Consumer medicine information

Fibsol

Lisinopril

BRAND INFORMATION

Brand name

Fibsol

Active ingredient

Lisinopril

Schedule

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about FIBSOL.

It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking FIBSOL against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns about taking this medicine.

Keep this leaflet with your medicine. You may need to read it again.

What FIBSOL is used for

FIBSOL is used to treat:

high blood pressure (hypertension)
heart failure
patients who have had a heart attack.

FIBSOL belongs to a group of medicines called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

How FIBSOL works

FIBSOL works by widening your blood vessels, making it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.

This helps increase the supply of oxygen to your heart, so that when you place extra demands on your heart, such as during exercise, your heart may cope better and you may not get short of breath as easily. By increasing the supply of oxygen to your heart, your heart does not have to work as hard which may reduce the risk of further damage to your heart after you have a heart attack.

Your doctor may have prescribed FIBSOL for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why FIBSOL has been prescribed for you.

FIBSOL is not addictive.

This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.

Use in children

The safety and effectiveness of FIBSOL in children have not been established.

Before you take it

When you must not take it

Do not take FIBSOL if:

you are allergic to FIBSOL or any other medicine containing lisinopril, or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to FIBSOL may include skin rash, itchiness, shortness of breath, swelling of the face, lips or tongue, muscle pain or tenderness or joint pain.
you have taken any other “ACE inhibitor” medicine before, which caused your face, lips, tongue, throat, hands or feet to swell up, or made it hard for you to breath.
If you have had an allergic reaction to an ACE inhibitor before, you may be allergic to FIBSOL.
you have a history of swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat, hands or feet, for no apparent reason.

Do not take FIBSOL if you are pregnant. It may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy.

Do not take FIBSOL if you are breastfeeding. This medicine passes into breast milk and therefore there is a possibility that the breast-fed baby may be affected.

Do not take FIBSOL if the expiry date (EXP) printed on the pack has passed.

Do not take this medicine if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering or deterioration. If it has expired, damaged or shows any signs of deterioration (e.g. darkening of the tablets), return it to your pharmacist.

Do not take FIBSOL if you are undergoing haemodialysis.

Do not take FIBSOL if you are taking blood pressure medicine containing aliskiren, and you have diabetes mellitus or kidney problems.

If you are not sure whether you should start taking FIBSOL, talk to your doctor.

Before you start to take it

Tell your doctor if you have allergies to:

any other medicines
any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.

Tell your doctor if you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:

kidney problems, or are having dialysis
liver problems
heart problems
low blood pressure, which you may notice as dizziness or lightheadedness
diabetes
aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aorta), renal stenosis (narrowing of the renal artery) or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an increase in the thickness of the heart muscle)
diarrhoea or vomiting
high levels of potassium in your blood.

Tell your doctor if you are following a very low salt diet.

Tell your doctor if you are about to receive desensitisation therapy for an allergy.

Tell your doctor if you are scheduled to have surgery under general anaesthetic. Your blood pressure may drop.

Tell your doctor if you are taking medicines called mTOR inhibitors (such as temsirolimus, everolimus, sirolimus) or medicines containing NEP inhibitors (such as racecadotril). Taking these medicines with FIBSOL may increase the risk of angioedema. Signs of angioedema include swelling of the face, lips, tongue and/or throat with difficulty in swallowing of breathing.

Tell your doctor if you plan to become pregnant or breastfeed.

If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you start taking FIBSOL.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some medicines and FIBSOL may interfere with each other. These include:

other medicines used to treat high blood pressure or heart problems called angiotensin II receptor blockers, such as candesartan, valdesartan, telmisartan, olmesartan or irbesartan
other medicines used to treat high blood pressure, including any that contain aliskiren
diuretics, also known as fluid or water tablets
non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), medicines used to relieve pain, swelling and other symptoms of inflammation, including arthritis
potassium supplements or potassium-containing salt substitutes
lithium, a medicine used to treat mood swings and some types of depression
heparin, a medicine used to treat blood clots
gold injections (such a sodium aurothiomalate) usually used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
insulin or other medicines used to treat diabetes
medicines called mTOR inhibitors (such as temsirolimus, everolimus, sirolimus) or medicines containing NEP inhibitors (such as racecadotril)

These medicines may be affected by FIBSOL, or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines.

Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking FIBSOL.

How to take FIBSOL

Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how many tablets you will need to take each day and when to take them. This depends on your condition and whether or not you are taking any other medicines.

If you do not understand the instructions on the container, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

How much to take

FIBSOL is available as 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg tablets and is taken as a single daily dose.

The dose that your doctor prescribes will depend upon your condition.

High blood pressure (hypertension)
The usual recommended starting dose is 5 mg to 10 mg taken once a day.

The usual maintenance dose is 10 mg to 20 mg taken once a day.

Heart failure
The usual starting dose is 2.5 mg taken once a day.

The usual effective dosage is 5 mg to 20 mg taken once a day.

Heart attack
FIBSOL may be started within 24 hours of the onset of the symptoms of heart attack. The starting dose is 5 mg, followed by 5 mg after 24 hours, 10 mg after 48 hours and then 10 mg taken once a day thereafter.

How to take it

Swallow FIBSOL whole with a full glass of water.

When to take it

Take FIBSOL at about the same time each day. Taking your tablets at about the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take the tablets.

It does not matter if you take FIBSOL before or after food.

How long to take it

FIBSOL helps control your condition, but does not cure it. Therefore you must take FIBSOL every day. Continue taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you.

If you forget to take FIBSOL

If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.

Otherwise, take it as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking your medicine as you would normally.

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed. This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.

If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

If you have trouble remembering to take your tablets, ask your pharmacist for some hints.

If you take too much (overdose)

Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26), or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much FIBSOL. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.

If you take too much FIBSOL, you may feel lightheaded, dizzy or faint.

While you are taking it

Things you must do

Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking FIBSOL.

If you are about to be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor, dentist or pharmacist that you are taking FIBSOL.

Make sure you drink enough water during exercise and hot weather when you are taking FIBSOL, especially if you sweat a lot.

If you do not drink enough water while taking this medicine, you may faint or feel light-headed or sick. This is because your blood pressure is dropping suddenly. If you continue to feel unwell, tell your doctor.

If you have excessive vomiting or diarrhoea while taking FIBSOL tell your doctor. You may lose too much water and salt and your blood pressure may drop too much.

If you feel light-headed or dizzy after taking your first dose of FIBSOL, or when your dose is increased, tell your doctor immediately. This is especially important if you are taking this medicine for heart failure.

If you plan to have surgery that needs a general anaesthetic, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking FIBSOL. Your blood pressure may drop suddenly.

If you become pregnant while taking FIBSOL, tell your doctor immediately.

Tell your doctor that you are taking FIBSOL if you are about to have any blood tests. It may interfere with the results of some tests.

