4.1. Therapeutic indications

Treatment of essential hypertension in adults.

Treatment of hypertension in children and adolescents from 6 to less than 18 years of age.

4.2. Posology and method of administration

Posology

Adults

The recommended starting dose of olmesartan medoxomil is 10 mg once daily. In patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled at this dose, the dose of olmesartan medoxomil may be increased to 20 mg once daily as the optimal dose. If additional blood pressure reduction is required, olmesartan medoxomil dose may be increased to a maximum of 40 mg daily or hydrochlorothiazide therapy may be added.

The antihypertensive effect of olmesartan medoxomil is substantially present within 2 weeks of initiating therapy and is maximal by about 8 weeks after initiating therapy. This should be borne in mind when considering changing the dose regimen for any patient.

Older people (65 years or older)

No adjustment of dosage is generally required in older people (see below for dose recommendations in patients with renal impairment). If up-titration to the maximum dose of 40 mg daily is required, blood pressure should be closely monitored.

Patients with renal impairment

The maximum dose in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance of 20 – 60 ml/min) is 20 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily, owing to limited experience of higher dosages in this patient group. The use of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance < 20 ml/min) is not recommended, since there is only limited experience in this patient group (see sections 4.4, 5.2).

Patients with hepatic impairment

No adjustment of dosage recommendations is required for patients with mild hepatic impairment. In patients with moderate hepatic impairment, an initial dose of 10 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily is recommended and the maximum dose should not exceed 20 mg once daily. Close monitoring of blood pressure and renal function is advised in hepatically-impaired patients who are already receiving diuretics and/or other antihypertensive agents. There is no experience of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with severe hepatic impairment, therefore use is not recommended in this patient group (see sections 4.4 and 5.2). Olmesartan medoxomil should not be used in patients with biliary obstruction (see section 4.3).

Paediatric population

Children and adolescents from 6 to less than 18 years of age. The recommended starting dose of olmesartan medoxomil in children from 6 to less than 18 years of age is 10 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily. In children whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled at this dose, the dose of olmesartan medoxomil may be increased to 20 mg once daily. If additional blood pressure reduction is required, in children who weigh > 35 kg, the olmesartan medoxomil dose may be increased to a maximum of 40 mg. In children who weigh < 35 kg, the daily dose should not exceed 20 mg.

Other paediatric population

The safety and efficacy of olmesartan medoxomil in children aged 1 to 5 years old have not yet been established. Currently available data are described in sections 4.8 and 5.1 but no recommendation on a posology can be made.

Olmesartan medoxomil should not be used in children below 1 years of age because of safety concerns and lack of data in this age group.

Method of administration

In order to assist compliance, it is recommended that Olmesartan tablets be taken at about the same time each day, with or without food, for example at breakfast time. The tablet should be swallowed with a sufficient amount of fluid (e.g. one glass of water). The tablet should be swallowed whole without chewing.

4.3. Contraindications

Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.

Second and third trimesters of pregnancy (see sections 4.4 and 4.6).

Biliary obstruction (see section 5.2).

The concomitant use of Olmesartan with aliskiren-containing products is contraindicated in patients with diabetes mellitus or renal impairment (GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2) (see sections 4.5 and 5.1).

4.4. Special warnings and precautions for use

Intravascular volume depletion:

Symptomatic hypotension, especially after the first dose, may occur in patients who are volume and/or sodium depleted by vigorous diuretic therapy, dietary salt restriction, diarrhoea or vomiting. Such conditions should be corrected before the administration of olmesartan medoxomil.

Other conditions with stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system:

In patients whose vascular tone and renal function depend predominantly on the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (e.g. patients with severe congestive heart failure or underlying renal disease, including renal artery stenosis), treatment with other drugs that affect this system has been associated with acute hypotension, azotaemia, oliguria or, rarely, acute renal failure. The possibility of similar effects cannot be excluded with angiotensin II receptor antagonists.

Renovascular hypertension:

There is an increased risk of severe hypotension and renal insufficiency when patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or stenosis of the artery to a single functioning kidney are treated with medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

Renal impairment and kidney transplantation:

When olmesartan medoxomil is used in patients with impaired renal function, periodic monitoring of serum potassium and creatinine levels is recommended. Use of olmesartan medoxomil is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance < 20 ml/min) (see sections 4.2, 5.2). There is no experience of the administration of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with a recent kidney transplant or in patients with end-stage renal impairment (i.e. creatinine clearance <12 ml/min).

