text:
Quetiapine Fumarate Full Prescribing Information
Brand Name: Seroquel
Generic Name: Quetiapine
Seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic for treatment of depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar disorder and is used to treat schizophrenia. Uses, dosage, side effects of Seroquel.
Indications and Usage
Dosage and Administration
Dosage Forms and Strengths
Warnings and Precautions
Adverse Reactions
Drug Interactions
Use in Specific Populations
Drug Abuse and Dependence
Clinical Pharmacology
Nonclinical Toxicology
Clinical Studies
How Supplied / Storage and Handling
Seroquel Patient Information (in plain English)
Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Seroquel® (quetiapine) is not approved for the treatment of dementia-related psychosis.
Suicidality and Antidepressant Drugs
Antidepressants increased the risk compared to placebo of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of SEROQUEL or any other antidepressant in a child, adolescent, or young adult must balance this risk with the clinical need. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24; there was a reduction in risk with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults aged 65 and older. Depression and certain other psychiatric disorders are themselves associated with increases in the risk of suicide. Patients of all ages who are started on antidepressant therapy should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. Families and caregivers should be advised of the need for close observation and communication with the prescriber. SEROQUEL is not approved for use in pediatric patients. [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS]
1 Indications and Usage
1.1 Bipolar Disorder
SEROQUEL is indicated for the treatment of:
- depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder
- acute manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder as either monotherapy or adjunct therapy to lithium or divalproex.
- maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder as adjunct therapy to lithium or divalproex.
The efficacy of SEROQUEL was established in two identical 8-week randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind clinical studies that included either bipolar I or II patients [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY]. Effectiveness has not been systematically evaluated in clinical trials for more than 8 weeks.
The efficacy of SEROQUEL in acute bipolar mania was established in two 12-week monotherapy trials and one 3-week adjunct therapy trial of bipolar I patients initially hospitalized for up to 7 days for acute mania [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY]. Effectiveness has not been systematically evaluated in clinical trials for more than 12 weeks in monotherapy.
Maintenance Treatment in Bipolar Disorder
The efficacy of SEROQUEL as adjunct maintenance therapy to lithium or divalproex was established in 2 identical randomized placebo-controlled double-blind studies in patients with Bipolar I Disorder. [see CLINICAL STUDIES]
The physician who elects to use SEROQUEL for extended periods in Bipolar Disorder should periodically re-evaluate the long-term risks and benefits of the drug for the individual patient [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION].
1.2 Schizophrenia
SEROQUEL is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia.
The efficacy of SEROQUEL in schizophrenia was established in short-term (6-week) controlled trials of schizophrenic inpatients [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].
The effectiveness of SEROQUEL in long-term use, that is, for more than 6 weeks, has not been systematically evaluated in controlled trials. Therefore, the physician who elects to use SEROQUEL for extended periods should periodically re-evaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION].
2 Dosage and Administration
2.1 Bipolar Disorder
Usual Dose: SEROQUEL should be administered once daily at bedtime to reach 300 mg/day by day 4.
Recommended Dosing Schedule
|Day 1
|Day 2
|Day 3
|Day 4
|50 mg
|100 mg
|200 mg
|300 mg
In these clinical trials supporting effectiveness, the dosing schedule was 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg and 300 mg/day for days 1-4 respectively. Patients receiving 600 mg increased to 400 mg on day 5 and 600 mg on day 8 (Week 1). Antidepressant efficacy was demonstrated with SEROQUEL at both 300 mg and 600 mg however, no additional benefit was seen in the 600 mg group.
Usual Dose: When used as monotherapy or adjunct therapy (with lithium or divalproex), SEROQUEL should be initiated in bid doses totaling 100 mg/day on Day 1, increased to 400 mg/day on Day 4 in increments of up to 100 mg/day in bid divided doses. Further dosage adjustments up to 800 mg/day by Day 6 should be in increments of no greater than 200 mg/day. Data indicate that the majority of patients responded between 400 to 800 mg/day. The safety of doses above 800 mg/day has not been evaluated in clinical trials.
Maintenance of efficacy in Bipolar I Disorder was demonstrated with SEROQUEL (administered twice daily totalling 400 to 800 mg per day) as adjunct therapy to lithium or divalproex. Generally, in the maintenance phase, patients continued on the same dose on which they were stabilized during the stabilization phase. [see CLINICAL STUDIES].
2.2 Schizophrenia
Usual Dose: SEROQUEL should generally be administered with an initial dose of 25 mg bid, with increases in increments of 25-50 mg bid or tid on the second and third day, as tolerated, to a target dose range of 300 to 400 mg daily by the fourth day, given bid or tid. Further dosage adjustments, if indicated, should generally occur at intervals of not less than 2 days, as steady-state for SEROQUEL would not be achieved for approximately 1-2 days in the typical patient. When dosage adjustments are necessary, dose increments/decrements of 25-50 mg bid are recommended. Most efficacy data with SEROQUEL were obtained using tid regimens, but in one controlled trial 225 mg twice per day was also effective.
Efficacy in schizophrenia was demonstrated in a dose range of 150 to 750 mg/day in the clinical trials supporting the effectiveness of SEROQUEL. In a dose response study, doses above 300 mg/day were not demonstrated to be more efficacious than the 300 mg/day dose. In other studies, however, doses in the range of 400-500 mg/day appeared to be needed. The safety of doses above 800 mg/day has not been evaluated in clinical trials.
2.3 Dosing in Special Populations
Consideration should be given to a slower rate of dose titration and a lower target dose in the elderly and in patients who are debilitated or who have a predisposition to hypotensive reactions [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY]. When indicated, dose escalation should be performed with caution in these patients.
Patients with hepatic impairment should be started on 25 mg/day. The dose should be increased daily in increments of 25-50 mg/day to an effective dose, depending on the clinical response and tolerability of the patient.
The elimination of quetiapine was enhanced in the presence of phenytoin. Higher maintenance doses of quetiapine may be required when it is coadministered with phenytoin and other enzyme inducers such as carbamazepine and phenobarbital [see DRUG INTERACTIONS].
2.4 Maintenance Treatment
While there is no body of evidence available to answer the question of how long the patient treated with SEROQUEL should be maintained, it is generally recommended that responding patients be continued beyond the acute response, but at the lowest dose needed to maintain remission. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment.
2.5 Reinitiation of Treatment in Patients Previously Discontinued
Although there are no data to specifically address reinitiation of treatment, it is recommended that when restarting patients who have had an interval of less than one week off SEROQUEL, titration of SEROQUEL is not required and the maintenance dose may be reinitiated. When restarting therapy of patients who have been off SEROQUEL for more than one week, the initial titration schedule should be followed.
2.6 Switching from Antipsychotics
There are no systematically collected data to specifically address switching patients with schizophrenia from antipsychotics to SEROQUEL, or concerning concomitant administration with antipsychotics. While immediate discontinuation of the previous antipsychotic treatment may be acceptable for some patients with schizophrenia, more gradual discontinuation may be most appropriate for others. In all cases, the period of overlapping antipsychotic administration should be minimized. When switching patients with schizophrenia from depot antipsychotics, if medically appropriate, initiate SEROQUEL therapy in place of the next scheduled injection. The need for continuing existing EPS medication should be reevaluated periodically.
3 Dosage Forms and Strengths
25 mg tablets
50 mg tablets
100 mg tablets
200 mg tablets
300 mg tablets
400 mg tablets
4 Contraindications
None known
5 Warnings and Precautions
5.1 Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. SEROQUEL (quetiapine fumarate) is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis (see BOXED WARNING).
5.2 Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk
Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), both adult and pediatric, may experience worsening of their depression and/or the emergence of suicidal ideation and behavior (suicidality) or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking antidepressant medications, and this risk may persist until significant remission occurs. Suicide is a known risk of depression and certain other psychiatric disorders, and these disorders themselves are the strongest predictors of suicide. There has been a long-standing concern, however, that antidepressants may have a role in inducing worsening of depression and the emergence of suicidality in certain patients during the early phases of treatment. Pooled analyses of short-term placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant drugs (SSRIs and others) showed that these drugs increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 18-24) with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24; there was a reduction with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults aged 65 and older.
The pooled analyses of placebo-controlled trials in children and adolescents with MDD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or other psychiatric disorders included a total of 24 short-term trials of 9 antidepressant drugs in over 4400 patients. The pooled analyses of placebo-controlled trials in adults with MDD or other psychiatric disorders included a total of 295 short-term trials (median duration of 2 months) of 11 antidepressant drugs in over 77,000 patients. There was considerable variation in risk of suicidality among drugs, but a tendency toward an increase in the younger patients for almost all drugs studied. There were differences in absolute risk of suicidality across the different indications, with the highest incidence in MDD. The risk differences (drug vs. placebo), however, were relatively stable within age strata and across indications. These risk differences (drug-placebo difference in the number of cases of suicidality per 1000 patients treated) are provided in Table 1.
Table 1
|Age Range
|Drug-Placebo Difference in Number of Cases of Suicidality per 1000 Patients Treated
|Increases Compared to Placebo
|< 18
|14 additional cases
|5 additional cases
|Decreases Compared to Placebo
|1 fewer case
|> 65
|6 fewer cases
No suicides occurred in any of the pediatric trials. There were suicides in the adult trials, but the number was not sufficient to reach any conclusion about drug effect on suicide.
It is unknown whether the suicidality risk extends to longer-term use, i.e., beyond several months. However, there is substantial evidence from placebo-controlled maintenance trials in adults with depression that the use of antidepressants can delay the recurrence of depression.
All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of a course of drug therapy, or at times of dose changes, either increases or decreases.
The following symptoms, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania, have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric. Although a causal link between the emergence of such symptoms and either the worsening of depression and/or the emergence of suicidal impulses has not been established, there is concern that such symptoms may represent precursors to emerging suicidality.
Consideration should be given to changing the therapeutic regimen, including possibly discontinuing the medication, in patients whose depression is persistently worse, or who are experiencing emergent suicidality or symptoms that might be precursors to worsening depression or suicidality, especially if these symptoms are severe, abrupt in onset, or were not part of the patient's presenting symptoms.
Families and caregivers of patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder or other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric, should be alerted about the need to monitor patients for the emergence of agitation, irritability, unusual changes in behavior, and the other symptoms described above, as well as the emergence of suicidality, and to report such symptoms immediately to health care providers. Such monitoring should include dailyobservation by families and caregivers. Prescriptions for SEROQUEL should be written for the smallest quantity of tablets consistent with good patient management, in order to reduce the risk of overdose.