Have your blood pressure checked when instructed by your doctor, to make sure FIBSOL is working.

Go to your doctor regularly for a check-up. Your doctor may occasionally do a blood test to check your potassium levels and see how your kidneys are working.

Things you must not do

Do not give FIBSOL to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.

Do not take FIBSOL to treat any other complaints unless your doctor or pharmacist tells you to.

Do not stop taking FIBSOL, or lower the dosage, without checking with your doctor.

Things to be careful of

If you feel lightheaded, dizzy or faint when getting out of bed or standing up, get up slowly. Standing up slowly, especially when you get up out of bed or chairs, will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure. If this problem continues or gets worse, talk to your doctor.

Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how FIBSOL affects you.

As with other ACE inhibitors, FIBSOL may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, tiredness and drowsiness in some people. Make sure you know how you react to FIBSOL before you drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or lightheaded. If this occurs do not drive. If you drink alcohol, dizziness or lightheadedness may be worse.

Side effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking FIBSOL.

FIBSOL helps most people with hypertension, heart failure and people who have had a heart attack, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

Following is a list of possible side effects. Do not be alarmed by this list. You may not experience any of them.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:

light headedness or dizziness
headache
fatigue
dry cough
mild stomach upsets such as feeling sick, diarrhoea or stomach pain
hair loss or thinning
impotence
changes in the way things taste
feeling sleepy or difficulty in going to sleep, strange dreams
runny nose or sinus pain
changes in the way things smell.

These side effects are usually mild but may be serious.

Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:

fast or irregular heart beats
fainting
yellowing of the skin and/or eyes
itchy skin rash or other skin problems
signs of frequent or worrying infections such as fever, mouth or tongue ulcers
tingling or numbness of the hands and feet
bruising more easily than normal
severe abdominal pain
unusual tiredness or weakness, fatigue
passing less urine than is normal for you
swelling of the hands, feet or ankles
any severe skin reaction
signs of dehydration such as nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, headache, drowsiness and tiredness
seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not there.

These may be serious side effects. You may need medical attention. Serious side effects are rare.

If any of the following happen, stop taking FIBSOL and either tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital:

swelling of the face, lips, mouth or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing
pink or red itchy spots on the skin which may blister and progress to form raised, red, pale-centred marks
chest pain or feeling of tightness, pressure or heaviness in the chest
collapse, numbness or weakness in the arms or legs
severe flaking or peeling of the skin.

These are very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are very rare.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.

After using it

Storage

Keep your tablets in the pack until it is time to take them. If you take the tablets out of the pack they may not keep well.

Keep your tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.

Do not store FIBSOL or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.

Keep it where children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Disposal

If your doctor or pharmacist tells you to stop taking FIBSOL or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over.

Product description

What it looks like

FIBSOL 5 mg tablets

Off white round tablet, debossed with “L” break-line “5” on one side and plain on the other side.

FIBSOL 10 mg tablets

Off white round tablet, debossed with “L” break-line “10” on one side and plain on the other side.

FIBSOL 20 mg tablets

Off white round tablet, debossed with “L” break-line “20” on one side and plain on the other side.

FIBSOL is available in blister packs of 30 tablets.

Ingredients

Active ingredient:

lisinopril (as dihydrate).

Other ingredients:

mannitol
calcium hydrogen phosphate
maize starch
pregelatinised maize starch
colloidal anhydrous silica
magnesium stearate.

FIBSOL does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.

Sponsor

Arrotex Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd
15 – 17 Chapel Street
Cremorne VIC 3121

Australian registration numbers

5 mg Aust R 101316

10 mg Aust R 101317

20 mg Aust R 101318

This leaflet was revised in August 2023.

Published by MIMS October 2023

BRAND INFORMATION

Brand name

Fibsol

Active ingredient

Lisinopril

Schedule

1 Name of Medicine

Lisinopril dihydrate.

2 Qualitative and Quantitative Composition

Lisinopril dihydrate is a white to off white crystalline powder that is soluble in water, sparingly soluble in methanol and practically insoluble in ethanol.
Fibsol tablets come in three strengths and contain lisinopril dihydrate equivalent to 5 mg, 10 mg or 20 mg of lisinopril.
For full list of excipients, see Section 6.1 List of Excipients.

3 Pharmaceutical Form

Fibsol 5.

Off white round tablet, debossed with "L" break-line "5" on one side and plain on other side.

Fibsol 10.

Off white round tablet, debossed with "L" break-line "10" on one side and plain on other side.

Fibsol 20.

Off white round tablet, debossed with "L" break-line "20" on one side and plain on other side.

4 Clinical Particulars

4.1 Therapeutic Indications

Hypertension.

Treatment of hypertension. Lisinopril may be used alone or concomitantly with other classes of antihypertensive agents. Sufficient data have not been provided to support the use of lisinopril in severe hypertension or renovascular hypertension.

Congestive heart failure.

Treatment of heart failure. In such patients, it is recommended that lisinopril be administered together with a diuretic.

Acute myocardial infarction.

Treatment of acute myocardial infarction in haemodynamically stable patients, defined as patients who are not in cardiogenic shock and who have a systolic blood pressure greater than 100 mmHg. Lisinopril may be initiated within 24 hours of an acute myocardial infarction.

4.2 Dose and Method of Administration

Since there is no clinically significant effect of food on the absorption of lisinopril, the tablets may be administered before, during or after meals. Lisinopril should be administered in a single daily dose.

Essential hypertension.

In patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension not on diuretic therapy, the usual recommended starting dose is 5 to 10 mg. The usual maintenance dosage is 10 to 20 mg/day administered in a single daily dose. Dosage should be adjusted at two to four week intervals according to blood pressure response. In some patients, doses up to 40 mg/day may be required. If blood pressure is not controlled with lisinopril, a low dose of a diuretic may be added. Hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg) has been shown to provide an additive effect. After addition of a diuretic, the dose of lisinopril may be reduced.

Diuretic treated or severely salt or volume depleted patients.

Symptomatic hypotension following the initial dose of lisinopril may occur occasionally in patients receiving concomitant diuretics. The diuretic should be discontinued, if possible, for two to three days before beginning therapy with lisinopril (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use). In hypertensive patients in whom the diuretic cannot be discontinued, the initial dose of lisinopril should be 2.5 mg, followed then by 5 mg. The subsequent dosage of lisinopril should be adjusted according to blood pressure response. If required, diuretic therapy may be resumed gradually.

Impaired renal function.

The usual dose of lisinopril is recommended for patients with a creatinine clearance > 30 mL/minute. Dosage in patients with renal impairment should be based on creatinine clearance as outlined below.
If creatinine clearance is between 70 and 30 mL/minute then the starting dose should be 5 to 10 mg/day.
If creatinine clearance is between 30 and 10 mL/minute then the starting dose should be 2.5 to 5 mg/day.
If creatinine clearance is less than 10 mL/minute (including patients on dialysis) then the starting dose should be 2.5 mg/day. (Dosage and/or frequency of administration should be adjusted depending on the blood pressure response.)
The dosage may be titrated upward until blood pressure is controlled or to a maximum of 20 mg daily.

