies particularly for central route infusion, in order to avoid air embolism.
Text for the 20 ml bottles: INFULGAN of 20 ml bottle can also be diluted in a 0.9% sodium chloride solution or 5% glucose solution (from one to nine volumes diluent). In this case, use the diluted solution within the hour following its preparation (infusion time included).

There is a risk of liver injury (including fulminant hepatitis, hepatic failure, cholestatic hepatitis, cytolytic hepatitis), particularly in elderly subjects, in young children, in patients with liver disease, in cases of chronic alcoholism, in patients with chronic malnutrition and in patients receiving enzyme inducers. Overdosing may be fatal in these cases.
Symptoms generally appear within the first 24 hours and comprise: nausea, vomiting, anorexia, pallor, abdominal pain. Overdose, 7.5 gram or more of paracetamol in a single administration in adults and 140 mg/kg of body weight in a single administration in children, causes hepatic cytolysis likely to induce complete and irreversible necrosis, resulting in hepatocellular insufficiency, metabolic acidosis and encephalopathy which may lead to coma and death. Simultaneously, increased levels of hepatic transaminases (AST, ALT), lactate dehydrogenase and bilirubin are observed together with decreased prothrombin levels that may appear 12 to 48 hours after administration.
Clinical symptoms of liver damage are usually evident initially after two days, and reach a maximum after 4 to 6 days.
Emergency Measures: Immediate hospitalization.
Before beginning treatment, take a tube of blood for plasma paracetamol assay, as soon as possible after the overdose.
The treatment includes administration of the antidote, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), by the i.v. or oral route, if possible before the 10th hour. NAC can, however, give some degree protection even after 10 hours, but in these cases prolonged treatment is given.
Symptomatic treatment.
Hepatic tests must be carried out at the beginning of treatment and repeated every 24 hours. In most cases hepatic transaminases return to normal in one to two weeks with full restitution of liver function. In very severe cases, however, liver transplantation may be necessary.

INFULGAN is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to paracetamol or to propacetamol hydrochloride (prodrug of paracetamol) or one of the excipients. In cases of severe hepatocellular insufficiency.

Warnings: It is recommended to use a suitable analgesic oral treatment as soon as this administration route is possible. In order to avoid the risk of overdose, check that other medicines administered do not contain either paracetamol or propacetamol. Doses higher than the recommended entails risk for very serious liver damage. Clinical symptoms and signs of liver damage (including fulminant hepatitis, hepatic failure, cholestatic hepatitis, cytolytic hepatitis) are usually first seen after two days of drug administration with a peak seen usually after 4-6 days. Treatment with antidote should be given as soon as possible.
Allergy Alert: Paracetamol may cause severe skin reactions. Symptoms may include skin reddening, blisters or rash. These could be signs of serious condition. If these reactions occur, stop use and seek medical assistance right away.
This product contains sodium sulfite anhydrous (E221), a sulfite that may cause allergic-type reactions including anaphylactic symptoms and life-threatening or less severe asthmatic episodes in certain susceptible persons.
This medicinal product contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 100 ml of INFULGAN, i.e. essentially "sodium free".
Text for the 20 ml and 100 ml bottles: As for all solutions for infusion in glass bottles, a close monitoring is needed notably at the end of infusion.

Paracetamol should be used with caution in cases of: Hepatocellular insufficiency; Severe Renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance <30 ml/min); Chronic Alcoholism; Chronic Malnutrition (low reserves of hepatic glutathione); Dehydration.
Effect on ability to drive and operate machine: No effect.
Use in Children: Infulgan may be used in infants weighing more than 10 kg for symptomatic treatment of pain and hyperthermia in the post-surgical period only.

Pregnancy: Clinical experience of intravenous administration of paracetamol is limited. However, epidemiological data from the use of oral therapeutic doses of paracetamol indicate no undesirable effects on the pregnancy or on the health of the foetus/newborn infant. Prospective data on pregnancies exposed to overdoses did not show an increase in malformation risk. No reproductive studies with the intravenous form of paracetamol have been performed in animals. However, studies with the oral route did not show any malformation of foetotoxic effects. Nevertheless, INFULGAN should only be used during pregnancy after a careful benefit-risk assessment. In this case, the recommended posology and duration must be strictly observed.
Lactation: After oral administration, paracetamol is excreted into breast milk in small quantities. No undesirable effects on nursing infants have been reported. Consequently, INFULGAN may be used in breast-feeding women.

As all paracetamol products, adverse drug reactions are rare (>1/10000, <1/1000) or very rare (<1/10000), they are described as follows: See Table 3.

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Frequent adverse reactions at injection site have been reported during clinical trial (pain and burning sensation). Very rare cases of hypersensitivity reactions ranging from simple skin rash or urticaria to anaphylactic shock have been reported and require discontinuation of treatment. Cases of erythema, flushing, pruritus and tachycardia have been reported.

Probenecid causes an almost 2-fold reduction in clearance of paracetamol by inhibiting its conjugation with glucuronic acid. A reduction of the paracetamol dose should be considered for concomitant treatment with probenecid.
Salicylamide may prolong the elimination t_½ of paracetamol.
Caution should be paid to the concomitant intake of enzyme-inducing substances.
Concomitant use of paracetamol (4 gram per day for at least 4 days) with oral anticoagulants may lead to slight variations of INR values.
In this case, increased monitoring of INR values should be conducted during the period of concomitant use as well as for 1 week after paracetamol treatment has been discontinued.

Store at temperatures not exceeding 30°C. Do not refrigerate or freeze.
Shelf Life: 2 years. From a microbiological point of view, unless the method of opening precludes the risk of microbial contamination, the product should be used immediately. If not used immediately, in-use storage times and conditions are the responsibility of the user.
Text for the 20 ml glass bottle: If diluted in 0.9% sodium chloride or 5% glucose, the solution should also be used immediately. However, if the solution is not used immediately, do not store for more than 1 hour (infusion time included).

Analgesics (Non-Opioid) & Antipyretics

N02BE01 - paracetamol ; Belongs to the class of anilide preparations. Used to relieve pain and fever.

Rx