Hepatic impairment:

There is no experience in patients with severe hepatic impairment and therefore use of olmesartan medoxomil in this patient group is not recommended (see section 4.2 for dosage recommendations in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment).

Hyperkalaemia:

The use of medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may cause hyperkalaemia.

The risk, that may be fatal, is increased in older people, in patients with renal insufficiency and in diabetic patients, in patients concomitantly treated with other medicinal products that may increase potassium levels, and/or in patients with intercurrent events.

Before considering the concomitant use of medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the benefit risk ratio should be evaluated and other alternatives considered.

The main risk factors for hyperkalaemia to be considered are:

- Diabetes, renal impairment, age (> 70 years).

- Combination with one or more other medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and/or potassium supplements. Some medicinal products or therapeutic class of medicinal products may provoke a hyperkalaemia: salt substitutes containing potassium, potassium-sparing diuretics, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptors antagonists, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (including selective COX-2 inhibitors), heparin, immunosuppressor as ciclosporin or tacrolimus, trimethoprim.

- Intercurrent events, in particular dehydration, acute cardiac decompensation, metabolic acidosis, worsening of renal function, sudden worsening of the renal condition (e.g. infectious diseases), cellular lysis (e.g. acute limb ischemia, rhabdomyolysis, extended trauma).

Close-monitoring of serum potassium in at risk patients is recommended (see section 4.5).

Lithium:

As with other angiotensin-II receptor antagonists, the combination of lithium and olmesartan medoxomil is not recommended (see section 4.5).

Aortic or mitral valve stenosis; obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:

As with other vasodilators, special caution is indicated in patients suffering from aortic or mitral valve stenosis, or obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Primary aldosteronism:

Patients with primary aldosteronism generally will not respond to antihypertensive drugs acting through inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system. Therefore, the use of olmesartan medoxomil is not recommended in such patients.

Sprue-like enteropathy:

In very rare cases severe, chronic diarrhoea with substantial weight loss has been reported in patients taking olmesartan few months to years after drug initiation, possibly caused by a localized delayed hypersensitivity reaction. Intestinal biopsies of patients often demonstrated villous atrophy. If a patient develops these symptoms during treatment with olmesartan, exclude other etiologies. Consider discontinuation of olmesartan medoxomil in cases where no other etiology is identified. In cases where symptoms disappear and sprue-like enteropathy is confirmed by biopsy, treatment with olmesartan medoxomil should not be restarted.

Ethnic differences:

As with all other angiotensin II antagonists, the blood pressure lowering effect of olmesartan medoxomil is somewhat less in black patients than in non-black patients, possibly because of a higher prevalence of low-renin status in the black hypertensive population.

Pregnancy:

Angiotensin II receptor antagonists (AIIRAs) should not be initiated during pregnancy. Unless continued AIIRA therapy is considered essential, patients planning pregnancy should be changed to alternative anti-hypertensive treatments which have an established safety profile for use in pregnancy. When pregnancy is diagnosed, treatment with AIIRAs should be stopped immediately and, if appropriate, alternative therapy should be started (see sections 4.3 and 4.6).

Other:

As with any antihypertensive agent, excessive blood pressure decrease in patients with ischaemic heart disease or ischaemic cerebrovascular disease could result in a myocardial infarction or stroke.

Dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS):

There is evidence that the concomitant use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren increases the risk of hypotension, hyperkalaemia and decreased renal function (including acute renal failure). Dual blockade of RAAS through the combined use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren is therefore not recommended (see sections 4.5 and 5.1).

If dual blockade therapy is considered absolutely necessary, this should only occur under specialist supervision and subject to frequent close monitoring of renal function, electrolytes and blood pressure.

ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers should not be used concomitantly in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Olmesartan contains lactose. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicine.

4.5. Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction

Paediatric population:

Interaction studies have only been performed in adults.

It is not known if the interactions in children are similar to those in adults.

Effects of other medicinal products on olmesartan medoxomil:

Potassium supplements and potassium sparing diuretics:

Based on experience with the use of other drugs that affect the renin-angiotensin system, concomitant use of potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements, salt substitutes containing potassium or other drugs that may increase serum potassium levels (e.g. heparin) may lead to increases in serum potassium (see section 4.4). Such concomitant use is therefore not recommended.