Use in the elderly.

In general, blood pressure response and adverse experiences were similar in younger and older patients given similar doses of lisinopril. Pharmacokinetic studies, however, indicate that maximum blood levels and area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC) are doubled in older patients so that dosage adjustments should be made with particular caution.

Congestive cardiac failure.

Note.

Treatment of heart failure with lisinopril should be initiated under close medical supervision. In patients not adequately controlled by diuretics (and digitalis, where indicated), lisinopril may be added with a starting dose of 2.5 mg once a day. Dose adjustment should be increased by increments of no greater than 10 mg and at intervals of no less than 2 weeks.
The usual dosage is 5 to 20 mg/day administered as a single dose. The dose of lisinopril should not be titrated according to symptoms, as higher doses may not give additional symptomatic relief. The optimal upper dose has not been determined; 35 mg/day has been shown to be more effective than 5 mg/day but there is no evidence regarding the effectiveness of intermediate doses.
Patients at a high risk of symptomatic hypotension, e.g. patients with salt depletion with or without hyponatraemia, patients with hypovolaemia or patients who have been receiving vigorous diuretic therapy, should have these conditions corrected, if possible, prior to therapy with lisinopril. The effect of the starting dosage of lisinopril on blood pressure should be monitored carefully.

Acute myocardial infarction.

Treatment with lisinopril may be started within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. The first dose of lisinopril is 5 mg given orally, followed by 5 mg after 24 hours, 10 mg after 48 hours and then 10 mg once daily thereafter. Patients with a low systolic blood pressure (120 mmHg or less) when treatment is started or during the first three days after the infarct should be given a lower dose (2.5 mg) orally (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use). If hypotension occurs (systolic blood pressure less than or equal to 100 mmHg), a daily maintenance dose of 5 mg may be given with temporary reductions to 2.5 mg if needed. If prolonged hypotension occurs (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg for more than one hour), lisinopril should be withdrawn.
Dosing should continue for six weeks. Patients who develop symptoms of heart failure should continue with lisinopril (see Congestive cardiac failure, above). Patients should receive, as appropriate, the standard recommended treatments such as thrombolytics, aspirin and a beta-blocker.
Lisinopril is compatible with intravenous or transdermal glyceryl trinitrate.

4.3 Contraindications

Hypersensitivity to lisinopril or any other component of lisinopril.
History of hereditary and/or idiopathic angioedema, anaphylactic/ anaphylactoid reactions or angioedema associated with previous treatment with an ACE inhibitor.
Patients with hereditary or idiopathic angioedema.
Pregnancy (see Section 4.6 Fertility, Pregnancy and Lactation, Use in pregnancy).
Patients undergoing haemodialysis with polyacrylonitrile metalylsulfonate high flux membranes. There is a risk of anaphylactoid reaction (hypersensitivity reactions which may be severe, e.g. shock) with the simultaneous use of an ACE inhibitor and polyacrylonitrile metalylsulfonate high flux dialysis membranes (e.g. AN69) or during low density lipoproteins (LDL) apheresis with dextran sulfate within the framework of dialysis treatment. This combination thus needs to be avoided, either by using other medical products to control high blood pressure or cardiac insufficiency, or by using other membranes during dialysis.

4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use

Hyperkalaemia.

Because the ACE inhibitors decrease the formation of angiotensin II and the subsequent production of aldosterone, serum potassium concentrations exceeding 5.5 mEq/L may occur. Hyperkalaemia is more likely in patients with some degree of renal impairment, those treated with potassium sparing diuretics or potassium supplements, and in those consuming potassium containing salt substitutes. Diabetic patients, and elderly diabetic patients particularly, may be at increased risk of hyperkalaemia. In some patients, hyponatraemia may coexist with hyperkalaemia. It is recommended that patients taking an ACE inhibitor should have serum electrolytes (including potassium, sodium and urea) measured from time to time. This is more important in patients taking diuretics.

Surgery and anaesthesia.

In patients undergoing major surgery or who require anaesthesia, hypotension due to anaesthetic agents may be greater in patients receiving ACE inhibitors because of interference with compensatory mechanisms associated with the renin angiotensin system. If perioperative hypotension occurs, volume expansion would be required.

Cough.

A persistent dry (non-productive) irritating cough has been reported with ACE inhibitors. In various studies, the incidence of cough varies depending on the drug, dosage, duration of use and method of analysis. The cough is most likely due to stimulation of the pulmonary cough reflex by kinins (bradykinin) and/or prostaglandins, which accumulate because of ACE inhibition. A change to another class of drugs may be required in severe cases.

Dermatological reactions.

Dermatological reactions characterised by maculopapular pruritic rashes and sometimes photosensitivities have been reported rarely with ACE inhibitors. Rare and occasionally severe skin reactions (e.g. lichenoid eruptions, psoriasis, pemphigus-like rash, Stevens-Johnson syndrome) have also been reported with some ACE inhibitors. A causal relationship is sometimes difficult to assess. Patients who develop a cutaneous reaction with one ACE inhibitor might not when switched to another drug of the same class, but there are reports of cross reactivity.

Taste disturbances (dysgeusia).

The incidence of taste disturbance was reported to be high (up to 12.5%) with high doses of another ACE inhibitor but the overall incidence for the class is probably low. However, the relevant data are scarce and difficult to interpret. The taste disturbance has been described as a suppression of taste or a metallic sensation in the mouth. The dysgeusia usually occurs in the first few weeks of treatment and may disappear within one to three months despite continued treatment.

Anaphylactoid reactions during Hymenoptera desensitisation.

Patients receiving ACE inhibitors during desensitisation (e.g. Hymenoptera venom) have experienced anaphylactoid reactions. These reactions have been avoided when ACE inhibitors were temporarily withheld.

Angioedema.

Severe life threatening angioedema has been reported rarely with most of the ACE inhibitors. There seems to be no sex difference in the incidence of angioedema or in the predisposition to angioedema in patients with heart failure or hypertension. Most commonly, angioedema occurs during the first week of therapy but it has also been reported after long-term therapy. Patients may have multiple episodes of angioedema with long symptom free intervals.
Angioedema of the face, extremities, lips, tongue, glottis and/or larynx has been reported in patients treated with ACE inhibitors. This may occur at any time during treatment. In such cases lisinopril should be discontinued promptly; appropriate monitoring instituted to ensure complete resolution of symptoms prior to the patient being dismissed. Patients who respond to medical treatment should be observed carefully for a possible rebound phenomenon. In instances where swelling has been confined to the face and lips, the angioedema has generally resolved without treatment or with antihistamines. Angioedema associated with laryngeal oedema is potentially life threatening. Very rarely, fatalities have been reported due to angioedema associated with laryngeal oedema or tongue oedema. Where involvement of the tongue, glottis or larynx is likely to cause airway obstruction, appropriate emergency therapy, including adrenaline and oxygen administration, and/or the maintenance of a patent airway, should be carried out promptly and the patient may need to be hospitalised. The patient should be under close medical supervision until complete and sustained resolution of symptoms has occurred.
Angioedema may occur with or without urticaria.