Screening Patients for Bipolar Disorder: A major depressive episode may be the initial presentation of bipolar disorder. It is generally believed (though not established in controlled trials) that treating such an episode with an antidepressant alone may increase the likelihood of precipitation of a mixed/manic episode in patients at risk for bipolar disorder. Whether any of the symptoms described above represent such a conversion is unknown. However, prior to initiating treatment with an antidepressant, patients with depressive symptoms should be adequately screened to determine if they are at risk for bipolar disorder; such screening should include a detailed psychiatric history, including a family history of suicide, bipolar disorder, and depression. It should be noted that SEROQUEL is approved for use in treating adult bipolar depression.
5.3 Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Mellitus
Hyperglycemia, in some cases extreme and associated with ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar coma or death, has been reported in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, including quetiapine [See ADVERSE REACTIONS, Hyperglycemia]. Assessment of the relationship between atypical antipsychotic use and glucose abnormalities is complicated by the possibility of an increased background risk of diabetes mellitus in patients with schizophrenia and the increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus in the general population. Given these confounders, the relationship between atypical antipsychotic use and hyperglycemia-related adverse reactions is not completely understood. However, epidemiological studies suggest an increased risk of treatment-emergent hyperglycemia-related adverse reactions in patients treated with the atypical antipsychotics. Precise risk estimates for hyperglycemia-related adverse reactions in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics are not available.
Patients with an established diagnosis of diabetes mellitus who are started on atypical antipsychotics should be monitored regularly for worsening of glucose control. Patients with risk factors for diabetes mellitus (eg, obesity, family history of diabetes) who are starting treatment with atypical antipsychotics should undergo fasting blood glucose testing at the beginning of treatment and periodically during treatment. Any patient treated with atypical antipsychotics should be monitored for symptoms of hyperglycemia including polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, and weakness. Patients who develop symptoms of hyperglycemia during treatment with atypical antipsychotics should undergo fasting blood glucose testing. In some cases, hyperglycemia has resolved when the atypical antipsychotic was discontinued; however, some patients required continuation of anti-diabetic treatment despite discontinuation of the suspect drug.
5.4 Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)
A potentially fatal symptom complex sometimes referred to as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) has been reported in association with administration of antipsychotic drugs, including SEROQUEL. Rare cases of NMS have been reported with SEROQUEL. Clinical manifestations of NMS are hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, altered mental status, and evidence of autonomic instability (irregular pulse or blood pressure, tachycardia, diaphoresis, and cardiac dysrhythmia). Additional signs may include elevated creatine phosphokinase, myoglobinuria (rhabdomyolysis) and acute renal failure.
The diagnostic evaluation of patients with this syndrome is complicated. In arriving at a diagnosis, it is important to exclude cases where the clinical presentation includes both serious medical illness (e.g., pneumonia, systemic infection, etc.) and untreated or inadequately treated extrapyramidal signs and symptoms (EPS). Other important considerations in the differential diagnosis include central anticholinergic toxicity, heat stroke, drug fever and primary central nervous system (CNS) pathology.
The management of NMS should include: 1) immediate discontinuation of antipsychotic drugs and other drugs not essential to concurrent therapy; 2) intensive symptomatic treatment and medical monitoring; and 3) treatment of any concomitant serious medical problems for which specific treatments are available. There is no general agreement about specific pharmacological treatment regimens for NMS.
If a patient requires antipsychotic drug treatment after recovery from NMS, the potential reintroduction of drug therapy should be carefully considered. The patient should be carefully monitored since recurrences of NMS have been reported.
5.5 Orthostatic Hypotension
SEROQUEL may induce orthostatic hypotension associated with dizziness, tachycardia and, in some patients, syncope, especially during the initial dose-titration period, probably reflecting its α1-adrenergic antagonist properties. Syncope was reported in 1% (28/3265) of the patients treated with SEROQUEL, compared with 0.2% (2/954) on placebo and about 0.4% (2/527) on active control drugs.
SEROQUEL should be used with particular caution in patients with known cardiovascular disease (history of myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease, heart failure or conduction abnormalities), cerebrovascular disease or conditions which would predispose patients to hypotension (dehydration, hypovolemia and treatment with antihypertensive medications). The risk of orthostatic hypotension and syncope may be minimized by limiting the initial dose to 25 mg bid [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION]. If hypotension occurs during titration to the target dose, a return to the previous dose in the titration schedule is appropriate.
5.6 Leukopenia, Neutropenia and Agranulocytosis
In clinical trial and postmarketing experience, events of leukopenia/neutropenia have been reported temporally related to atypical antipsychotic agents, including SEROQUEL. Agranulocytosis (including fatal cases) has also been reported.
Possible risk factors for leukopenia/neutropenia include preexisting low white cell count (WBC) and history of drug induced leukopenia/neutropenia. Patients with a pre-existing low WBC or a history of drug induced leukopenia/neutropenia should have their complete blood count (CBC) monitored frequently during the first few months of therapy and should discontinue SEROQUEL at the first sign of a decline in WBC in absence of other causative factors.
Patients with neutropenia should be carefully monitored for fever or other symptoms or signs of infection and treated promptly if such symptoms or signs occur. Patients with severe neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count < 1000/mm ³) should discontinue SEROQUEL and have their WBC followed until recovery (See ADVERSE REACTIONS).
5.7 Tardive Dyskinesia
A syndrome of potentially irreversible, involuntary, dyskinetic movements may develop in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs. Although the prevalence of the syndrome appears to be highest among the elderly, especially elderly women, it is impossible to rely upon prevalence estimates to predict, at the inception of antipsychotic treatment, which patients are likely to develop the syndrome. Whether antipsychotic drug products differ in their potential to cause tardive dyskinesia is unknown.
The risk of developing tardive dyskinesia and the likelihood that it will become irreversible are believed to increase as the duration of treatment and the total cumulative dose of antipsychotic drugs administered to the patient increase. However, the syndrome can develop, although much less commonly, after relatively brief treatment periods at low doses.
There is no known treatment for established cases of tardive dyskinesia, although the syndrome may remit, partially or completely, if antipsychotic treatment is withdrawn. Antipsychotic treatment, itself, however, may suppress (or partially suppress) the signs and symptoms of the syndrome and thereby may possibly mask the underlying process. The effect that symptomatic suppression has upon the long-term course of the syndrome is unknown.
Given these considerations, SEROQUEL should be prescribed in a manner that is most likely to minimize the occurrence of tardive dyskinesia. Chronic antipsychotic treatment should generally be reserved for patients who appear to suffer from a chronic illness that (1) is known to respond to antipsychotic drugs, and (2) for whom alternative, equally effective, but potentially less harmful treatments are not available or appropriate. In patients who do require chronic treatment, the smallest dose and the shortest duration of treatment producing a satisfactory clinical response should be sought. The need for continued treatment should be reassessed periodically.
If signs and symptoms of tardive dyskinesia appear in a patient on SEROQUEL, drug discontinuation should be considered. However, some patients may require treatment with SEROQUEL despite the presence of the syndrome.
5.8 Cataracts
The development of cataracts was observed in association with quetiapine treatment in chronic dog studies [see NON CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY, Animal Toxicology]. Lens changes have also been observed in patients during long-term SEROQUEL treatment, but a causal relationship to SEROQUEL use has not been established. Nevertheless, the possibility of lenticular changes cannot be excluded at this time. Therefore, examination of the lens by methods adequate to detect cataract formation, such as slit lamp exam or other appropriately sensitive methods, is recommended at initiation of treatment or shortly thereafter, and at 6 month intervals during chronic treatment.
5.9 Seizures
During clinical trials, seizures occurred in 0.5% (20/3490) of patients treated with SEROQUEL compared to 0.2% (2/954) on placebo and 0.7% (4/527) on active control drugs. As with other antipsychotics SEROQUEL should be used cautiously in patients with a history of seizures or with conditions that potentially lower the seizure threshold, eg, Alzheimer's dementia. Conditions that lower the seizure threshold may be more prevalent in a population of 65 years or older.
5.10 Hypothyroidism
Clinical trials with SEROQUEL demonstrated a dose-related decrease in total and free thyroxine (T4) of approximately 20% at the higher end of the therapeutic dose range and was maximal in the first two to four weeks of treatment and maintained without adaptation or progression during more chronic therapy. Generally, these changes were of no clinical significance and TSH was unchanged in most patients and levels of TBG were unchanged. In nearly all cases, cessation of SEROQUEL treatment was associated with a reversal of the effects on total and free T4, irrespective of the duration of treatment. About 0.7% (26/3489) of SEROQUEL patients did experience TSH increases in monotherapy studies. Six of the patients with TSH increases needed replacement thyroid treatment. In the mania adjunct studies, where SEROQUEL was added to lithium or divalproex, 12% (24/196) of SEROQUEL treated patients compared to 7% (15/203) of placebo treated patients had elevated TSH levels. Of the SEROQUEL treated patients with elevated TSH levels, 3 had simultaneous low free T4 levels.
5.11 Hyperlipidemia
In schizophrenia trials, the proportions of patients with elevations to levels of cholesterol ≥ 240 mg/dL and triglycerides ≥ 200 mg/dL were 16% and 23% for SEROQUEL treated patients respectively compared to 7% and 16% for placebo patients respectively. In bipolar depression trials, the proportion of patients with cholesterol and triglycerides elevations to these levels were 9% and 14% for SEROQUEL treated patients respectively, compared to 6% and 9% for placebo patients respectively.
5.12 Hyperprolactinemia
Although an elevation of prolactin levels was not demonstrated in clinical trials with SEROQUEL, increased prolactin levels were observed in rat studies with this compound, and were associated with an increase in mammary gland neoplasia in rats [see Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility]. Tissue culture experiments indicate that approximately one-third of human breast cancers are prolactin dependent in vitro, a factor of potential importance if the prescription of these drugs is contemplated in a patient with previously detected breast cancer. Although disturbances such as galactorrhea, amenorrhea, gynecomastia, and impotence have been reported with prolactin-elevating compounds, the clinical significance of elevated serum prolactin levels is unknown for most patients. Neither clinical studies nor epidemiologic studies conducted to date have shown an association between chronic administration of this class of drugs and tumorigenesis in humans; the available evidence is considered too limited to be conclusive at this time.