Other antihypertensive medications:

The blood pressure lowering effect of olmesartan medoxomil can be increased by concomitant use of other antihypertensive medications.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs):

NSAIDs (including acetylsalicylic acid at doses (> 3 g/day and also COX-2 inhibitors) and angiotensin-II receptor antagonists may act synergistically by decreasing glomerular filtration. The risk of the concomitant use of NSAIDs and angiotensin II antagonists is the occurrence of acute renal failure. Monitoring of renal function at the beginning of treatment should be recommended as well as regular hydration of the patient.

Additionally, concomitant treatment can reduce the antihypertensive effect of angiotensin II receptor antagonists, leading to their partial loss of efficacy.

Bile acid sequestering agent colesevelam:

Concurrent administration of the bile acid sequestering agent colesevelam hydrochloride reduces the systemic exposure and peak plasma concentration of olmesartan and reduces t1/2. Administration of olmesartan medoxomil at least 4 hours prior to colesevelam hydrochloride decreased the drug interaction effect. Administering olmesartan medoxomil at least 4 hours before the colesevelam hydrochloride dose should be considered (see section 5.2).

Other compounds:

After treatment with antacid (aluminium magnesium hydroxide), a modest reduction in bioavailability of olmesartan was observed. Coadministration of warfarin and digoxin had no effect on the pharmacokinetics of olmesartan.

Dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS)

Clinical trial data has shown that dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) through the combined use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren is associated with a higher frequency of adverse events such as hypotension, hyperkalaemia and decreased renal function (including acute renal failure) compared to the use of a single RAAS-acting agent (see sections 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1).

Effects of olmesartan medoxomil on other medicinal products:

Lithium:

Reversible increases in serum lithium concentrations and toxicity have been reported during concomitant administration of lithium with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II antagonists. Therefore use of olmesartan medoxomil and lithium in combination is not recommended (see section 4.4). If use of the combination proves necessary, careful monitoring of serum lithium levels is recommended.

Other compounds:

Compounds which have been investigated in specific clinical studies in healthy volunteers include warfarin, digoxin, an antacid (magnesium aluminium hydroxide), hydrochlorothiazide and pravastatin. No clinically relevant interactions were observed and in particular olmesartan medoxomil had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of warfarin or the pharmacokinetics of digoxin.

Olmesartan had no clinically relevant inhibitory effects on in vitro human cytochrome P450 enzymes 1A1/2, 2A6, 2C8/9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4, and had no or minimal inducing effects on rat cytochrome P450 activities. Therefore in vivo interaction studies with known cytochrome P450 enzyme inhibitors and inducers were not conducted, and no clinically relevant interactions between olmesartan and drugs metabolised by the above cytochrome P450 enzymes are expected.

4.6. Fertility, pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy

The use of AIIRAs is not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy (see section 4.4). The use of AIIRAs is contraindicated during the second and third trimester of pregnancy (see sections 4.3 and 4.4).

Epidemiological evidence regarding the risk of teratogenicity following exposure to ACE inhibitors during the first trimester of pregnancy has not been conclusive; however a small increase in risk cannot be excluded. Whilst there is no controlled epidemiological data on the risk with AIIRAs, similar risks may exist for this class of drugs. Unless continued AIIRA therapy is considered essential, patients planning pregnancy should be changed to alternative anti-hypertensive treatments which have an established safety profile for use in pregnancy. When pregnancy is diagnosed, treatment with AIIRAs should be stopped immediately, and, if appropriate, alternative therapy should be started.

Exposure to AIIRAtherapy during the second and third trimesters is known to induce human fetotoxicity (decreased renal function, oligohydramnios, skull ossification retardation) and neonatal toxicity (renal failure, hypotension, hyperkalaemia). (See section 5.3.)

Should exposure to AIIRAs have occurred from the second trimester of pregnancy, ultrasound check of renal function and skull is recommended.

Infants whose mothers have taken AIIRAs should be closely observed for hypotension (see also sections 4.3 and 4.4).

Breastfeeding

Olmesartan is excreted in the milk of lactating rats but it is not known whether olmesartan is excreted in human milk. Because no information is available regarding the use of Olmesartan during breastfeeding, Olmesartan is not recommended and alternative treatments with better established safety profiles during breast-feeding are preferable, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.

4.7. Effects on ability to drive and use machines

Olmesartan has minor or moderate influence on the ability to drive and use machines. Dizziness or fatigue may occasionally occur in patients taking antihypertensive therapy, which may impair the ability to react.