Race.

ACE inhibitors cause a higher rate of angioedema in Afro-Caribbean black patients than in non-Afro-Caribbean black patients. ACE inhibitors may have a lesser effect on blood pressure in black hypertensive patients than in non-black hypertensive patients.
Patients with a history of angioedema unrelated to ACE inhibitor therapy may be at increased risk of angioedema whilst receiving an ACE inhibitor.
Some drugs, if given concomitantly with ACE inhibitors may increase the risk of angioedema (see Section 4.5 Interactions with Other Medicines and Other Forms of Interactions).

Symptomatic hypotension.

Hypotension may occur in patients commencing treatment with ACE inhibitors. Excessive hypotension is rarely seen in patients with uncomplicated hypertension but can develop in patients with impaired renal function, in those who are salt or volume depleted because of renovascular disease, diuretic therapy, vomiting or diarrhoea, and in patients undergoing dialysis (see Section 4.5 Interactions with Other Medicines and Other Forms of Interactions; Section 4.8 Adverse Effects (Undesirable Effects)). In patients with severe congestive cardiac failure, with or without associated renal insufficiency, excessive hypotension has been observed and may be associated with syncope, neurological deficits, oliguria and/or progressive azotaemia and, rarely, with acute renal failure and/or death. Because of the potential fall in blood pressure in these patients, therapy should be started at low doses under very close medical supervision. Such patients should be followed closely for the first two weeks of treatment and whenever the dosage is increased or diuretic therapy is commenced or increased.
Similar considerations may apply to patients with ischaemic heart or cerebrovascular disease in whom an excessive fall in blood pressure could result in myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident, respectively. In all high risk patients, it is advisable to initiate treatment at lower dosages than those usually recommended for uncomplicated patients.
If hypotension occurs, the patient should be placed in the supine position and, if necessary, receive an intravenous infusion of normal saline. A transient hypotensive response is not a contraindication to further doses, which can usually be given without difficulty once the blood pressure has increased. As with other vasodilators, lisinopril should be given with caution to patients with aortic stenosis or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypotension in acute myocardial infarction.

Treatment with lisinopril must not be initiated in acute myocardial infarction patients who are at risk of further serious haemodynamic deterioration after treatment with a vasodilator, i.e. patients with a systolic blood pressure of 100 mmHg or lower or cardiogenic shock. During the first three days following the infarction, the dose should be reduced if the systolic blood pressure is 120 mmHg or lower. Maintenance doses should be reduced to 5 mg or temporarily to 2.5 mg if systolic blood pressure is 100 mmHg or lower. If hypotension persists (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg for more than one hour), lisinopril should be withdrawn.

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 the RAAS through the combined use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren should be avoided (see Section 4.3 Contraindications; Section 4.5 Interactions with Other Medicines and Other Forms of Interactions).
If dual blockade therapy is considered 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.

Aortic stenosis/ hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

As with all vasodilators, ACE inhibitors should be given with caution to patients with obstruction in the outflow tract of the left ventricle.

Neutropenia/ agranulocytosis.

Another ACE inhibitor has been shown to cause agranulocytosis and bone marrow depression (including leucopenia and neutropenia). These reports generally involve patients who have pre-existing renal dysfunction and/or collagen vascular disease, some of whom have received concomitant immunosuppressant therapy. Most reports describe transient episodes for which a causal relationship to the ACE inhibitor could not be established. Available data from clinical trials of lisinopril are insufficient to show that lisinopril does not cause agranulocytosis at similar rates. International marketing experience has revealed cases of neutropenia or agranulocytosis in which a causal relationship to lisinopril cannot be excluded.
It is recommended that periodic haematological monitoring be considered in patients with diseases known to affect bone marrow function (e.g. renal dysfunction, collagen vascular disease) and/or who are taking concomitant therapy known to be associated with bone marrow depression.

Diabetic patients.

In diabetic patients treated with oral antidiabetic agents or insulin, glycaemic control should be closely monitored during the first month of treatment with lisinopril.

Use in hepatic impairment.

Hepatitis (hepatocellular and/or cholestatic) and elevations of hepatic enzymes and/or serum bilirubin have occurred during therapy with other ACE inhibitors in patients with or without pre-existing hepatic abnormalities. In most cases the changes were reversed on discontinuation of the drug. There are no adequate studies in patients with cirrhosis and/or hepatic dysfunction. Lisinopril should be used with particular caution in patients with pre-existing hepatic abnormalities. In such patients baseline liver function tests should be obtained before administration of the drug and close monitoring of response and metabolic effects should apply.

Use in renal impairment.

Changes in renal function may be anticipated in susceptible individuals. In patients with severe congestive cardiac failure, whose renal function may depend on the activity of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system, treatment with ACE inhibitors may be associated with oliguria and/or progressive azotaemia and rarely with acute renal failure and/or death.
In patients with unilateral or bilateral renal artery stenosis, increases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine have been observed. These increases are usually reversible upon discontinuation of ACE inhibitor treatment. ACE inhibitors should be avoided in patients with known or suspected bilateral renal artery stenosis. When an ACE inhibitor is given to a patient with stenosis of the renal artery supplying a solitary kidney or with bilateral renal artery stenosis, acute renal insufficiency may occur. ACE inhibition may also cause a decrease in renal function in patients with stenosis of the artery supplying a transplanted kidney. It is believed that renal artery stenosis reduces glomerular filtration pressure. Under these circumstances, renal function is dependent on angiotensin II induced vasoconstriction of the efferent arteriole. When an ACE inhibitor is given, the efferent arteriole relaxes, glomerular filtration decreases, and renal failure may result. The thrombotic occlusion of a stenosed renal artery can be precipitated by ACE inhibitors.
Some patients with no apparent pre-existing renovascular disease have developed increases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, which is usually minor and transient. This is more likely to occur in patients with pre-existing renal impairment or in those on diuretics.
Dosage reduction of the ACE inhibitor and/or discontinuation of the diuretic may be required.
In acute myocardial infarction, treatment with lisinopril should not be initiated in patients with evidence of renal dysfunction, defined as serum creatinine concentration exceeding 177 micromol/L and/or proteinuria exceeding 500 mg/24 hours. If renal dysfunction develops during treatment with lisinopril (serum creatinine concentration exceeding 265 micromol/L or a doubling from the pretreatment value), the doctor should consider withdrawal of lisinopril. Evaluation of the hypertensive patient should always include assessment of renal function (see Section 4.2 Dose and Method of Administration). In patients with renal artery stenosis, if a deterioration in renal function has occurred after treatment with one ACE inhibitor, it is likely to be precipitated by another, and in these patients usage of another class of antihypertensive agent would be preferable. Patients with unilateral renal artery stenosis present a special problem, as deterioration of function may not be apparent from measurement of blood urea and serum creatinine. It is possible that in patients with compromised renal function who are being treated with NSAIDs, the co-administration of lisinopril may result in a further deterioration of renal function. This may result in an increase in serum potassium, but it appears that these effects are usually reversible.