5.13 Transaminase Elevations
Asymptomatic, transient and reversible elevations in serum transaminases (primarily ALT) have been reported. In schizophrenia trials, the proportions of patients with transaminase elevations of > 3 times the upper limits of the normal reference range in a pool of 3- to 6-week placebo-controlled trials were approximately 6% for SEROQUEL compared to 1% for placebo. In acute bipolar mania trials, the proportions of patients with transaminase elevations of > 3 times the upper limits of the normal reference range in a pool of 3- to 12-week placebo-controlled trials were approximately 1% for both SEROQUEL and placebo. These hepatic enzyme elevations usually occurred within the first 3 weeks of drug treatment and promptly returned to pre-study levels with ongoing treatment with SEROQUEL. In bipolar depression trials, the proportions of patients with transaminase elevations of > 3 times the upper limits of the normal reference range in two 8-week placebo-controlled trials was 1% for SEROQUEL and 2% for placebo.
5.14 Potential for Cognitive and Motor Impairment
Somnolence was a commonly reported adverse event reported in patients treated with SEROQUEL especially during the 3-5 day period of initial dose-titration. In schizophrenia trials, somnolence was reported in 18% of patients on SEROQUEL compared to 11% of placebo patients. In acute bipolar mania trials using SEROQUEL as monotherapy, somnolence was reported in 16% of patients on SEROQUEL compared to 4% of placebo patients. In acute bipolar mania trials using SEROQUEL as adjunct therapy, somnolence was reported in 34% of patients on SEROQUEL compared to 9% of placebo patients. In bipolar depression trials, somnolence was reported in 28% of patients on SEROQUEL compared to 7% of placebo patients. In these trials, sedation was reported in 30% of patients on SEROQUEL compared to 8% of placebo patients. Since SEROQUEL has the potential to impair judgment, thinking, or motor skills, patients should be cautioned about performing activities requiring mental alertness, such as operating a motor vehicle (including automobiles) or operating hazardous machinery until they are reasonably certain that SEROQUEL therapy does not affect them adversely.
5.15 Priapism
One case of priapism in a patient receiving SEROQUEL has been reported prior to market introduction. While a causal relationship to use of SEROQUEL has not been established, other drugs with alpha-adrenergic blocking effects have been reported to induce priapism, and it is possible that SEROQUEL may share this capacity. Severe priapism may require surgical intervention.
5.16 Body Temperature Regulation
Although not reported with SEROQUEL, disruption of the body's ability to reduce core body temperature has been attributed to antipsychotic agents. Appropriate care is advised when prescribing SEROQUEL for patients who will be experiencing conditions which may contribute to an elevation in core body temperature, e.g., exercising strenuously, exposure to extreme heat, receiving concomitant medication with anticholinergic activity, or being subject to dehydration.
5.17 Dysphagia
Esophageal dysmotility and aspiration have been associated with antipsychotic drug use. Aspiration pneumonia is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients, in particular those with advanced Alzheimer's dementia. SEROQUEL and other antipsychotic drugs should be used cautiously in patients at risk for aspiration pneumonia.
5.18 Suicide
The possibility of a suicide attempt is inherent in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; close supervision of high risk patients should accompany drug therapy. Prescriptions for SEROQUEL should be written for the smallest quantity of tablets consistent with good patient management in order to reduce the risk of overdose.
In 2 eight-week clinical studies in patients with bipolar depression (N=1048) the incidence of treatment emergent suicidal ideation or suicide attempt was low and similar to placebo, (SEROQUEL 300 mg, 6/350, 1.7%; SEROQUEL 600 mg, 9/348, 2.6%; Placebo, 7/347, 2.0%).
5.19 Use in Patients with Concomitant Illness
Clinical experience with SEROQUEL in patients with certain concomitant systemic illnesses is limited. [see PHARMACOKINETICS]
SEROQUEL has not been evaluated or used to any appreciable extent in patients with a recent history of myocardial infarction or unstable heart disease. Patients with these diagnoses were excluded from premarketing clinical studies. Because of the risk of orthostatic hypotension with SEROQUEL, caution should be observed in cardiac patients [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS].
5.20 Withdrawal
Acute withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and insomnia have very rarely been described after abrupt cessation of atypical antipsychotic drugs, including SEROQUEL. Gradual withdrawal is advised.
6 Adverse Reactions
6.1 Clinical Study Experience
Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction 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.
The information below is derived from a clinical trial database for SEROQUEL consisting of over 4300 patients. This database includes 698 patients exposed to SEROQUEL for the treatment of bipolar depression, 405 patients exposed to SEROQUEL for the treatment of acute bipolar mania (monotherapy and adjunct therapy), 646 patients exposed to SEROQUEL for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder as adjunct therapy, and approximately 2600 patients and/or normal subjects exposed to 1 or more doses of SEROQUEL for the treatment of schizophrenia.
Of these approximately 4300 subjects, approximately 4000 (2300 in schizophrenia, 405 in acute bipolar mania, 698 in bipolar depression, and 646 for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder) were patients who participated in multiple dose effectiveness trials, and their experience corresponded to approximately 2400 patient-years. The conditions and duration of treatment with SEROQUEL varied greatly and included (in overlapping categories) open-label and double-blind phases of studies, inpatients and outpatients, fixed-dose and dose-titration studies, and short-term or longer-term exposure. Adverse reactions were assessed by collecting adverse events, results of physical examinations, vital signs, weights, laboratory analyses, ECGs, and results of ophthalmologic examinations.
Adverse reactions during exposure were obtained by general inquiry and recorded by clinical investigators using terminology of their own choosing. Consequently, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the proportion of individuals experiencing adverse reactions without first grouping similar types of reactions into a smaller number of standardized reaction categories.
In the tables and tabulations that follow, standard COSTART terminology has been used to classify reported adverse reactions for schizophrenia and bipolar mania. MedDRA terminology has been used to classify reported adverse reactions for bipolar depression.
The stated frequencies of adverse reactions represent the proportion of individuals who experienced, at least once, a treatment-emergent adverse reaction of the type listed. A reaction was considered treatment emergent if it occurred for the first time or worsened while receiving therapy following baseline evaluation.
Adverse Reactions Associated with Discontinuation of Treatment in Short-Term, Placebo-Controlled Trials
Bipolar Disorder
Depression: Overall, discontinuations due to adverse reactions were 12.3% for SEROQUEL 300 mg vs. 19.0% for SEROQUEL 600 mg and 5.2% for placebo.
Mania: Overall, discontinuations due to adverse reactions were 5.7 % for SEROQUEL vs. 5.1% for placebo in monotherapy and 3.6% for SEROQUEL vs. 5.9% for placebo in adjunct therapy.
Schizophrenia: Overall, there was little difference in the incidence of discontinuation due to adverse reactions (4% for SEROQUEL vs. 3% for placebo) in a pool of controlled trials. However, discontinuations due to somnolence and hypotension were considered to be drug related: [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS]
|Adverse Event
Adverse Reactions Occurring at an Incidence of 1% or More Among SEROQUEL Treated Patients in Short-Term, Placebo-Controlled Trials:
The prescriber should be aware that the figures in the tables and tabulations cannot be used to predict the incidence of side effects in the course of usual medical practice where patient characteristics and other factors differ from those that prevailed in the clinical trials. Similarly, the cited frequencies cannot be compared with figures obtained from other clinical investigations involving different treatments, uses, and investigators. The cited figures, however, do provide the prescribing physician with some basis for estimating the relative contribution of drug and nondrug factors to the side effect incidence in the population studied.
Table 2 enumerates the incidence, rounded to the nearest percent, of treatment-emergent adverse reactions that occurred during acute therapy of schizophrenia (up to 6 weeks) and bipolar mania (up to 12 weeks) in 1% or more of patients treated with SEROQUEL (doses ranging from 75 to 800 mg/day) where the incidence in patients treated with SEROQUEL was greater than the incidence in placebo-treated patients.
Table 2. Treatment-Emergent Adverse Reaction Incidence in 3- to 12-Week Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Mania (monotherapy)1
|Body System/
Preferred Term
|Body as a Whole
|Back Pain
|Postural Hypotension
|Dry Mouth
|Gamma Glutamyl Transpeptidase Increased
|Metabolic and Nutritional
|Weight Gain
|SGPT Increased
|SGOT Increased
|Skin and Appendages
|Special Senses
|1Reactions for which the SEROQUEL incidence was equal to or less than placebo are not listed in the table, but included the following: accidental injury, akathisia, chest pain, cough increased, depression, diarrhea, extrapyramidal syndrome, hostility, hypertension, hypertonia, hypotension, increased appetite, infection, insomnia, leukopenia, malaise, nausea, nervousness, paresthesia, peripheral edema, sweating, tremor, and weight loss.
In these studies, the most commonly observed adverse reactions associated with the use of SEROQUEL (incidence of 5% or greater) and observed at a rate on SEROQUEL at least twice that of placebo were somnolence (18%), dizziness (11%), dry mouth (9%), constipation (8%), SGPT increased (5%), weight gain (5%), and dyspepsia (5%).
Table 3 enumerates the incidence, rounded to the nearest percent, of treatment-emergent adverse reactions that occurred during therapy (up to 3-weeks) of acute mania in 5% or more of patients treated with SEROQUEL (doses ranging from 100 to 800 mg/day) used as adjunct therapy to lithium and divalproex where the incidence in patients treated with SEROQUEL was greater than the incidence in placebo-treated patients.
Table 3. Treatment-Emergent Adverse Reaction Incidence in 3-Week Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Bipolar Mania (Adjunct Therapy)1
|Body System/
Preferred Term
|Body as a Whole
|Abdominal Pain
|Back Pain
|Postural Hypotension
|Dry Mouth
|Metabolic and Nutritional
|Weight Gain
|1Reactions for which the SEROQUEL incidence was equal to or less than placebo are not listed in the table, but included the following: akathisia, diarrhea, insomnia, and nausea.
In these studies, the most commonly observed adverse reactions associated with the use of SEROQUEL (incidence of 5% or greater) and observed at a rate on SEROQUEL at least twice that of placebo were somnolence (34%), dry mouth (19%), asthenia (10%), constipation (10%), abdominal pain (7%), postural hypotension (7%), pharyngitis (6%), and weight gain (6%).
Table 4 enumerates the incidence, rounded to the nearest percent, of treatment-emergent adverse reactions that occurred during therapy (up to 8-weeks) of bipolar depression in 5% or more of patients treated with SEROQUEL (doses of 300 and 600 mg/day) where the incidence in patients treated with SEROQUEL was greater than the incidence in placebo-treated patients.
