Ropivacaine

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Ropivacaine Hydrochloride Injection is indicated for the production of local or regional anesthesia for surgery and for acute pain management. Surgical Anesthesia : epidural block for surgery including cesarean section; major nerve block; local infiltration. Acute Pain Management : epidural continuous infusion or intermittent bolus, e.g., postoperative or labor; local infiltration Ropivacaine Hydrochloride is an amide local anesthetic indicated in adults for the production of local or regional anesthesia for surgery and for acute pain management. ( 1 ) Surgical Anesthesia: epidural block for surgery including cesarean section; major nerve block; local infiltration. ( 1 ) Acute Pain Management: epidural continuous infusion or intermittent bolus, e.g., postoperative or labor; local infiltration. ( 1 )

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION • See Table 1 for Dosage Recommendations. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Important Administration Instructions There have been adverse event reports of chondrolysis in patients receiving intra-articular infusions of local anesthetics following arthroscopic and other surgical procedures. Ropivacaine Hydrochloride Injection is not approved for this use [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )]. The rapid injection of a large volume of local anesthetic solution should be avoided and fractional (incremental) doses should always be used. The smallest dose and concentration required to produce the desired result should be administered. The dose of any local anesthetic administered varies with the anesthetic procedure, the area to be anesthetized, the vascularity of the tissues, the number of neuronal segments to be blocked, the depth of anesthesia and degree of muscle relaxation required, the duration of anesthesia desired, individual tolerance, and the physical condition of the patient. Patients in poor general condition due to aging or other compromising factors such as partial or complete heart conduction block, advanced liver disease or severe renal dysfunction require special attention although regional anesthesia is frequently indicated in these patients. To reduce the risk of potentially serious adverse reactions, attempts should be made to optimize the patient's condition before major blocks are performed, and the dosage should be adjusted accordingly. Use an adequate test dose (3 to 5 mL of a short acting local anesthetic solution containing epinephrine) prior to induction of complete block. This test dose should be repeated if the patient is moved in such a fashion as to have displaced the epidural catheter. Allow adequate time for onset of anesthesia following administration of each test dose. These products are intended for single-dose and are free from preservatives. Any solution remaining from an opened container should be discarded promptly. 2.2 Dosage Recommendations Table 1 Dosage Recommendations SURGICAL ANESTHESIA Conc. Volume mL Dose mg Onset min Duration hours mg/mL (%) Lumbar EpiduralAdministration Surgery 5 (0.5%) 15 to 30 75 to 150 15 to 30 2 to 4 10 (1%) 15 to 20 150 to 200 10 to 20 4 to 6 Lumbar EpiduralAdministration Cesarean Section 5 (0.5%) 20 to 30 100 to 150 15 to 25 2 to 4 Thoracic EpiduralAdministration Surgery 5 (0.5%) 5 to 15 25 to 75 10 to 20 n/a* Major Nerve Block † (e.g., brachial plexus block) 5 (0.5%) 35 to 50 175 to 250 15 to 30 5 to 8 Field Block † (e.g., minor nerve blocks and infiltration) 5 (0.5%) 1 to 40 5 to 200 1 to 15 2 to 6 LABOR PAIN MANAGEMENT Lumbar Epidural Administration Initial Dose 2 (0.2%) 10 to 20 20 to 40 10 to 15 0.5 to 1.5 Continuous infusion ‡ 2 (0.2%) 6 to 14 mL/h 12 to 28 mg/h n/a* n/a* Incremental injections (top-up) ‡ 2 (0.2%) 10 to 15 mL/h 20 to 30 mg/h n/a* n/a* POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT Lumbar Epidural Administration Continuous infusion § 2 (0.2%) 6 to 14 mL/h 12 to 28 mg/h n/a* n/a* Thoracic Epidural Administration Continuous infusion § Infiltration (e.g., minor nerve block) 2 (0.2%) 6 to 14 mL/h 12 to 28 mg/h n/a* n/a* 2 (0.2%) 1 to 100 2 to 200 1 to 5 2 to 6 5 (0.5%) 1 to 40 5 to 200 1 to 5 2 to 6 * = Not Applicable † = The dose for a major nerve block must be adjusted according to site of administration and patient status. Supraclavicular brachial plexus blocks may be associated with a higher frequency of serious