Use in the elderly.

No data available.

Paediatric use.

Safety and effectiveness of lisinopril in children have not been established.

Instructions to patients.

Angioedema.

Angioedema, including laryngeal oedema, may occur at any time during treatment with lisinopril. While this condition is rare, patients should be so advised and told to report immediately any signs or symptoms suggesting angioedema (swelling of face, extremities, eyes, lips or tongue, difficulty in swallowing or breathing) and to take no more drug until they have consulted with the prescribing doctor.

Symptomatic hypotension.

Patients should be cautioned to report lightheadedness, especially during the first few days of therapy. If actual syncope occurs, the patients should be told to discontinue the drug until they have consulted with the prescribing doctor. All patients should be cautioned that excessive perspiration and dehydration may lead to an excessive fall in blood pressure because of reduction in fluid volume. Other causes of volume depletion, e.g. vomiting or diarrhoea, may also lead to a fall in blood pressure; patients should be advised to consult with their doctor.

Hyperkalaemia.

Patients should be told not to use salt substitutes containing potassium without consulting their doctor.

Neutropenia.

Patients should be told to report promptly any indication of infection (e.g. sore throat, fever) which may be a sign of neutropenia.

Note.

As with many other drugs, certain advice to patients being treated with lisinopril is warranted. This information is intended to aid in the safe and effective use of this medication. It is not a disclosure of all possible adverse or intended effects.

Effects on laboratory tests.

No data available.

4.5 Interactions with Other Medicines and Other Forms of Interactions

Drugs that may increase the risk of angioedema.

Concomitant treatment of ACE inhibitors with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors (e.g. temsirolimus, sirolimus, everolimus) or neutral endopeptidase (NEP) inhibitors (e.g. racecadotril) or tissue plasminogen activator may increase the risk of angioedema.

Diuretics.

When a diuretic is added to the therapy of a patient receiving an ACE inhibitor, the antihypertensive effect is usually additive. Patients receiving diuretics, especially those in whom diuretic therapy was recently instituted or those with intravascular volume depletion, may sometimes experience an excessive reduction of blood pressure after initiation of therapy with an ACE inhibitor. The possibility of hypotensive effects may be minimised by discontinuing the diuretic and ensuring adequate hydration and salt intake prior to commencing ACE inhibitor therapy. If it is not possible to discontinue the diuretic, the starting dose of the ACE inhibitor should be reduced and the patient closely observed for several hours following the initial dose of the ACE inhibitor and until the blood pressure has stabilised.
The combination of lisinopril with other antihypertensive medicines may increase the antihypertensive effect, especially in combination with diuretics.

Lithium.

Increased serum lithium levels and symptoms of lithium toxicity have been reported in patients receiving lithium concomitantly with drugs which cause elimination of sodium, including ACE inhibitors. These drugs should be co-administered with caution, and frequent monitoring of serum lithium levels is recommended. If a diuretic is also used, the risk of lithium toxicity may be increased.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Drugs with prostaglandin synthetase inhibitory properties (e.g. indomethacin) may diminish the antihypertensive efficacy of concomitantly administered ACE inhibitors. NSAIDs including selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (COX-2 inhibitors) may reduce the effect of diuretics and other antihypertensive drugs. Therefore, the antihypertensive effect of ACE inhibitors may be attenuated by NSAIDs including selective COX-2 inhibitors.
In some patients with compromised renal function (e.g. elderly patients or patients who are volume depleted, including those on diuretic therapy) who are being treated with NSAIDs including selective COX-2 inhibitors, the coadministration of angiotensin II receptor antagonists or ACE inhibitors, including lisinopril, may result in a further deterioration in renal function, including possible renal failure. These effects are usually reversible.
These interactions should be considered in patients taking NSAIDs including selective COX-2 inhibitors concomitantly with diuretics and ACE inhibitors. Therefore, the combination should be administered with caution, especially in the elderly.

Agents causing renin release.

The antihypertensive effect of lisinopril is augmented by antihypertensive agents that cause renin release (e.g. diuretics).

Agents affecting sympathetic activity.

Agents affecting sympathetic activity (e.g. ganglionic blocking agents or adrenergic neuron blocking agents) may be used with caution. β-Adrenergic blocking drugs are also antihypertensive in action, hence if they are combined with an ACE inhibitor the patient should be closely monitored.

Serum potassium.

(See Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use, Hyperkalaemia.) ACE inhibitors can attenuate potassium loss caused by thiazide diuretics and increase serum potassium when used alone. The concomitant therapy of an ACE inhibitor with a potassium sparing diuretic (e.g. spironolactone, triamterene or amiloride), potassium supplement or potassium containing salt substitute, or other drugs that may increase serum potassium levels (e.g. heparin, cotrimoxazole) can increase the risk of hyperkalaemia. Therefore, if co-administration is indicated these agents should be used with caution and the patient's serum potassium should be monitored frequently.

Antihypertensive agents.

When combined with other antihypertensive agents, additive falls in blood pressure may occur. Clinical trial data has shown that the dual blockade of the 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.
The combination of lisinopril with aliskiren-containing medicines should be avoided (see Section 4.3 Contraindications; Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use).

Combination use of ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor antagonists, anti-inflammatory drugs and thiazide diuretics.

The use of an ACE inhibiting drug (ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor antagonist), an anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID or COX-2 inhibitor) and a thiazide diuretic at the same time increases the risk of renal impairment. This includes use in fixed combination products containing more than one class of drug. Combined use of these medications should be accompanied by increased monitoring of serum creatinine, particularly at the institution of the combination. The combination of drugs from these three classes should be used with caution particularly in elderly patients or those with pre-existing renal impairment.

Antidiabetics.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that concomitant administration of an ACE inhibitor and antidiabetic medicines (such as insulins, oral hypoglycaemic agents) may cause increased blood glucose lowering effect with the risk of hypoglycaemia. This phenomenon appeared to be more likely to occur during the first few weeks of combined treatment and in patients with renal impairment. In diabetic patients treated with oral antidiabetic agents or insulin, glycaemic control should be closely monitored for hypoglycaemia, especially during the first month of treatment with an ACE inhibitor.

Gold.