Table 4. Treatment-Emergent Adverse Reaction Incidence in 8-Week Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Bipolar Depression1
|Body System/
Preferred Term
|Gastrointestinal Disorders
|Dry Mouth
|General Disorders and Administrative Site Conditions
|Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders
|Increased Appetite
|Nervous System Disorders
|Respiratory, Thoracic, and Mediastinal Disorders
|Nasal Congestion
|1Events for which the SEROQUEL incidence was equal to or less than placebo are not listed in the table, but included the following: nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache.
In these studies, the most commonly observed adverse reactions associated with the use of SEROQUEL (incidence of 5% or greater) and observed at a rate on SEROQUEL at least twice that of placebo were dry mouth (44%), sedation (30%), somnolence (28%), dizziness (18%), constipation (10%), lethargy (5%), and nasal congestion (5%).
Explorations for interactions on the basis of gender, age, and race did not reveal any clinically meaningful differences in the adverse reaction occurrence on the basis of these demographic factors.
Dose Dependency of Adverse Reactions in Short-Term, Placebo-Controlled Trials
Dose-related Adverse Reactions: Spontaneously elicited adverse reaction data from a study of schizophrenia comparing five fixed doses of SEROQUEL (75 mg, 150 mg, 300 mg, 600 mg, and 750 mg/day) to placebo were explored for dose-relatedness of adverse reactions. Logistic regression analyses revealed a positive dose response (p < 0.05) for the following adverse reactions: dyspepsia, abdominal pain, and weight gain.
Extrapyramidal Symptoms
Class Effect: Symptoms of dystonia, prolonged abnormal contractions of muscle groups, may occur in susceptible individuals during the first few days of treatment. Dystonic symptoms include: spasm of the neck muscles, sometimes progressing to tightness of the throat, swallowing difficulty, difficulty breathing, and/or protrusion of the tongue. While these symptoms can occur at low doses, they occur more frequently and with greater severity with high potency and at higher doses of first generation antipsychotic drugs. An elevated risk of acute dystonia is observed in males and younger age groups.
Data from one 6-week clinical trial of schizophrenia comparing five fixed doses of SEROQUEL (75, 150, 300, 600, 750 mg/day) provided evidence for the lack of treatment-emergent extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and dose-relatedness for EPS associated with SEROQUEL treatment. Three methods were used to measure EPS: (1) Simpson-Angus total score (mean change from baseline) which evaluates Parkinsonism and akathisia, (2) incidence of spontaneous complaints of EPS (akathisia, akinesia, cogwheel rigidity, extrapyramidal syndrome, hypertonia, hypokinesia, neck rigidity, and tremor), and (3) use of anticholinergic medications to treat emergent EPS.
|Dose Groups
|75 mg
|150 mg
|300 mg
|600 mg
|750 mg
|EPS incidence
|Anticholinergic medications
In six additional placebo-controlled clinical trials (3 in acute mania and 3 in schizophrenia) using variable doses of SEROQUEL, there were no differences between the SEROQUEL and placebo treatment groups in the incidence of EPS, as assessed by Simpson-Angus total scores, spontaneous complaints of EPS and the use of concomitant anticholinergic medications to treat EPS.
In two placebo-controlled clinical trials for the treatment of bipolar depression using 300 mg and 600 mg of SEROQUEL, the incidence of adverse reactions potentially related to EPS was 12% in both dose groups and 6% in the placebo group. In these studies, the incidence of the individual adverse reactions (eg, akathisia, extrapyramidal disorder, tremor, dyskinesia, dystonia, restlessness, muscle contractions involuntary, psychomotor hyperactivity and muscle rigidity) were generally low and did not exceed 4% in any treatment group.
The 3 treatment groups were similar in mean change in SAS total score and BARS Global Assessment score at the end of treatment. The use of concomitant anticholinergic medications was infrequent and similar across the three treatment groups.
Vital Signs and Laboratory Studies
Vital Sign Changes
SEROQUEL is associated with orthostatic hypotension [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS].
Weight Gain
In schizophrenia trials the proportions of patients meeting a weight gain criterion of ≥ 7% of body weight were compared in a pool of four 3- to 6-week placebo-controlled clinical trials, revealing a statistically significantly greater incidence of weight gain for SEROQUEL (23%) compared to placebo (6%). In mania monotherapy trials the proportions of patients meeting the same weight gain criterion were 21% compared to 7% for placebo and in mania adjunct therapy trials the proportion of patients meeting the same weight criterion were 13% compared to 4% for placebo. In bipolar depression trials, the proportions of patients meeting the same weight gain criterion were 8% compared to 2% for placebo.
Laboratory Changes
An assessment of the premarketing experience for SEROQUEL suggested that it is associated with asymptomatic increases in SGPT and increases in both total cholesterol and triglycerides In post-marketing clinical trials, elevations in total cholesterol (predominantly LDL cholesterol) have been observed.
In placebo controlled monotherapy clinical trials involving 3368 patients on SEROQUEL and 1515 on placebo, the incidence of at least one occurrence of neutrophil count < 1.0 x 109/L among patients with a normal baseline neutrophil count and at least one available follow up laboratory measurement was 0.3% (10/2967) in patients treated with SEROQUEL, compared to 0.1% (2/1349) in patients treated with placebo. Patient with pre-existent low WBC or a history of drug induced luekopenia / neutropenia should have their complete blood count (CBC) monitored frequently during the first few months of therapy and should discontinue SEROQUEL at the first sign of a decline in WBC in absence of other causative factors. [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS]
In 2 long-term placebo-controlled clinical trails, mean exposure 213 days for SEROQUEL (646 patients) and 152 days for placebo (680 patients), the exposure-adjust rate of any increased blood glucose level (≥126 mg / dl) for patients more than 8 hours since a meal was 18.0 per 100 patient years for SEROQUEL (10.7% of patients) and 9.5 for placebo per 100 patient years (4.6% of patients).
In short-term (12 weeks duration or less) placebo-controlled clinical trials (3342 patients treated with SEROQUEL and 1490 treated with placebo), the percent of patients who had a fasting blood glucose ≥126 mg/dl or a non fasting blood glucose ≥200 mg/dl was 3.5% for quetiapine and 2.1% for placebo.
In a 24 week trial (active-controlled, 115 patients treated with SEROQUEL) designed to evaluate glycemic status with oral glucose tolerance testing of all patients, at week 24 the incidence of a treatment-emergent post-glucose challenge glucose level ≥200 mg/dl was 1.7% and the incidence of a fasting treatment-emergent blood glucose level ≥126 mg/dl was 2.6%.
ECG Changes
Between-group comparisons for pooled placebo-controlled trials revealed no statistically significant SEROQUEL/placebo differences in the proportions of patients experiencing potentially important changes in ECG parameters, including QT, QTc, and PR intervals. However, the proportions of patients meeting the criteria for tachycardia were compared in four 3- to 6-week placebo-controlled clinical trials for the treatment of schizophrenia revealing a 1% (4/399) incidence for SEROQUEL compared to 0.6% (1/156) incidence for placebo. In acute (monotherapy) bipolar mania trials the proportions of patients meeting the criteria for tachycardia was 0.5% (1/192) for SEROQUEL compared to 0% (0/178) incidence for placebo. In acute bipolar mania (adjunct) trials the proportions of patients meeting the same criteria was 0.6% (1/166) for SEROQUEL compared to 0% (0/171) incidence for placebo. In bipolar depression trials, no patients had heart rate increases to > 120 beats per minute. SEROQUEL use was associated with a mean increase in heart rate, assessed by ECG, of 7 beats per minute compared to a mean increase of 1 beat per minute among placebo patients. This slight tendency to tachycardia may be related to SEROQUEL's potential for inducing orthostatic changes [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS].
Other Adverse Reactions Observed During the Pre-Marketing Evaluation of SEROQUEL
Following is a list of COSTART terms that reflect treatment-emergent adverse reactions as defined in the introduction to the ADVERSE REACTIONS section reported by patients treated with SEROQUEL at multiple doses 75 mg/day during any phase of a trial within the premarketing database of approximately 2200 patients treated for schizophrenia. All reported reactions are included except those already listed in the tables or elsewhere in labeling, those reactions for which a drug cause was remote, and those reaction terms which were so general as to be uninformative. It is important to emphasize that, although the reactions reported occurred during treatment with SEROQUEL, they were not necessarily caused by it.
Reactions are further categorized by body system and listed in order of decreasing frequency according to the following definitions: frequent adverse reactions are those occurring in at least 1/100 patients (only those not already listed in the tabulated results from placebo-controlled trials appear in this listing); infrequent adverse reactions are those occurring in 1/100 to 1/1000 patients; rare reactions are those occurring in fewer than 1/1000 patients.
Nervous System:Frequent: hypertonia, dysarthria; Infrequent: abnormal dreams, dyskinesia, thinking abnormal, tardive dyskinesia, vertigo, involuntary movements, confusion, amnesia, psychosis, hallucinations, hyperkinesia, libido increased*, urinary retention, incoordination, paranoid reaction, abnormal gait, myoclonus, delusions, manic reaction, apathy, ataxia, depersonalization, stupor, bruxism, catatonic reaction, hemiplegia; Rare: aphasia, buccoglossal syndrome, choreoathetosis, delirium, emotional lability, euphoria, libido decreased*, neuralgia, stuttering, subdural hematoma.
Body as a Whole: Frequent: flu syndrome; Infrequent: neck pain, pelvic pain*, suicide attempt, malaise, photosensitivity reaction, chills, face edema, moniliasis; Rare:abdomen enlarged.
Digestive System: Frequent: anorexia; Infrequent: increased salivation, increased appetite, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase increased, gingivitis, dysphagia, flatulence, gastroenteritis, gastritis, hemorrhoids, stomatitis, thirst, tooth caries, fecal incontinence, gastroesophageal reflux, gum hemorrhage, mouth ulceration, rectal hemorrhage, tongue edema; Rare: glossitis, hematemesis, intestinal obstruction, melena, pancreatitis.
Cardiovascular System: Frequent: palpitation; Infrequent: vasodilatation, QT interval prolonged, migraine, bradycardia, cerebral ischemia, irregular pulse, T wave abnormality, bundle branch block, cerebrovascular accident, deep thrombophlebitis, T wave inversion; Rare: angina pectoris, atrial fibrillation, AV block first degree, congestive heart failure, ST elevated, thrombophlebitis, T wave flattening, ST abnormality, increased QRS duration.