adverse reactions, regardless of the local anesthetic used [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )]. ‡ = Median dose of 21 mg per hour was administered by continuous infusion or by incremental injections (top-ups) over a median delivery time of 5.5 hours. § = Cumulative doses up to 770 mg of Ropivacaine Hydrochloride over 24 hours (intraoperative block plus postoperative infusion); Continuous epidural infusion at rates up to 28 mg per hour for 72 hours have been well tolerated in adults, i.e., 2016 mg plus surgical dose of approximately 100 to 150 mg as top-up. The doses in the table are those considered to be necessary to produce a successful block and should be regarded as guidelines for use in adults. Individual variations in onset and duration occur. The figures reflect the expected average dose range needed. For other local anesthetic techniques standard current text books should be consulted. When prolonged blocks are used, either through continuous infusion or through repeated bolus administration, the risks of reaching a toxic plasma concentration or inducing local neural injury must be considered. Experience to date indicates that a cumulative dose of up to 770 mg Ropivacaine Hydrochloride Injection administered over 24 hours is well tolerated in adults when used for postoperative pain management: i.e., 2016 mg. Caution should be exercised when administering Ropivacaine Hydrochloride Injection for prolonged periods of time, e.g., >70 hours in debilitated patients. For treatment of postoperative pain, the following

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS Reactions to ropivacaine are characteristic of those associated with other amide-type local anesthetics. A major cause of adverse reactions to this group of drugs may be associated with excessive plasma levels, which may be due to overdosage, unintentional intravascular injection or slow metabolic degradation. The reported adverse events are derived from clinical studies conducted in the U.S. and other countries. The reference drug was usually bupivacaine. The studies used a variety of premedications, sedatives, and surgical procedures of varying length. A total of 3,988 patients have been exposed to Ropivacaine Hydrochloride at concentrations up to 1% in clinical trials. Each patient was counted once for each type of adverse event. Because clinical trials are conducted under widely conditions, adverse reactions 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. Incidence ≥ 5% For the indications of epidural administration in surgery, cesarean section, postoperative pain management, peripheral nerve block, and local infiltration, the following treatment-emergent adverse events were reported with an incidence of ≥ 5% in all clinical studies (N=3988): hypotension (37%), nausea (24.8%), vomiting (11.6%), bradycardia (9.3%), fever (9.2%), pain (8%), postoperative complications (7.1%), anemia (6.1%), paresthesia (5.6%), headache (5.1%), pruritus (5.1%), and back pain (5%). Incidence 1 to 5% Urinary retention, dizziness, rigors, hypertension, tachycardia, anxiety, oliguria, hypoesthesia, chest pain, hypokalemia, dyspnea, cramps, and urinary tract infection. Incidence in Controlled Clinical Trials The reported adverse events are derived from controlled clinical studies with Ropivacaine Hydrochloride (concentrations ranged from 0.125% to 1% for Ropivacaine Hydrochloride and 0.25% to 0.75% for bupivacaine) in the U.S. and other countries involving 3,094 patients. Table 2 and Table 3 list adverse events (number and percentage) that occurred in at least 1% of Ropivacaine Hydrochloride -treated patients in these studies. The majority of patients receiving concentrations higher than 5 mg/mL (0.5%) were treated with Ropivacaine Hydrochloride . Table 2 Adverse Events Reported in ≥1% of Adult Patients Receiving Regional or Local Anesthesia (Surgery, Labor, Cesarean Section, Postoperative Pain Management, Peripheral Nerve Block and Local Infiltration) Adverse Reaction Ropivacaine Hydrochloride total N=1661 Bupivacaine total N=1433 N % N % Hypotension 536 (32.3) 408 (28.5) Nausea 283 (17) 207 (14.4) Vomiting 117 (7) 88 (6.1) Bradycardia 96 (5.8) 73 (5.1) Headache 84 (5.1) 68 (4.7) Paresthesia 82 (4.9) 57 (4) Back pain 73 (4.4) 75 (5.2) Pain 71 (4.3) 71 (5) Pruritus 63 (3.8) 40 (2.8) Fever 61 (3.7) 37 (2.6) Dizziness 42 (2.5) 23 (1.6) Rigors (Chills) 42 (2.5) 24 (1.7) Postoperative