Nitritoid reactions (symptoms include facial flushing, nausea, vomiting and hypotension) have been reported rarely in patients on therapy with injectable gold (sodium aurothiomalate) and concomitant ACE inhibitor therapy including lisinopril.

Anxiety, depression, hypertonia, paraesthesia.

Special senses.

Ear disorder, taste perversion.

Genitourinary.

Dysuria, haematuria, kidney pain.

General.

Hypersensitivity/ angioneurotic oedema.

Hypersensitivity/ angioneurotic oedema of the face, extremities, lips, tongue, glottis and/or larynx has been reported uncommonly (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use). In very rare cases, intestinal angioedema has been reported with ACE inhibitors, including lisinopril.
The following adverse reactions have been reported during post-marketing experience with a frequency of common (≥ 1% to < 10%).

Genitourinary.

Renal dysfunction.
The following adverse reactions have been reported during post-marketing experience with a frequency of uncommon (≥ 0.1% to < 1%).

Metabolic.

Hyperkalaemia.

Cardiovascular.

Syncope in the hypertensive population, while in the congestive heart failure population the frequency is common. Myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident, possibly secondary to excessive hypotension in high risk patients (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use); tachycardia.

Gastrointestinal.

Taste disturbance.

Nervous system.

Mood alterations (including depressive symptoms), sleep disturbances, hallucinations.
Additional adverse reactions which occurred rarely either during controlled clinical trials or after the drug was marketed include the following.

Gastrointestinal.

Abdominal pain, dry mouth, hepatitis (hepatocellular and cholestatic, very rarely this may progress to hepatic failure), jaundice, pancreatitis.
Patients receiving lisinopril who develop jaundice or marked elevation of hepatic enzymes should discontinue lisinopril and receive appropriate medical follow up.

Endocrine.

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion.

Metabolic.

Cases of hypoglycaemia in diabetic patients on oral antidiabetic agents or insulin have been reported (see Section 4.5 Interactions with Other Medicines and Other Forms of Interactions).

Musculoskeletal.

Joint pain.

Nervous system.

Mental confusion, stroke, olfactory disturbances.

Respiratory.

Bronchitis, bronchospasm, nasal congestion, pharyngeal pain, sinusitis, rhinitis.

Dermatological.

Alopecia, urticaria, diaphoresis, psoriasis and severe skin disorders have been reported, including pemphigus, toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme and cutaneous pseudolymphoma.

Genitourinary.

Uraemia, oliguria/ anuria, proteinuria, acute renal failure, impotence, urinary tract infection.

Body as a whole.

A symptom complex has been reported which may include fever, vasculitis, myalgia, arthralgia/ arthritis, a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) test, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), eosinophilia and leucocytosis. Rash, photosensitivity or other dermatological manifestations may occur.

Laboratory test findings.

Hyperkalaemia, haemolytic anaemia.

Immune system.

Anaphylactic/ anaphylactoid reaction.

Clinical laboratory test findings.

Serum electrolytes.

Hyperkalaemia (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use) and hyponatraemia have occurred.

Creatinine, blood urea nitrogen.

Minor increases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, reversible upon discontinuation of therapy, were observed in 1.1 and 1.6% of patients, respectively, with essential hypertension treated with lisinopril alone. Increases were more common in patients receiving concomitant diuretics and in patients with renal artery stenosis (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use). Reversible minor increases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were observed in approximately 12% of patients with congestive cardiac failure on concomitant diuretic therapy. Frequently, these abnormalities resolved when the dosage of the diuretic was decreased.

Bone marrow depression.

Bone marrow depression, manifest as anaemia, and/or thrombocytopenia and/or leucopenia has been reported. Agranulocytosis has been rarely reported, although a causal relationship has not been established. Rarely, haemolytic anaemia has been reported.

Haemoglobin and haematocrit.

Small decreases in haemoglobin and haematocrit, rarely of clinical importance unless another cause of anaemia coexisted, have occurred.

Other (causal relationship unknown).

Rarely, elevations of hepatic enzymes and/or serum bilirubin have occurred. Rare cases of bone marrow depression have been reported. Thrombocytopenia and leucopenia have been reported; a causal relationship to therapy with lisinopril cannot be excluded.
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after registration 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 at http://www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems.

4.9 Overdose

For information on the management of overdose, contact the Poisons Information Centre on 131 126 (Australia).
There are no data on overdosage in humans. The most likely manifestation of overdosage would be hypotension, for which the usual treatment would be intravenous infusion of normal saline solution. Lisinopril may be removed from the general circulation by haemodialysis.

5 Pharmacological Properties

5.1 Pharmacodynamic Properties

Mechanism of action.