Respiratory System:Frequent: pharyngitis, rhinitis, cough increased, dyspnea; Infrequent: pneumonia, epistaxis, asthma; Rare: hiccup, hyperventilation.
Metabolic and Nutritional System: Frequent: peripheral edema; Infrequent: weight loss, alkaline phosphatase increased, hyperlipemia, alcohol intolerance, dehydration, hyperglycemia, creatinine increased, hypoglycemia; Rare: glycosuria, gout, hand edema, hypokalemia, water intoxication.
Skin and Appendages System: Frequent: sweating; Infrequent: pruritus, acne, eczema, contact dermatitis, maculopapular rash, seborrhea, skin ulcer; Rare: exfoliative dermatitis, psoriasis, skin discoloration.
Urogenital System: Infrequent: dysmenorrhea*, vaginitis*, urinary incontinence, metrorrhagia*, impotence*, dysuria, vaginal moniliasis*, abnormal ejaculation*, cystitis, urinary frequency, amenorrhea*, female lactation*, leukorrhea*, vaginal hemorrhage*, vulvovaginitis* orchitis*; Rare: gynecomastia*, nocturia, polyuria, acute kidney failure.
Special Senses: Infrequent: conjunctivitis, abnormal vision, dry eyes, tinnitus, taste perversion, blepharitis, eye pain; Rare: abnormality of accommodation, deafness, glaucoma.
Musculoskeletal System: Infrequent: pathological fracture, myasthenia, twitching, arthralgia, arthritis, leg cramps, bone pain.
Hemic and Lymphatic System: Frequent: leukopenia; Infrequent: leukocytosis, anemia, ecchymosis, eosinophilia, hypochromic anemia; lymphadenopathy, cyanosis; Rare:hemolysis, thrombocytopenia.
Endocrine System: Infrequent: hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus; Rare: hyperthyroidism.
6.2 Post Marketing Experience
The following adverse reactions were identified during post approval of SEROQUEL. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Adverse reactions reported since market introduction which were temporally related to SEROQUEL therapy include: anaphylactic reaction, restless legs, and leukopenia/neutropenia. If a patient develops a low white cell count consider discontinuation of therapy. Possible risk factors for leukopenia/neutropenia include pre-existing low white cell count and history of drug induced leukopenia/neutropenia.
Other adverse reactions reported since market introduction, which were temporally related to SEROQUEL therapy, but not necessarily causally related, include the following: agranulocytosis, cardiomyopathy, hyponatremia, myocarditis, rhabdomyolysis, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), and Stevens- Johnson syndrome (SJS).
7 Drug Interactions
The risks of using SEROQUEL in combination with other drugs have not been extensively evaluated in systematic studies. Given the primary CNS effects of SEROQUEL, caution should be used when it is taken in combination with other centrally acting drugs. SEROQUEL potentiated the cognitive and motor effects of alcohol in a clinical trial in subjects with selected psychotic disorders, and alcoholic beverages should be avoided while taking SEROQUEL.
Because of its potential for inducing hypotension, SEROQUEL may enhance the effects of certain antihypertensive agents.
SEROQUEL may antagonize the effects of levodopa and dopamine agonists.
7.1 The Effect of Other Drugs on Quetiapine Phenytoin
Coadministration of quetiapine (250 mg tid) and phenytoin (100 mg tid) increased the mean oral clearance of quetiapine by 5-fold. Increased doses of SEROQUEL may be required to maintain control of symptoms of schizophrenia in patients receiving quetiapine and phenytoin, or other hepatic enzyme inducers (e.g., carbamazepine, barbiturates, rifampin, glucocorticoids). Caution should be taken if phenytoin is withdrawn and replaced with a non-inducer (e.g., valproate) [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION].
Divalproex: Coadministration of quetiapine (150 mg bid) and divalproex (500 mg bid) increased the mean maximum plasma concentration of quetiapine at steady state by 17% without affecting the extent of absorption or mean oral clearance.
Thioridazine: Thioridazine (200 mg bid) increased the oral clearance of quetiapine (300 mg bid) by 65%.
Cimetidine: Administration of multiple daily doses of cimetidine (400 mg tid for 4 days) resulted in a 20% decrease in the mean oral clearance of quetiapine (150 mg tid). Dosage adjustment for quetiapine is not required when it is given with cimetidine.
P450 3A Inhibitors: Coadministration of ketoconazole (200 mg once daily for 4 days), a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A, reduced oral clearance of quetiapine by 84%, resulting in a 335% increase in maximum plasma concentration of quetiapine. Caution (reduced dosage) is indicated when SEROQUEL is administered with ketoconazole and other inhibitors of cytochrome P450 3A (e.g., itraconazole, fluconazole, erythromycin, and protease inhibitors).
Fluoxetine, Imipramine, Haloperidol, and Risperidone: Coadministration of fluoxetine (60 mg once daily); imipramine (75 mg bid), haloperidol (7.5 mg bid), or risperidone (3 mg bid) with quetiapine (300 mg bid) did not alter the steady-state pharmacokinetics of quetiapine.
7.2 Effect of Quetiapine on Other Drugs
Lorazepam: The mean oral clearance of lorazepam (2 mg, single dose) was reduced by 20% in the presence of quetiapine administered as 250 mg tid dosing.
Divalproex: The mean maximum concentration and extent of absorption of total and free valproic acid at steady state were decreased by 10 to 12% when divalproex (500 mg bid) was administered with quetiapine (150 mg bid). The mean oral clearance of total valproic acid (administered as divalproex 500 mg bid) was increased by 11% in the presence of quetiapine (150 mg bid). The changes were not significant.
Lithium: Concomitant administration of quetiapine (250 mg tid) with lithium had no effect on any of the steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters of lithium.
Antipyrine: Administration of multiple daily doses up to 750 mg/day (on a tid schedule) of quetiapine to subjects with selected psychotic disorders had no clinically relevant effect on the clearance of antipyrine or urinary recovery of antipyrine metabolites. These results indicate that quetiapine does not significantly induce hepatic enzymes responsible for cytochrome P450 mediated metabolism of antipyrine.
8 Use in Specific Populations
8.1 Pregnancy
The teratogenic potential of quetiapine was studied in Wistar rats and Dutch Belted rabbits dosed during the period of organogenesis. No evidence of a teratogenic effect was detected in rats at doses of 25 to 200 mg/kg or 0.3 to 2.4 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis or in rabbits at 25 to 100 mg/kg or 0.6 to 2.4 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis. There was, however, evidence of embryo/fetal toxicity. Delays in skeletal ossification were detected in rat fetuses at doses of 50 and 200 mg/kg (0.6 and 2.4 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis) and in rabbits at 50 and 100 mg/kg (1.2 and 2.4 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ²basis). Fetal body weight was reduced in rat fetuses at 200 mg/kg and rabbit fetuses at 100 mg/kg (2.4 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis for both species). There was an increased incidence of a minor soft tissue anomaly (carpal/tarsal flexure) in rabbit fetuses at a dose of 100 mg/kg (2.4 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis). Evidence of maternal toxicity (i.e., decreases in body weight gain and/or death) was observed at the high dose in the rat study and at all doses in the rabbit study. In a peri/postnatal reproductive study in rats, no drug-related effects were observed at doses of 1, 10, and 20 mg/kg or 0.01, 0.12, and 0.24 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis. However, in a preliminary peri/postnatal study, there were increases in fetal and pup death, and decreases in mean litter weight at 150 mg/kg, or 3.0 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m ² basis.
There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women and quetiapine should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
8.2 Labor and Delivery
The effect of SEROQUEL on labor and delivery in humans is unknown.
8.3 Nursing Mothers
SEROQUEL was excreted in milk of treated animals during lactation. It is not known if SEROQUEL is excreted in human milk. It is recommended that women receiving SEROQUEL should not breast feed.
8.4 Pediatric Use
The safety and effectiveness of SEROQUEL in pediatric patients have not been established. Anyone considering the use of SEROQUEL in a child or adolescent must balance the potential risks with the clinical need.
8.5 Geriatric Use
Of the approximately 3700 patients in clinical studies with SEROQUEL, 7% (232) were 65 years of age or over. In general, there was no indication of any different tolerability of SEROQUEL in the elderly compared to younger adults. Nevertheless, the presence of factors that might decrease pharmacokinetic clearance, increase the pharmacodynamic response to SEROQUEL, or cause poorer tolerance or orthostasis, should lead to consideration of a lower starting dose, slower titration, and careful monitoring during the initial dosing period in the elderly. The mean plasma clearance of SEROQUEL was reduced by 30% to 50% in elderly patients when compared to younger patients [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGYand DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION].
9 Drug Abuse and Dependence
9.1 Controlled Substance
SEROQUEL is not a controlled substance.
9.2 Abuse
SEROQUEL has not been systematically studied, in animals or humans, for its potential for abuse, tolerance or physical dependence. While the clinical trials did not reveal any tendency for any drug-seeking behavior, these observations were not systematic and it is not possible to predict on the basis of this limited experience the extent to which a CNS-active drug will be misused, diverted, and/or abused once marketed. Consequently, patients should be evaluated carefully for a history of drug abuse, and such patients should be observed closely for signs of misuse or abuse of SEROQUEL, e.g., development of tolerance, increases in dose, drug-seeking behavior.
10.1 Human experience
In clinical trials, survival has been reported in acute overdoses of up to 30 grams of quetiapine. Most patients who overdosed experienced no adverse reactions or recovered fully from the reported reactions. Death has been reported in a clinical trial following an overdose of 13.6 grams of quetiapine alone. In general, reported signs and symptoms were those resulting from an exaggeration of the drugs known pharmacological effects, ie, drowsiness and sedation, tachycardia and hypotension. Patients with pre-existing severe cardiovascular disease may be at an increased risk of the effects of overdose [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS]. One case, involving an estimated overdose of 9600 mg, was associated with hypokalemia and first degree heart block. In post-marketing experience, there have been very rare reports of overdose of SEROQUEL alone resulting in death, coma, or QTc prolongation.