4.8. Undesirable effects

Summary of the safety profile:

The most commonly reported adverse reactions during treatmentwith olmesartan medoxomil are headache (7.7%), influenza-like symptoms (4.0%) and dizziness (3.7%).

In placebo-controlled monotherapy studies, the only adverse drug reaction that was unequivocally related to treatment was dizziness (2.5% incidence on olmesartan medoxomil and 0.9% on placebo).

The incidence was also somewhat higher on olmesartan medoxomil compared with placebo for hypertriglyceridaemia (2.0% versus 1.1%) and for raised creatine phosphokinase (1.3% versus 0.7%).

Tabulated list of adverse reactions:

Adverse reactions from olmesartan medoxomil in clinical trials, post-authorisation safety studies and spontaneous reporting are summarized in the below table.

They are listed by System Organ Class and ranked under headings of frequency using the following convention: very common (≥1/10); common (≥1/100 to, <1/10); uncommon (≥1/1,000 to, <1/100); rare (≥1/10,000 to, <1/1,000); very rare (<1/10,000); not known (cannot be estimated from available data).

MedDRA

System Organ Class

Adverse reactions

Frequency

Blood and lymphatic system disorders

Thrombocytopenia

Uncommon

Immune system disorders

Anaphylactic reaction

Uncommon

Metabolism and nutrition disorders

Hypertriglyceridaemia

Common

Hyperuricaemia

Common

Hyperkalaemia

Rare

Nervous system disorders

Dizziness

Common

Headache

Common

Ear and labyrinth disorders

Vertigo

Uncommon

Cardiac disorders

Angina pectoris

Uncommon

Vascular disorders

Hypotension

Rare

Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders

Bronchitis

Common

Pharyngitis

Common

Cough

Common

Rhinitis

Common

Gastrointestinal disorders

Gastroenteritis

Common

Diarrhoea

Common

Abdominal pain

Common

Nausea

Common

Dyspepsia

Common

Vomiting

Uncommon

Sprue-like enteropathy (see section 4.4)

Very rare

Hepatobiliary disorders

Autoimmune hepatitis*

Not known

Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders

Exanthema

Uncommon

Allergic dermatitis

Uncommon

Urticaria

Uncommon

Rash

Uncommon

Pruritus

Uncommon

Angioedema

Rare

Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders

Arthritis

Common

Back pain

Common

Skeletal pain

Common

Myalgia

Uncommon

Muscle spasm

Rare

Renal and urinary disorders

Haematuria

Common

Urinary tract infection

Common

Acute renal failure

Rare

Renal insufficiency

Rare

General disorders and administration site conditions

Pain

Common

Chest pain

Common

Peripheral oedema

Common

Influenza-like symptoms

Common

Fatigue

Common

Face oedema

Uncommon

Asthenia

Uncommon

Malaise

Uncommon

Lethargy

Rare

Investigations

Hepatic enzymes increased

Common

Blood urea increased

Common

Blood creatine phosphokinase increased

Common

Blood creatinine increased

Rare

*Cases of autoimmune hepatitis with a latency of few months to years have been reported post-marketing, that were reversible after the withdrawal of olmesartan.

Single cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported in temporal association with the intake of angiotensin II receptor blockers.

Additional information on special populations

In older people the frequency of hypotension is slightly increased from rare to uncommon.

Paediatric population:

The safety of olmesartan medoxomil was monitored in 361 children and adolescents, aged 1-17 years old during 2 clinical trials. Whilst the nature and severity of the adverse events are similar to that of the adults, the frequency of the following is higher in the children:

- Epistaxis is a common adverse event in children (i.e. ≥ 1/100 to < 1/10) that has not been reported in adults.

- During the 3 weeks of double blind study, the incidence of treatment emergent dizziness and headache nearly doubled in children 6-17 years of age in the high olmesartan medoxomil dose group.

The overall safety profile for olmesartan medoxomil in paediatric patients does not differ significantly from the safety profile in adults.

Reporting of suspected adverse reactions

Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via Yellow Card Scheme, Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

4.9. Overdose

Only limited information is available regarding overdosage in humans. The most likely effect of overdosage is hypotension. In the event of overdosage, the patient should be carefully monitored and treatment should be symptomatic and supportive.

No information is available regarding the dialysability of olmesartan.