Amlodipine and Atorvastatin

CADUET (amlodipine and atorvastatin) is indicated in patients for whom treatment with both amlodipine and atorvastatin is appropriate. CADUET is a combination of amlodipine besylate, a calcium channel blocker, and atorvastatin calcium, a HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitor (statin), indicated in patients for whom treatment with both amlodipine and atorvastatin is appropriate. Amlodipine is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions. Amlodipine is indicated for the treatment of Coronary Artery Disease.

CADUET is a combination of two drugs, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) and an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (atorvastatin). The amlodipine component of CADUET inhibits the transmembrane influx of calcium ions into vascular smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. The atorvastatin component of CADUET is a selective, competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme that converts 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, a precursor of sterols, including cholesterol. Amlodipine Amlodipine binds to both dihydropyridine and nondihydropyridine binding sites. The contractile processes of cardiac muscle and vascular smooth muscle are dependent upon the movement of extracellular calcium ions into these cells through specific ion channels.

Usual starting dose (mg daily) Maximum dose (mg daily) Amlodipine 5 Start small adults or children, fragile, or elderly patients, or patients with hepatic insufficiency on 2.5 mg once daily. 10 Atorvastatin 10–20 Start patients requiring large LDL-C reduction (> 45%) at 40 mg once daily. 80 CADUET Dosage of CADUET must be individualized on the basis of both effectiveness and tolerance for each individual component in the treatment of hypertension/angina and hyperlipidemia. Select doses of amlodipine and atorvastatin independently. CADUET may be substituted for its individually titrated components. Patients may be given the equivalent dose of CADUET or a dose of CADUET with increased amounts of amlodipine, atorvastatin, or both for additional antianginal effects, blood pressure lowering, or lipid-lowering effect.

• Acute liver failure or decompensated cirrhosis. • Hypersensitivity to amlodipine, atorvastatin or any excipients in ‎CADUET. Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, angioneurotic edema, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis, have been reported. • Acute liver failure or decompensated cirrhosis. • Hypersensitivity to amlodipine, atorvastatin or any excipient in CADUET.

• Myopathy and Rhabdomyolysis: Risk factors include age 65 years or greater, uncontrolled hypothyroidism, renal impairment, concomitant use with certain other drugs, and higher CADUET dosage. Discontinue CADUET if markedly elevated CK levels occur or myopathy is diagnosed or suspected. Temporarily discontinue CADUET in patients experiencing an acute or serious condition at high risk of developing renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis. Inform patients of the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis when starting or increasing CADUET dosage. Instruct patients to promptly report unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever. • Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy (IMNM): Rare reports of IMNM, an autoimmune myopathy, have been reported with statin use. Discontinue CADUET if IMNM is suspected.

The following important adverse reactions are described below and elsewhere in the labeling: • Myopathy and Rhabdomyolysis • Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy • Hepatic Dysfunction • Increases in HbA1c and Fasting Serum Glucose Levels Most common adverse reaction to amlodipine is edema which occurred in a dose related manner. Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 5%) are nasopharyngitis, arthralgia, diarrhea, pain in extremity, and urinary tract infection to atorvastatin.

Data from a drug-drug interaction study involving 10 mg of amlodipine and 80 mg of atorvastatin in healthy subjects indicate that the pharmacokinetics of amlodipine are not altered when the drugs are co-administered. The effect of amlodipine on the pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin showed no effect on the C max: 91% (90% confidence interval: 80 to 103%), but the AUC of atorvastatin increased by 18% (90% confidence interval: 109 to 127%) in the presence of amlodipine, which is not clinically meaningful. No drug interaction studies have been conducted with CADUET and other drugs, although studies have been conducted in the individual amlodipine and atorvastatin components, as described below: • See full prescribing information for details regarding concomitant use of CADUET with other drugs or grapefruit juice that increase the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis.

Store at 25°C (77°F), excursions permitted to 15°C -30°C (59°F -86°F).