10.2 Management of Overdosage
In case of acute overdosage, establish and maintain an airway and ensure adequate oxygenation and ventilation. Gastric lavage (after intubation, if patient is unconscious) and administration of activated charcoal together with a laxative should be considered. The possibility of obtundation, seizure or dystonic reaction of the head and neck following overdose may create a risk of aspiration with induced emesis. Cardiovascular monitoring should commence immediately and should include continuous electrocardiographic monitoring to detect possible arrhythmias. If antiarrhythmic therapy is administered, disopyramide, procainamide and quinidine carry a theoretical hazard of additive QT-prolonging effects when administered in patients with acute overdosage of SEROQUEL. Similarly it is reasonable to expect that the alpha-adrenergic-blocking properties of bretylium might be additive to those of quetiapine, resulting in problematic hypotension.
There is no specific antidote to SEROQUEL. Therefore appropriate supportive measures should be instituted. The possibility of multiple drug involvement should be considered. Hypotension and circulatory collapse should be treated with appropriate measures such as intravenous fluids and/or sympathomimetic agents (epinephrine and dopamine should not be used, since beta stimulation may worsen hypotension in the setting of quetiapine-induced alpha blockade). In cases of severe extrapyramidal symptoms, anticholinergic medication should be administered. Close medical supervision and monitoring should continue until the patient recovers.
SEROQUEL (quetiapine fumarate) is a psychotropic agent belonging to a chemical class, the dibenzothiazepine derivatives. The chemical designation is 2-[2-(4-dibenzo [b,f] [1,4]thiazepin-11-yl-1-piperazinyl)ethoxy]-ethanol fumarate (2:1) (salt). It is present in tablets as the fumarate salt. All doses and tablet strengths are expressed as milligrams of base, not as fumarate salt. Its molecular formula is C42H50N6O4S2-C4H4O4 and it has a molecular weight of 883.11 (fumarate salt). The structural formula is:
Quetiapine fumarate is a white to off-white crystalline powder which is moderately soluble in water.
SEROQUEL is supplied for oral administration as 25 mg (round, peach), 100 mg (round, yellow), 200 mg (round, white) and 300 mg (capsule-shaped, white) tablets.
Inactive ingredients are povidone, dibasic dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol and titanium dioxide.
The 25 mg tablets contain red ferric oxide and yellow ferric oxide and the 100 mg tablets contain only yellow ferric oxide.
12 Clinical Pharmacology
12.1 Mechanism of Action
The mechanism of action of SEROQUEL, as with other drugs having efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is unknown. However, it has been proposed that the efficacy of SEROQUEL in schizophrenia and its mood stabilizing properties in bipolar depression and mania are mediated through a combination of dopamine type 2 (D2) and serotonin type 2 (5HT2) antagonism. Antagonism at receptors other than dopamine and 5HT2 with similar receptor affinities may explain some of the other effects of SEROQUEL.
SEROQUEL's antagonism of histamine H1 receptors may explain the somnolence observed with this drug.
SEROQUEL's antagonism of adrenergic α 1 receptors may explain the orthostatic hypotension observed with this drug.
12.2 Pharmacodynamics
SEROQUEL is an antagonist at multiple neurotransmitter receptors in the brain: serotonin 5HT1A and 5HT2 (IC50s=717 & 148nM respectively), dopamine D1 and D2 (IC50s=1268 & 329nM respectively), histamine H1 (IC50=30nM), and adrenergic a1 and a2 receptors (IC50s=94 & 271nM, respectively). SEROQUEL has no appreciable affinity at cholinergic muscarinic and benzodiazepine receptors (IC50s>5000 nM).
12.3 Pharmacokinetics
Quetiapine fumarate activity is primarily due to the parent drug. The multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of quetiapine are dose-proportional within the proposed clinical dose range, and quetiapine accumulation is predictable upon multiple dosing. Elimination of quetiapine is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 6 hours within the proposed clinical dose range. Steady-state concentrations are expected to be achieved within two days of dosing. Quetiapine is unlikely to interfere with the metabolism of drugs metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes.
Quetiapine fumarate is rapidly absorbed after oral administration, reaching peak plasma concentrations in 1.5 hours. The tablet formulation is 100% bioavailable relative to solution. The bioavailability of quetiapine is marginally affected by administration with food, with Cmax and AUC values increased by 25% and 15%, respectively.
Quetiapine is widely distributed throughout the body with an apparent volume of distribution of 10 ±4 L/kg. It is 83% bound to plasma proteins at therapeutic concentrations. In vitro, quetiapine did not affect the binding of warfarin or diazepam to human serum albumin. In turn, neither warfarin nor diazepam altered the binding of quetiapine.
Metabolism and Elimination
Following a single oral 14 dose of C-quetiapine, less than 1% of the administered dose was excreted as unchanged drug, indicating that quetiapine is highly metabolized. Approximately 73% and 20% of the dose was recovered in the urine and feces, respectively.
Quetiapine is extensively metabolized by the liver. The major metabolic pathways are sulfoxidation to the sulfoxide metabolite and oxidation to the parent acid metabolite; both metabolites are pharmacologically inactive. In vitro studies using human liver microsomes revealed that the cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme is involved in the metabolism of quetiapine to its major, but inactive, sulfoxide metabolite and in the metabolism of its active metabolite N-desalkyl quetiapine.
Oral clearance of quetiapine was reduced by 40% in elderly patients (= 65 years, n=9) compared to young patients (n=12), and dosing adjustment may be necessary (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).
There is no gender effect on the pharmacokinetics of quetiapine.
There is no race effect on the pharmacokinetics of quetiapine.
Smoking has no effect on the oral clearance of quetiapine.
Renal Insufficiency
Patients with severe renal 2 impairment (Clcr=10-30 mL/min/1.73 m2 , n=8) had a 25% lower mean oral clearance than normal subjects (Clcr > 80 2 mL/min/1.73 m2 , n=8), but plasma quetiapine concentrations in the subjects with renal insufficiency were within the range of concentrations seen in normal subjects receiving the same dose. Dosage adjustment is therefore not needed in these patients.
Hepatic Insufficiency
Hepatically impaired patients (n=8) had a 30% lower mean oral clearance of quetiapine than normal subjects. In two of the 8 hepatically impaired patients, AUC and Cmax were 3-times higher than those observed typically in healthy subjects. Since quetiapine is extensively metabolized by the liver, higher plasma levels are expected in the hepatically impaired population, and dosage adjustment may be needed (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).
Drug-Drug Interactions:
In vitro enzyme inhibition data suggest that quetiapine and 9 of its metabolites would have little inhibitory effect on in vivo metabolism mediated by cytochromes P450 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4.
Quetiapine oral clearance is increased by the prototype cytochrome P450 3A4 inducer, phenytoin, and decreased by the prototype cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitor, ketoconazole. Dose adjustment of quetiapine will be necessary if it is coadministered with phenytoin or ketoconazole (See Drug Interactions under PRECAUTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).
Quetiapine oral clearance is not inhibited by the non- specific enzyme inhibitor, cimetidine.
Quetiapine at doses of 750 mg/day did not affect the single dose pharmacokinetics of antipyrine, lithium or lorazepam (See Drug Interactions under PRECAUTIONS).
13 Nonclinical Toxicology
13.1Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility
Carcinogenicity studies were conducted in C57BL mice and Wistar rats. Quetiapine was administered in the diet to mice at doses of 20, 75, 250, and 750 mg/kg and to rats by gavage at doses of 25, 75, and 250 mg/kg for two years. These doses are equivalent to 0.1, 0.5, 1.5, and 4.5 times the maximum human dose (800 mg/day) on a mg/m2 basis (mice) or 0.3, 0.9, and 3.0 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis (rats). There were statistically significant increases in thyroid gland follicular adenomas in male mice at doses of 250 and 750 mg/kg or 1.5 and 4.5 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis and in male rats at a dose of 250 mg/kg or 3.0 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis. Mammary gland adenocarcinomas were statistically significantly increased in female rats at all doses tested (25, 75, and 250 mg/kg or 0.3, 0.9, and 3.0 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m2 basis).
Thyroid follicular cell adenomas may have resulted from chronic stimulation of the thyroid gland by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) resulting from enhanced metabolism and clearance of thyroxine by rodent liver. Changes in TSH, thyroxine, and thyroxine clearance consistent with this mechanism were observed in subchronic toxicity studies in rat and mouse and in a 1-year toxicity study in rat; however, the results of these studies were not definitive. The relevance of the increases in thyroid follicular cell adenomas to human risk, through whatever mechanism, is unknown.
Antipsychotic drugs have been shown to chronically elevate prolactin levels in rodents. Serum measurements in a 1-yr toxicity study showed that quetiapine increased median serum prolactin levels a maximum of 32- and 13-fold in male and female rats, respectively.
Increases in mammary neoplasms have been found in rodents after chronic administration of other antipsychotic drugs and are considered to be prolactin-mediated. The relevance of this increased incidence of prolactin-mediated mammary gland tumors in rats to human risk is unknown [see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS (5.11)].
The mutagenic potential of quetiapine was tested in six in vitro bacterial gene mutation assays and in an in vitro mammalian gene mutation assay in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. However, sufficiently high concentrations of quetiapine may not have been used for all tester strains. Quetiapine did produce a reproducible increase in mutations in one Salmonella typhimurium tester strain in the presence of metabolic activation. No evidence of clastogenic potential was obtained in an in vitro chromosomal aberration assay in cultured human lymphocytes or in the in vivo micronucleus assay in rats.
Impairment of Fertility
Quetiapine decreased mating and fertility in male Sprague-Dawley rats at oral doses of 50 and 150 mg/kg or 0.6 and 1.8 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis. Drug- related effects included increases in interval to mate and in the number of matings required for successful impregnation. These effects continued to be observed at 150 mg/kg even after a two-week period without treatment. The no-effect dose for impaired mating and fertility in male rats was 25 mg/kg, or 0.3 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis. Quetiapine adversely affected mating and fertility in female Sprague-Dawley rats at an oral dose of 50 mg/kg, or 0.6 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis. Drug-related effects included decreases in matings and in matings resulting in pregnancy, and an increase in the interval to mate. An increase in irregular estrus cycles was observed at doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg, or 0.1 and 0.6 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis. The no effect dose in female rats was 1 mg/kg, or 0.01 times the maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis.
13.2 Animal Toxicology
Quetiapine caused a dose-related increase in pigment deposition in thyroid gland in rat toxicity studies which were 4 weeks in duration or longer and in a mouse 2 year carcinogenicity study. Doses were 10-250 mg/kg in rats, 75-750 mg/kg in mice; these doses are 0.1-3.0, and 0.1-4.5 times the maximum recommended human dose (on a mg/m ²basis), respectively. Pigment deposition was shown to be irreversible in rats. The identity of the pigment could not be determined, but was found to be co-localized with quetiapine in thyroid gland follicular epithelial cells. The functional effects and the relevance of this finding to human risk are unknown.
