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6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following adverse reaction is described elsewhere in labeling: • Renal dysfunction upon use with ramipril [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] • Hypertension: The most common adverse events ( > 1%) reported in hypertension trials are back pain, sinusitis, and diarrhea ( 6.1 ) • Cardiovascular risk reduction: The serious adverse events (≥1%) reported in cardiovascular risk reduction trials were intermittent claudication and skin ulcer ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA at 1 (888) 721-7115 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Hypertension Telmisartan has been evaluated for safety in more than 3700 patients, including 1900 treated for over 6 months and more than 1300 for over one year. Adverse experiences have generally been mild and transient in nature and have infrequently required discontinuation of therapy. In placebo-controlled trials involving 1041 patients treated with various doses of telmisartan (20 to 160 mg) monotherapy for up to 12 weeks, the overall incidence of adverse events was similar to that in patients treated with placebo. Adverse events occurring at an incidence of ≥1% in patients treated with telmisartan and at a greater rate than in patients treated with placebo, irrespective of their causal association, are presented in Table 1. Table 1 Adverse Events Occurring at an Incidence of ≥1% in Patients Treated with Telmisartan and at a Greater Rate Than Patients Treated with Placebo Telmisartan n=1455 % Placebo n=380 % Upper respiratory tract infection 7 6 Back pain 3 1 Sinusitis 3 2 Diarrhea 3 2 Pharyngitis 1 0 In addition to the adverse events in the table, the following events occurred at a rate of ≥1% but were at least as frequent in the placebo group: influenza-like symptoms, dyspepsia, myalgia, urinary tract infection, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, pain, fatigue, coughing, hypertension, chest pain, nausea, and peripheral edema. Discontinuation of therapy because of adverse events was required in 2.8% of 1455 patients treated with telmisartan tablets and 6.1% of 380 placebo patients in placebo-controlled clinical trials. The incidence of adverse events was not dose-related and did not correlate with gender, age, or race of patients. The incidence of cough occurring with telmisartan in 6 placebo-controlled trials was identical to that noted for placebo-treated patients (1.6%). In addition to those listed above, adverse events that occurred in more than 0.3% of 3500 patients treated with telmisartan monotherapy in controlled or open trials are listed below. It cannot be determined whether these events were causally related to telmisartan tablets: Autonomic Nervous System : impotence, increased sweating, flushing; Body as a Whole : allergy, fever, leg pain, malaise; Cardiovascular : palpitation, dependent edema, angina pectoris, tachycardia, leg edema, abnormal ECG; CNS : insomnia, somnolence, migraine, vertigo, paresthesia, involuntary muscle contractions, hypoesthesia; Gastrointestinal : flatulence, constipation, gastritis, vomiting, dry mouth, hemorrhoids, gastroenteritis, enteritis, gastroesophageal reflux, toothache, non-specific gastrointestinal disorders; Metabolic : gout, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus; Musculoskeletal : arthritis, arthralgia, leg cramps; Psychiatric : anxiety, depression, nervousness; Resistance Mechanism : infection, fungal infection, abscess, otitis media; Respiratory : asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, dyspnea, epistaxis; Skin : dermatitis, rash, eczema, pruritus; Urinary : micturition frequency, cystitis; Vascular : cerebrovascular disorder; and Special Senses : abnormal vision, conjunctivitis, tinnitus, earache. During initial clinical studies, a single case of angioedema was reported (among a total of 3781 patients treated). Clinical Laboratory Findings In placebo-controlled clinical trials, clinically relevant changes in standard laboratory test parameters were rarely associated with administration of telmisartan tablets. Hemoglobin : A greater than 2 g/dL decrease in hemoglobin was observed in 0.8% telmisartan patients compared with 0.3% placebo patients. No patients discontinued therapy because of anemia. Creatinine : A 0.5 mg/dL rise or greater in creatinine was observed in 0.4% telmisartan patients compared with 0.3% placebo patients. One telmisartan-treated patient discontinued therapy because of increases in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. Liver Enzymes : Occasional elevations of liver chemistries occurred in patients treated with telmisartan; all marked elevations occurred at a higher frequency with placebo. No telmisartan-treated patients discontinued therapy because of abnormal hepatic function. Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Because common adverse reactions were well characterized in studies of telmisartan in hypertension, only adverse events leading to discontinuation and serious adverse events were recorded in subsequent studies of telmisartan for cardiovascular risk reduction. In TRANSCEND (N=5926, 4 years and 8 months of follow-up), discontinuations for adverse events were 8.4% on telmisartan and 7.6% on placebo. The only serious adverse events at least 1% more common on telmisartan than placebo were intermittent claudication (7% vs 6%) and skin ulcer (3% vs 2%). 6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of telmisartan. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Anemia, eosinophilia, thrombocytopenia Gastrointestinal Disorders: Abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia, nausea General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: Asthenia, chest pain, edema, face edema, fatigue, lower limb edema, pain, weakness Hepato-biliary: Abnormal hepatic function/liver disorder Immune System Disorders: Anaphylactic reaction, hypersensitivity Investigations: Increased CPK, uric acid increased Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: Hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia (in diabetic patients), hyponatremia Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Myalgia Nervous System Disorders: Dizziness, headache, syncope Renal and Urinary Disorders: Renal impairment including acute renal failure Reproductive System and Breast Disorders: Erectile dysfunction Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders: Coughing Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Angioedema (with fatal outcome), angioneurotic edema, drug eruption (toxic skin eruption mostly reported as toxicoderma, rash, and urticaria), erythema, sweating increased, urticaria Vascular Disorder: Hypotension (including postural hypotension) Rare cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported in patients receiving angiotensin II receptor blockers, including telmisartan.