complications 41 (2.5) 44 (3.1) Hypoesthesia 27 (1.6) 24 (1.7) Urinary retention 23 (1.4) 20 (1.4) Progression of labor poor/failed 23 (1.4) 22 (1.5) Anxiety 21 (1.3) 11 (0.8) Breast disorder, breast-feeding 21 (1.3) 12 (0.8) Rhinitis 18 (1.1) 13 (0.9) Table 3 Adverse Events Reported in ≥1% of Fetuses or Neonates of Mothers Who Received Regional Anesthesia (Cesarean Section and Labor Studies) Adverse Reaction Ropivacaine Hydrochloride total N=639 Bupivacaine total N=573 N % N % Fetal bradycardia 77 (12.1) 68 (11.9) Neonatal jaundice 49 (7.7) 47 (8.2) Neonatal complication-NOS 42 (6.6) 38 (6.6) Apgar score low 18 (2.8) 14 (2.4) Neonatal respiratory disorder 17 (2.7) 18 (3.1) Neonatal tachypnea 14 (2.2) 15 (2.6) Neonatal fever 13 (2) 14 (2.4) Fetal tachycardia 13 (2) 12 (2.1) Fetal distress 11 (1.7) 10 (1.7) Neonatal infection 10 (1.6) 8 (1.4) Neonatal hypoglycemia 8 (1.3) 16 (2.8) Incidence <1% The following adverse events were reported during the Ropivacaine Hydrochloride clinical program in more than one patient (N=3988), occurred at an overall incidence of <1%, and were considered relevant: Application Site Reactions - injection site pain Cardiovascular System - vasovagal reaction, syncope, postural hypotension, non-specific ECG abnormalities Female Reproductive - poor progression of labor, uterine atony Gastrointestinal System - fecal incontinence, tenesmus, neonatal vomiting General and Other Disorders - hypothermia, malaise, asthenia, accident and/or injury Hearing and Vestibular - tinnitus, hearing abnormalities Heart Rate and Rhythm - extrasystoles, non-specific arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation Liver and Biliary System - jaundice Metabolic Disorders - hypomagnesemia Musculoskeletal System - myalgia Myo/Endo/Pericardium - ST segment changes, myocardial infarction Nervous System - tremor, Horner's syndrome, paresis, dyskinesia, neuropathy, vertigo, coma, convulsion, hypokinesia, hypotonia, ptosis, stupor Psychiatric Disorders - agitation, confusion, somnolence, nervousness, amnesia, hallucination, emo

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Patients who are administered local anesthetics are at increased risk of developing methemoglobinemia when concurrently exposed to the following drugs, which could include other local anesthetics [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )]: Examples of Drugs Associated with Methemoglobinemia Class Examples Nitrates/Nitrites nitric oxide, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, nitrous oxide Local anesthetics articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine Antineoplastic agents cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase Antibiotics dapsone, nitrofurantoin, para-aminosalicylic acid, sulfonamides Antimalarials chloroquine, primaquine Anticonvulsants Phenobarbital, phenytoin, sodium valproate Other drugs acetaminophen, metoclopramide, quinine, sulfasalazine Ropivacaine Hydrochloride should be used with caution in patients receiving other local anesthetics or agents structurally related to amide- type local anesthetics, since the toxic effects of these drugs are additive. Cytochrome P4501A2 is involved in the formation of 3-hydroxy ropivacaine, the major metabolite. In vivo, the plasma clearance of ropivacaine was reduced by 70% during coadministration of fluvoxamine (25 mg bid for 2 days), a selective and potent CYP1A2 inhibitor. Thus strong inhibitors of cytochrome P4501A2, such as fluvoxamine, given concomitantly during administration of Ropivacaine Hydrochloride, can interact with Ropivacaine Hydrochloride leading to increased ropivacaine plasma levels. Caution should be exercised when CYP1A2 inhibitors are coadministered. Possible interactions with drugs known to be metabolized by CYP1A2 via competitive inhibition such as theophylline and imipramine may also occur. Coadministration of a selective and potent inhibitor of CYP3A4, ketoconazole (100 mg bid for 2 days with ropivacaine infusion administered 1 hour after ketoconazole) caused a 15% reduction in in vivo plasma clearance of ropivacaine. Specific trials studying the interaction between ropivacaine and class III antiarrhythmic drugs (e.g., amiodarone) have not been performed, but caution is advised [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.13 )]. • Agents structurally related to amide-type local anesthetics: Concurrent use may cause additive effects. ( 7 )