In dogs receiving quetiapine for 6 or 12 months, but not for 1 month, focal triangular cataracts occurred at the junction of posterior sutures in the outer cortex of the lens at a dose of 100 mg/kg, or 4 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis. This finding may be due to inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis by quetiapine. Quetiapine caused a dose related reduction in plasma cholesterol levels in repeat-dose dog and monkey studies; however, there was no correlation between plasma cholesterol and the presence of cataracts in individual dogs. The appearance of delta-8-cholestanol in plasma is consistent with inhibition of a late stage in cholesterol biosynthesis in these species. There also was a 25% reduction in cholesterol content of the outer cortex of the lens observed in a special study in quetiapine treated female dogs. Drug-related cataracts have not been seen in any other species; however, in a 1-year study in monkeys, a striated appearance of the anterior lens surface was detected in 2/7 females at a dose of 225 mg/kg or 5.5 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m ² basis.
14 Clinical Studies
14.1 Bipolar Disorder
The efficacy of SEROQUEL for the treatment of depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder was established in 2 identical 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies (N=1045). These studies included patients with either bipolar I or II disorder and those with or without a rapid cycling course. Patients randomized to SEROQUEL were administered fixed doses of either 300 mg or 600 mg once daily.
The primary rating instrument used to assess depressive symptoms in these studies was the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), a 10 item clinician-rated scale with scores ranging from 0 to 60. The primary endpoint in both studies was the change from baseline in MADRS score at week 8. In both studies, SEROQUEL was superior to placebo in reduction of MADRS score. Improvement in symptoms, as measured by change in MADRS score relative to placebo, was seen in both studies at Day 8 (week 1) and onwards. In these studies, no additional benefit was seen with the 600 mg dose. For the 300 mg dose group, statistically significant improvements over placebo were seen in overall quality of life and satisfaction related to various areas of functioning, as measured using the Q-LES-Q(SF).
The efficacy of SEROQUEL in the treatment of acute manic episodes was established in 3 placebo-controlled trials in patients who met DSM-IV criteria for Bipolar I disorder with manic episodes. These trials included patients with or without psychotic features and excluded patients with rapid cycling and mixed episodes. Of these trials, 2 were monotherapy (12 weeks) and 1 was adjunct therapy (3 weeks) to either lithium or divalproex. Key outcomes in these trials were change from baseline in the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score at 3 and 12 weeks for monotherapy and at 3 weeks for adjunct therapy. Adjunct therapy is defined as the simultaneous initiation or subsequent administration of SEROQUEL with lithium or divalproex.
The primary rating instrument used for assessing manic symptoms in these trials was YMRS, an 11-item clinician-rated scale traditionally used to assess the degree of manic symptomatology (irritability, disruptive/aggressive behavior, sleep, elevated mood, speech, increased activity, sexual interest, language/thought disorder, thought content, appearance, and insight) in a range from 0 (no manic features) to 60 (maximum score).
The results of the trials follow:
The efficacy of SEROQUEL in the treatment of bipolar maintenance was established in 2 placebo-controlled trials. In two 12-week trials (n=300, n=299) comparing SEROQUEL to placebo, SEROQUEL was superior to placebo in the reduction of the YMRS total score at weeks 3 and 12. The majority of patients in these trials taking SEROQUEL were dosed in a range between 400 and 800 mg per day.
Adjunct Therapy
In this 3-week placebo-controlled trial, 170 patients with acute bipolar mania (YMRS ≥ 20) were randomized to receive SEROQUEL or placebo as adjunct treatment to lithium or divalproex. Patients may or may not have received an adequate treatment course of lithium or divalproex prior to randomization. SEROQUEL was superior to placebo when added to lithium or divalproex alone in the reduction of YMRS total score.
The majority of patients in this trial taking SEROQUEL were dosed in a range between 400 and 800 mg per day. In a similarly designed trial (n=200), SEROQUEL was associated with an improvement in YMRS scores but did not demonstrate superiority to placebo, possibly due to a higher placebo effect.
Maintenance Therapy
The efficacy of SEROQUEL in the maintenance treatment of Bipolar I Disorder was established in 2 placebo-controlled trials in patients (n=1326) who met DSM-IV criteria for Bipolar I Disorder. The trials included patients whose most recent episode was manic, depressed, or mixed, with or without psychotic features. In the open-label phase, patients were required to be stable on SEROQUEL plus lithium or divalproex for at least 12 weeks in order to be randomized. On average, patients were stabilized for 15 weeks. In the randomization phase, patients continued treatment with lithium or divalproex and were randomized to receive either SEROQUEL (administered twice daily totalling 400 to 800 mg per day) or placebo. Approximately 50% of the patients had discontinued from the SEROQUEL group by day 280 and 50% of the placebo group had discontinued by day 117 of double-blind treatment. The primary endpoint in these studies was time to recurrence of a mood event (manic, mixed or depressed episode). A mood event was defined as medication initiation or hospitalization for a mood episode; YMRS score ≥ 20 or MADRS score ≥ 20 at 2 consecutive assessments,; or study discontinuation due to a mood event.
In both studies, SEROQUEL was superior to placebo in increasing the time to recurrence of any mood event. The treatment effect was present for both manic and depressed episodes. The effect of SEROQUEL was independent of any specific subgroup (assigned mood stabilizer, sex, age, race, most recent bipolar episode, or rapid cycling course).
14.2 Schizophrenia
The efficacy of SEROQUEL in the treatment of schizophrenia was established in 3 short-term (6-week) controlled trials of inpatients with schizophrenia who met DSM III-R criteria for schizophrenia. Although a single fixed dose haloperidol arm was included as a comparative treatment in one of the three trials, this single haloperidol dose group was inadequate to provide a reliable and valid comparison of SEROQUEL and haloperidol.
Several instruments were used for assessing psychiatric signs and symptoms in these studies, among them the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), a multi-item inventory of general psychopathology traditionally used to evaluate the effects of drug treatment in schizophrenia. The BPRS psychosis cluster (conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior, suspiciousness, and unusual thought content) is considered a particularly useful subset for assessing actively psychotic schizophrenic patients. A second traditional assessment, the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), reflects the impression of a skilled observer, fully familiar with the manifestations of schizophrenia, about the overall clinical state of the patient. In addition, the Scale for Assessing Negative Symptoms (SANS), a more recently developed but less well evaluated scale, was employed for assessing negative symptoms.
The results of the trials follow:
- In a 6-week, placebo-controlled trial (n=361) involving 5 fixed doses of SEROQUEL (75, 150, 300, 600 and 750 mg/day on a tid schedule), the 4 highest doses of SEROQUEL were generally superior to placebo on the BPRS total score, the BPRS psychosis cluster and the CGI severity score, with the maximal effect seen at 300 mg/day, and the effects of doses of 150 to 750 mg/day were generally indistinguishable. SEROQUEL, at a dose of 300 mg/day, was superior to placebo on the SANS.
- In a 6-week, placebo-controlled trial (n=286) involving titration of SEROQUEL in high (up to 750 mg/day on a tid schedule) and low (up to 250 mg/day on a tid schedule) doses, only the high dose SEROQUEL group (mean dose, 500 mg/day) was generally superior to placebo on the BPRS total score, the BPRS psychosis cluster, the CGI severity score, and the SANS.
- In a 6-week dose and dose regimen comparison trial (n=618) involving two fixed doses of SEROQUEL (450 mg/day on both bid and tid schedules and 50 mg/day on a bid schedule), only the 450 mg/day (225 mg bid schedule) dose group was generally superior to the 50 mg/day (25 mg bid) SEROQUEL dose group on the BPRS total score, the BPRS psychosis cluster, the CGI severity score, and on the SANS.
Examination of population subsets (race, gender, and age) did not reveal any differential responsiveness on the basis of race or gender, with an apparently greater effect in patients under the age of 40 compared to those older than 40. The clinical significance of this finding is unknown.
16 How Supplied / Storage and Handling
Dosage Forms And Strengths
25 mg tablets
50 mg tablets
100 mg tablets
200 mg tablets
300 mg tablets
400 mg tablets
Storage And Handling
25 mg Tablets (NDC 0310-0275) peach, round, biconvex, film coated tablets, identified with 'SEROQUEL' and '25' on one side and plain on the other side, are supplied in bottles of 100 tablets and 1000 tablets, and hospital unit dose packages of 100 tablets.
50 mg Tablets (NDC 0310-0278) white, round, biconvex, film coated tablets, identified with 'SEROQUEL' and '50' on one side and plain on the other side, are supplied in bottles of 100 tablets and 1000 tablets, and hospital unit dose packages of 100 tablets.
100 mg Tablets (NDC 0310-0271) yellow, round, biconvex film coated tablets, identified with 'SEROQUEL' and '100' on one side and plain on the other side, are supplied in bottles of 100 tablets and hospital unit dose packages of 100 tablets.
200 mg Tablets (NDC 0310-0272) white, round, biconvex, film coated tablets, identified with 'SEROQUEL' and '200' on one side and plain on the other side, are supplied in bottles of 100 tablets and hospital unit dose packages of 100 tablets.
300 mg Tablets (NDC 0310-0274) white, capsule-shaped, biconvex, film coated tablets, intagliated with 'SEROQUEL' on one side and '300' on the other side, are supplied in bottles of 60 tablets, and hospital unit dose packages of 100 tablets.
400 mg Tablets (NDC 0310-0279) yellow, capsule-shaped, biconvex, film coated tablets, intagliated with 'SEROQUEL' on one side and '400' on the other side, are supplied in bottles of 100 tablets, and hospital unit dose packages of 100 tablets.
Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15-30°C (59-86°F) [ See USP].
SEROQUEL is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies
©AstraZeneca 2008
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
Wilmington, DE 19850
Made in USA
35018-01 07/08 266196
Seroquel Patient Information (in plain English)
Detailed Info on Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Treatments of Bipolar Disorder
Detailed Info on Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Treatments of Schizophrenia
The information in this monograph is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects. This information is generalized and is not intended as specific medical advice. If you have questions about the medicines you are taking or would like more information, check with your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse.
last updated 07/08
APA Reference
Staff, H. (2009, January 4). Quetiapine Fumarate Full Prescribing Information, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2020, August 4 from https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/psychiatric-medications/quetiapine-fumarate-seroquel-full-prescribing-information


text:
Dear Abby
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend of four years, "Joey," is a kind and loving person. Recently the father of one of his close childhood friends died. We live a plane ride away, and Joey could not get time off work to attend the services.