Lisinopril is a peptidyl dipeptidase inhibitor. It inhibits the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) that catalyses the conversion of angiotensin I to the vasoconstrictor substance, angiotensin II. Angiotensin II also stimulates aldosterone secretion by the adrenal cortex. Inhibition of ACE results in decreased concentrations of plasma angiotensin II which results in decreased vasopressor activity and leads to decreased aldosterone secretion. The latter decrease may result in a small increase of serum potassium. In hypertensive patients with normal renal function treated with lisinopril alone for up to 24 weeks, the mean increase in serum potassium was approximately 0.1 mmol/L; however, approximately 15% of patients had increases greater than 0.5 mmol/L and approximately 6% had a decrease greater than 0.5 mmol/L. In the same study, patients treated with lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide for up to 24 weeks had a mean decrease in serum potassium of 0.1 mmol/L; approximately 4% of patients had increases greater than 0.5 mmol/L and approximately 12% had a decrease greater than 0.5 mmol/L (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use). Removal of angiotensin II negative feedback on renin secretion leads to increased plasma renin activity. While the mechanism through which lisinopril lowers blood pressure is believed to be primarily suppression of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), lisinopril is antihypertensive even in patients with low renin hypertension. Although lisinopril was antihypertensive in all races studied, black hypertensive patients (usually a low renin hypertensive population) had a smaller average response to monotherapy than nonblack patients. Concomitant administration of lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide further reduced blood pressure in black and nonblack patients and any racial difference in blood pressure response was no longer evident.
ACE is identical to kininase II, an enzyme that degrades bradykinin. Whether increased levels of bradykinin, a potent vasodepressor peptide, play a role in the therapeutic effects of lisinopril remains to be elucidated. When combined with other antihypertensive agents, additive falls in blood pressure may occur.
ACE is known to be present in the endothelium and increased ACE activity in diabetic patients which results in the formation of angiotensin II and destruction of bradykinin potentiates the damage to the endothelium caused by hyperglycaemia. ACE inhibitors, including lisinopril, inhibit the formation of angiotensin II and breakdown of bradykinin and hence ameliorate endothelial dysfunction.
The effects of lisinopril on urinary albumin excretion rate and on the progression of retinopathy in diabetic patients is mediated by a reduction in blood pressure as well as a direct mechanism on the renal and retinal tissues. Lisinopril treatment is not associated with an increased incidence of hypoglycaemic events in diabetic patients and it does not affect glycaemic control as shown by a lack of significant effect on levels of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c).
Administration of lisinopril to patients with hypertension results in a reduction of supine and standing blood pressure to about the same extent, with no compensatory tachycardia. Symptomatic postural hypotension is usually not observed although it can occur and should be anticipated in volume and/or salt depleted patients (see Section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use). When given together with thiazide type diuretics, the blood pressure lowering effects of the two drugs are approximately additive.
In most patients studied, onset of antihypertensive activity was seen one to two hours after oral administration of an individual dose of lisinopril, with peak reduction of blood pressure achieved by six hours. Although an antihypertensive effect was observed 24 hours after dosing with recommended single daily doses, the effect was more consistent and the mean effect was considerably larger in some studies with doses of 20 mg or more than with lower doses.
However, in all doses studied, the mean antihypertensive effect was substantially smaller 24 hours after dosing than it was six hours after dosing.
In some patients achievement of optimal blood pressure reduction may require two to four weeks of therapy. The antihypertensive effects of lisinopril are maintained during long-term therapy. Abrupt withdrawal of lisinopril has not been associated with a rapid increase in blood pressure or a significant increase in blood pressure compared to pre-treatment levels.
Two dose response studies utilising a once daily regimen were conducted in 438 mild to moderately hypertensive patients not on a diuretic. Blood pressure was measured 24 hours after dosing. An antihypertensive effect of lisinopril was seen with 5 mg in some patients. However, in both studies blood pressure reduction occurred sooner and was greater in patients treated with lisinopril 10, 20 or 80 mg. In controlled clinical studies, lisinopril 20 to 80 mg has been compared in patients with mild to moderate hypertension with hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 to 50 mg and with atenolol 50 to 200 mg, and in patients with moderate to severe hypertension with metoprolol 100 to 200 mg. It was superior to hydrochlorothiazide in effects on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in a population that was three-quarters Caucasian. Lisinopril was approximately equivalent to atenolol and metoprolol in effects on diastolic blood pressure and had somewhat greater effects on systolic blood pressure.
Lisinopril had similar effectiveness and adverse effects in younger and older (> 65 years) patients. It was less effective in the black population than in the Caucasian population.
In haemodynamic studies in patients with essential hypertension, blood pressure reduction was accompanied by a reduction in peripheral arterial resistance with little or no change in cardiac output and in heart rate. In a study in nine hypertensive patients, following administration of lisinopril, there was an increase in mean renal blood flow that was not significant. Data from several small studies are inconsistent with respect to the effect of lisinopril on GFR in hypertensive patients with normal renal function, but suggest that changes, if any, are not large.

Clinical trials.

Acute myocardial infarction.

Lisinopril is indicated in the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction to prevent the subsequent development of left ventricular dysfunction (as defined by an ejection fraction less than or equal to 35%) or heart failure and to improve survival, based on the outcome of the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sporavvienza nell'Infarto Miocardico (GISSI-3) trial. The GISSI-3 study was a multicentre, controlled, randomised, unblinded clinical trial conducted in 19,394 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to a coronary care unit. It was designed to examine the effects of short-term (six week) treatment with lisinopril, nitrates, their combination, or no therapy on short-term (six week) mortality and on longer-term death and markedly impaired cardiac function. Patients presenting within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms who were haemodynamically stable were randomised, in a 2 x 2 factorial design, to six weeks of either lisinopril alone (n = 4,841), nitrates alone (n = 4,869), lisinopril plus nitrates (n = 4,841) or open control (n = 4,843). All patients received routine therapies, including thrombolytics (72%), aspirin (84%) and a β-blocker (31%), as appropriate, normally utilised in acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients.
The protocol excluded patients with hypotension (systolic blood pressure less than or equal to 100 mmHg), severe heart failure, cardiogenic shock and renal dysfunction (serum creatinine > 2 mg/dL and/or proteinuria > 500 mg/24 hours). Doses of lisinopril were adjusted as necessary according to protocol (see Section 4.2 Dose and Method of Administration).
Study treatment was withdrawn at six weeks except where clinical conditions indicated continuation of treatment.
The primary outcomes of the trial were the overall mortality at six weeks and a combined endpoint at six months after the myocardial infarction, consisting of a number of patients who died, had late (day 4) clinical congestive heart failure, or had extensive left ventricular damage defined as ejection fraction less than or equal to 35% or an akinetic-dyskinetic (A-D) score greater than or equal to 45%. Patients receiving lisinopril (n = 9,646), alone or with nitrates, had an 11% lower risk of death at six weeks (2p (two tailed) = 0.04) compared to patients receiving no lisinopril (n = 9,672) (6.4 versus 7.2%, respectively). The reduction in mortality at six months was not significant, but this was not a primary outcome measure. Although patients randomised to receive lisinopril for up to six weeks also fared numerically better on the combined endpoint at six months, the open nature of the assessment of heart failure, substantial loss to follow-up echocardiography, and substantial excess use of lisinopril between six weeks and six months in the group randomised to six weeks of lisinopril, preclude any conclusion about this endpoint.
Patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with lisinopril had a higher (9.0 versus 3.7%) incidence of persistent hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg for more than one hour) and renal dysfunction (2.4 versus 1.1%) in hospital and at six weeks (increasing creatinine concentration to over 3 mg/dL or a doubling or more of the baseline serum creatinine concentration).

Renal complication of diabetes.

EUCLID (EURODIAB controlled trial of lisinopril in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) was an 18 centre, multinational, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial. It investigated the effects of lisinopril on the urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) in 530 normotensive men and women aged 20 to 59 years with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and normoalbuminuria or microalbuminuria. The study recruited patients with a diastolic blood pressure in the range of 75 to 90 mmHg inclusive provided that the systolic blood pressure was less than or equal to 155 mmHg. Patients received either lisinopril 10 mg once daily or matching placebo for two years. Titration up to 20 mg once daily of lisinopril or two placebo tablets was permitted if sitting diastolic blood pressure had not reached the target value of less than 75 mmHg after three months of treatment. Nifedipine treatment (20 mg twice daily) was initiated if the blood pressure remained inadequately controlled (systolic blood pressure > 160 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure > 95 mmHg).
The primary efficacy variable was the rate of change in the urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) measured from two consecutive overnight urine collections at six monthly intervals from baseline to 24 months in the whole patient group (i.e. normoalbuminuric and microalbuminuric at baseline). After 24 months treatment the AER was 18.8% (95% CI: 2.0, 32.7) lower in the lisinopril group (n = 230) compared to the placebo group (n = 226) with a between group difference of 2.2 microgram/minute (p = 0.03) when adjusted for baseline AER and centre. After adjustment for diastolic blood pressure reduction produced by lisinopril, the between group relative difference in AER was reduced to 17.3% (95% CI: 0.2, 31.5, p = 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in AER between lisinopril and placebo in patients with good baseline glycaemic control (HbA1C < 7%) or with a baseline diastolic blood pressure > 80 mmHg.
In patients with baseline microalbuminuria the AER was 49.7% (95% CI: 14.5, 77.9) lower in the lisinopril group (n = 39) compared to placebo (n = 34), p = 0.1. Only 15% (n = 79) of the randomised patients had baseline microalbuminuria compared to 40% anticipated by the protocol. This may have left the study underpowered to detect a statistically significant difference in the AER between treatments in patients with baseline microalbuminuria. In a non-protocol specified subgroup analysis in patients with baseline microalbuminuria (AER 20 to 200 microgram/minute) and endpoint AER the absolute difference in mean AER between the lisinopril group (n = 39) and the placebo group (n = 34) was 38.5 microgram/minute (p = 0.001).
The results also show that lisinopril does not increase the risk of hypoglycaemic events in IDDM as there was no treatment difference in hypoglycaemic events or glycaemic control throughout the study.