I assumed Joey called his friend and family to extend his sympathies. During our last visit home, I found out he had not reached out to them. I'm upset that he didn't, and I know the friend was deeply hurt by it.
At this point, what can Joey do to make things right? Why wouldn't he make the call in the first place? -- SMOOTHING IT OVER IN SAN ANTONIO
DEAR SMOOTHING IT OVER: Joey may not have reached out because he didn't know what to do, which would have been to call and extend his condolences or send a card or handwritten note. He may have procrastinated because he didn't know what to say and was afraid he'd say the wrong thing.
The way to fix this would be for Joey to pick up the phone, apologize to his friend for not calling sooner, and confess that he knows he was wrong for not doing so. All he needs to say after that is that he's sorry for his friend's loss, which he knows must have been painful. Then he should be quiet and listen.
DEAR ABBY: My daughter-in-law allows her 2-year-old daughter to run around naked before bath time and at other times. They have been visiting us, and there are also other people in the house and yard. The child's mom tells her to say, "Look at these buns!" and laughs.
We feel this is inappropriate and dangerous. How can we get through to her that it's not right? -- CONCERNED GRANDMA IN EAU CLAIRE, WIS.
DEAR GRANDMA: While I don't think that allowing a child to run around nude at home is dangerous, I do agree that encouraging a child to run naked and say, "Look at these buns!" is unwise. The response it brings ("Ha, ha, ha -- isn't she cute!") teaches the little girl that this is a way to get attention. While this may be amusing at 2, it is setting a pattern that will attract the wrong kind of attention when she is 4, 5 or 6. Envision her mooning the first-grade class! Perhaps you can make your daughter-in-law understand by showing her this column. I certainly hope so.
DEAR ABBY: I am an asexual college student with a question about dating. When should I tell someone that I'm asexual? I'm not really "out" -- mostly because I don't feel the need to talk about it -- but I'm not ashamed of it, either. What do you think? -- NEW ENGLAND "ACE"
DEAR ACE: I see no reason to announce it at a first meeting because it's nobody's business. The time to tell someone you are asexual is after you have gotten to know the person well enough to be comfortable sharing information.
In case you don't realize it, you are not the only asexual person out there. Because there's so much emphasis on sex and sexual orientation in our society, it might help you to know that an organization exists which enables asexuals to connect with each other. It's the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), and you can find it on the Internet at asexuality.org.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Has there been any information announced about the next version? I haven't seen or heard of anything and frankly it's making me a little nervous that PM is no longer going to be supported or developed.
Please tell me I'm wrong! It's been my experience that when there have been long periods of silence, that's a bad sign.


text:
Lethal Suicide – Today's SuicideGirl
Meet Lethal, a SuicideGirl who doesn't care about politics, drugs or alcohol.
Name: Lethal Suicide
Age: 22
Location: I'm lost.
Occupation: Plastic arts student, tattooing apprentice and cashier
Body mods: 13 tattoos, 2 piercings
Gets me hot: Find out.
Cigarettes: Nope
My diet: Vegetarian
Alcohol: Nope
My drug use: Drug free
I am looking for: Whoever comes along.
My kink factor: I'll try anything once, especially if you beg for it.
My politics: Politics, who cares?
Pot: Nope
My status: Exclusive relationship
My idea of a good time: Support local music. Go to a show.
Makes me happy: My family, art, drawing, tattoos, animals and being with my friends
Makes me sad: Lies, abuse, traitors and envy.
SuicideGirls is a community that celebrates alternative beauty and alternative culture from all over the world. Since 2001, tens of thousands of models have submitted millions of photos to their website hoping to become SuicideGirls.


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Workout for Hope, a fitness fundraising arm for City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center headquartered in Duarte, uses fitness and fun to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS and cancer research for City of Hope.
Workout for Hope got its start in 1988 in San Francisco and now takes place in many cities across the country. More than $9 million has been raised for the medical center since people began sweating for the cause and in Los Angeles alone, Workout for Hope has raised almost $500,000 for cancer research and treatment in the past 10 years.
For Michael Garvey, a cancer diagnosis in the form of acute myelogenous Leukemia, ultimately brought him to where he is today in his connection to Workout for Hope in Los Angeles.
It was a natural fit according to Garvey. He was already involved in the fitness industry before his cancer diagnosis (he is known as the Dumbell Man and runs his own business of the same name). After going through a bone marrow transplant and spending time in and out of the hospital for more than a year, he got involved in Workout for Hope in 1997. He became dynamic chair of the event the next year. "This is my opportunity to give back to the community and help others," Garvey says
For the past several years, states Garvey, the event has been held at a local fitness club, SportCenter Fitness in Redondo Beach. L.A. Workout for Hope was moved to the South Bay area several years ago. It used to be held at the City of Hope campus in Duarte. This year's L.A. Workout for Hope event was held in May and was comprised of different fitness activities including a big group exercise class, swimming, master spinning, basketball, a power hour of circuit training, aqua aerobics and Yoga, as well as a kids' program. According to Garvey, this year's event was unique in that the workout event was like a montage from basketball to yoga. "Having different events makes it fun," he says.
Planning a date for the event can be a challenge states Garvey. "We [Workout for Hope] are always competing with other charity events in such a big city as this, so it is hard to find a weekend in the spring that does not have other charitable functions and runs and walks going on."
Raising money is important to this cause, but what is more important says Garvey is to get people involved, to come out to the event and participate and become aware of AIDS and cancer, because sooner or later it may touch your life. "This is a social event, go out and sweat and have some fun," he says.
Garvey's responsibilities as chair of the event include working with City of Hope's public relations arm to promote the workout event with newspaper ads, radio and TV spots. He solicits sponsorships from corporations and local vendors for their support, as well as donations. The sponsorships are placed on banners and t-shirts to help advertise the event. He also helps decide on the various types of workouts for the one-day spring event. "You constantly have to reinvent yourself [the event] to get a big draw from the community," says Garvey.
Already thinking about next year, Garvey is looking into what may be popular events for 2004.
Even though City of Hope has branch offices around the country, not a lot of fitness club owners are aware that they can get involved with Workout for Hope Garvey says. For more information on how you can get your club and the surrounding community involved contact the Workout for Hope web site at http://workout.coh.org or call the Workout for Hope hotline at: 800-266-7920.


text:
Clunie Reid
Take No Photographs, Leave Only Ripples
Clunie Reid
Take No Photographs, Leave Only Ripples
27 silver Inkjet prints
each 84 x 120 cm, or 120 x 84 cm
Clunie Reid approaches the junk food menu of consumer culture with bulimic gusto: gluttonously binging on the whole of mass media only to regurgitate it, macerated and comically bilious. The more she consumes, the leaner her work gets, distilling the very essence of pop consciousness. Using the photographic image as both her subject and media, Reid takes pictures of advertisements, newspapers, magazines, TV, and the internet, things she finds on the street, things in her studio; she even re-photographs her photos. She makes collages and drawings on them, scrawls absurd logos, spontaneous retorts to the camera's neatly packaged imagery. And then she re-photographs them again. "The images are not enclosed thematically," Reid says of Take No Photographs..., "they were chosen because of how they can be played off each other. I'm interested in advertising, the way in which images of bodies and objects have a relationship to the way our view of the world is constructed. By vulgarising this imagery, my work explores the hidden mechanics of image construction, highlighting things which are implicit in media."
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Saatchi Gallery


text: Cooksville Farmhouse Inn is located in Southern Wisconsin, 25 minutes from Madison and 2 hours from Chicago. The 10 room farmhouse, originally built in the 1850's, is on the National Register of Historic Places along with most of the entire village. Cooksville is a small, rural community of 35 houses that has a rich history. It is surrounded by rolling farmland and located on the Badfish Creek. Much of the nearby land was once owned by famous statesman, Daniel Webster. The farmhouse is set on the edge of a lovely ten-acre restored prairie crisscrossed by paths for walks beside the spring-fed spring in the summer and snow shoeing in the winter. Discover 4 handmade bridges over the stream at various points. Look for wildlife such as hawks, cranes, geese, snakes (harmless), foxes, raccoons, opossum, deer, rabbits. The prairie is fringed by pastures that house our mules. Enjoy the quiet, rustic, family-friendly atmosphere of the farmhouse which has a soapstone wood stove and massive free standing fireplace to keep guests cozy when the snow flies, a large deck and stone patio area with sheltered table and chairs for barbecues and outdoor meals in warm weather, as well as great views of the prairie and sunsets.


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RHEL 5.1 has been released. Redhat announced the availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1, with integrated virtualization. This release provides the most compelling platform for customers and software developers ever, with its industry-leading virtualization capabilities complementing Red Hat's newly announced Linux Automation strategy. It offers the industry's broadest deployment ecosystem, covering standalone systems, virtualized systems, appliances and web-scale "cloud" computing environments.
Besides supporting Linux virtual machines, RHEL 5.1 will also support Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and the forthcoming Windows 2008, Crenshaw said. RHEL 5.1 uses Xen for its virtualization.
How do I upgrade to RHEL 5.1?
Login as the root user and simply type the command to fetch all updates via RHN:
# yum update
Depend upon your network condition and software configuration it may take anywhere between 5-20 minutes. Once completed, just reboot the server:
# reboot
Verify that everything is working fine:
# netstat -tulpn
# netstat -nat
# tail -f /var/log/messages
# egrep -i 'error|warn' /var/log/messages
# egrep -i 'error|warn' /path/to/apps/log
Community driven enterprise CentOS Linux users should expect update soon too. You can apply above commends to upgrade your CentOS box.


text:
Compelling Need for Nano Education
December 7, 2011
Day 2 of the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Grantee Conference in DC on December 6 had a signficant focus on education. As a discussant following one of the panels, Bob Chang, Director of the Nanotechnology Center for Learning and Teaching, made a compelling presentation on the need for nano education. He started by citing three of the major global challenges of the next 30 years and continued to the hope that the presence of engineering in the new science education framework, which will guide the development of new standards, will open up opportunities to engage students in ways that will better equip us to address these challenges. Here are his slides:
Download a PDF of all Bob Chang 2011 slides