Congestive heart failure.

The effect of lisinopril on mortality in congestive heart failure has been studied by comparing a high dose (32.5 mg or 35 mg once daily) with a low dose (2.5 mg or 5 mg once daily). Patients receiving high dose lisinopril were titrated gradually up to the highest dose tolerated, up to a maximum of 32.5 mg or 35 mg once daily. Patients who were intolerant to lisinopril were excluded from the study. In a study of 3,164 patients, with a median follow-up period of 46 months for surviving patients, statistically nonsignificant reductions were observed in the primary endpoint of all cause mortality or the secondary endpoint of cardiovascular mortality. However, compared with low dose, high dose lisinopril produced a 12% risk reduction in the combined endpoint of all cause mortality and all cause hospitalisation (p = 0.002), an endpoint added during the trial. In a post hoc analysis, the number of hospitalisations for heart failure was reduced by 24% (p = 0.002) in patients treated with high dose lisinopril compared with low dose. Symptomatic benefits were similar in patients treated with high and low doses of lisinopril. This trial did not study whether 35 mg is more effective than the currently recommended upper limit of the usual dose of 20 mg.
The results of the study showed that the overall adverse event profiles for patients treated with high or low dose lisinopril were similar in both nature and number. The overall adverse event rate included deaths and hospitalisations that contributed to the estimation of efficacy. The percentage of drug related adverse events was 8% higher in the high dose group (a relative difference of 25%). The excess in the high dose group was due to events of the type which would be expected from the pharmacological actions of lisinopril. Predictable events resulting from ACE inhibition, such as hypotension or altered renal function, were manageable and rarely led to treatment withdrawal. Cough was less frequent in patients treated with high dose lisinopril compared with low dose. New York Heart Association classification (a measure of quality of life) did not differ between treatment groups.

5.2 Pharmacokinetic Properties

Absorption.

Following oral administration of lisinopril, peak serum concentrations of lisinopril occur within about seven hours, although there was a trend to a small delay in time taken to reach peak serum concentrations in acute myocardial infarction patients.
Based on urinary recovery, the mean extent of absorption of lisinopril is approximately 25%, with large interpatient variability (6 to 60%) at all doses tested (5 to 80 mg). Lisinopril absorption is not affected by the presence of food in the gastrointestinal tract.

Distribution.

Declining serum concentrations exhibit a prolonged terminal phase, which does not contribute to drug accumulation. This terminal phase probably represents saturable binding to ACE and is not proportional to dose. Lisinopril does not appear to be bound to other serum proteins.

Metabolism.

Lisinopril does not undergo metabolism and absorbed drug is excreted unchanged entirely in the urine.

Excretion.

Impaired renal function decreases elimination of lisinopril, which is excreted principally through the kidneys, but this decrease becomes clinically important only when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is below 30 mL/minute. Above this GFR, the elimination half-life is little changed. With greater impairment, however, peak and trough lisinopril levels increase, time to peak concentration increases and time to attain steady state is prolonged. Older patients, on average, have higher (approximately doubled) blood levels and higher values for the area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC) than younger patients (see Section 4.2 Dose and Method of Administration). Lisinopril can be removed by haemodialysis.
Upon multiple dosing, lisinopril exhibits an effective half-life of accumulation of 12.6 hours.
Studies in rats indicate that lisinopril crosses the blood brain barrier poorly. Multiple doses of lisinopril in rats do not result in accumulation in any tissues. Milk of lactating rats contained radioactivity following administration of ¹⁴C-lisinopril. By whole body autoradiography, radioactivity was found in the placenta following administration of labelled drug to pregnant rats, but none was found in the foetuses.

5.3 Preclinical Safety Data

Genotoxicity.

Lisinopril was not genotoxic in assays for gene mutations, chromosomal damage and DNA damage.

Carcinogenicity.

There was no evidence of a tumorigenic effect when lisinopril was administered for 105 weeks to male and female rats at doses up to 90 mg/kg/day or when lisinopril was administered for 92 weeks to male and female mice at doses up to 135 mg/kg/day. At least one other ACE inhibitor has caused an increase in the incidence of oxyphilic renal tubular cells and oncocytomas in rats. The potential for lisinopril to cause a similar effect is unknown.

6 Pharmaceutical Particulars

6.1 List of Excipients

Fibsol tablets contain the following excipients: mannitol, calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, maize starch, pregelatinised maize starch, colloidal anhydrous silica and magnesium stearate. The tablets are gluten free.

6.2 Incompatibilities

Incompatibilities were either not assessed or not identified as part of the registration of this medicine.

6.3 Shelf Life

In Australia, information on the shelf life can be found on the public summary of the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The expiry date can be found on the packaging.

6.4 Special Precautions for Storage

Store below 25°C. Protect from light and moisture.

6.5 Nature and Contents of Container

Fibsol 5.

PVC/PVDC/Al blister packs of 30.

Fibsol 10.

PVC/PVDC/Al blister packs of 30.

Fibsol 20.

PVC/PVDC/Al blister packs of 30.

6.6 Special Precautions for Disposal

In Australia, any unused medicine or waste material should be disposed of by taking to your local pharmacy.

6.7 Physicochemical Properties

Chemical structure.

Lisinopril dihydrate.

The chemical name for lisinopril dihydrate is N-[N-[(1S)-1-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl]-L-lysyl]-L-proline dihydrate. Its structural formula is:

Molecular formula: C₂₁H₃₁N₃O₅.2H₂O. Molecular weight: 441.53.

CAS number.

CAS No.: 83915-83-7.

7 Medicine Schedule (Poisons Standard)

Prescription Only Medicine (S4).

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BRAND INFORMATION

Fibsol 20 mg