Tell your healthcare provider about all the
medicines you take, including prescription and
nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal
supplements. Especially tell your healthcare
provider if you have had other treatments for
genital warts or warts around your anus, or actinic
keratosis, or superficial basal cell carcinoma.
Aldara (imiquimod) cream should not be used until
your skin has healed from other treatments.
The animal multiples of human exposure calculations
were based on weekly dose comparisons for the
carcinogenicity studies described in this label. The
what
is aldara cream used for multiples of human
exposure calculations were based on daily dose
comparisons for the reproductive toxicology studies
described in this label. Systemic embryofetal
development studies were conducted in rats and
rabbits.
A combined fertility and periand
postnatal development study was conducted in rats.
Oral doses of 1, 1. This fetal effect was also noted
in the oral rat embryofetal development study
conducted with imiquimod.
The clinical
response of each subject was evaluated 8 weeks after
the last scheduled application of study cream.
Complete and partial clearance rates are shown in
the table below. Target tumors were not to be
located within 1.
The overall median peak
serum drug concentrations at the end of week 4 was
between 0. Children aged 25 years received doses of
12. Children aged 612 years received doses of 12.
These reactions can range from mild to severe in
intensity and may extend beyond the application site
onto the surrounding skin. Local skin reactions may
be of such intensity that patients may require rest
periods from treatment. Patients should contact
their physician promptly if they experience any sign
or symptom at the application site that restricts or
prohibits their daily activity or makes continued
application of the cream difficult.
If you
would like more information, talk with your
healthcare provider. See additional information.
There are no adequate and wellcontrolled studies in
pregnant women. Safety and efficacy in patients with
external genital/perianal warts below the age of 12
years have not been established. These studies
failed to demonstrate efficacy.
Similar to
the studies conducted in adults, the most frequently
reported adverse reaction from 2 studies in children
with molluscum contagiosum was application site
reaction. Erythema was the most frequently reported
local skin reaction. The investigator determined the
dose applied, either 1, 2 or 3 packets per dose,
based on the size of the treatment area and the
subject's weight.
However it appears that
systemic exposure may be more dependent on surface
area of application than amount of applied dose. The
apparent halflife was approximately 10 times greater
with topical dosing than the 2 hour apparent
halflife seen following subcutaneous dosing,
suggesting prolonged retention of drug in the skin.
Mean urinary recoveries of imiquimod and metabolites
combined were 0.
Know the medicines you
take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare
provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
Aldara (imiquimod) cream is used for different skin
conditions.
In many cases genital warts do
not cause any symptoms, but they are sometimes
associated with itching, burning, or tenderness.
Each gram contains 50 mg of imiquimod in an offwhite
oilinwater vanishing cream base consisting of
isostearic acid, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol,
white petrolatum, polysorbate 60, sorbitan
monostearate, glycerin, xanthan gum, purified water,
benzyl alcohol, methylparaben, and propylparaben.
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty
breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or
throat.
Wash the area where the cream will
be applied with mild soap and water. Uncircumcised
males treating warts under their penis foreskin must
pull their foreskin back and clean the area before
treatment, and clean the area daily during
treatment. Allow the area to dry for at least 10
minutes.
The treatment area is defined as
one contiguous area of approximately 25 cm (e.
Before applying the cream, the patient should wash
the treatment area with mild soap and water and
allow the area to dry thoroughly (at least 10
minutes). Contact with the eyes, lips and nostrils
should be avoided.
After the right amount
of time has passed, wash the treated area with mild
soap and water. Do not cover the treated area with
bandages or other closed dressings. Use sunscreen
and wear protective clothing if you go outside
during daylight.
Lesions that do not
respond to treatment should be carefully reevaluated
and management reconsidered. Patients should be
prescribed no more than 36 packets for the 16week
treatment period. Unused packets should be
discarded.
This leaflet does not take the
place of talking with your healthcare provider about
your medical condition or treatment. Aldara
(imiquimod) cream is a prescription medicine for use
on the skin only (topical) to treat: actinic
keratosis on the face or scalp in adults with a
normal immune system. Actinic keratosis is caused by
too much sun exposure.
The 25 cm
contiguous treatment area could be of any dimensions
e. On a scheduled dosing day, the study cream was
applied to the entire treatment area prior to normal
sleeping hours and left on for approximately 8
hours. Twice weekly dosing was continued for a total
of 16 weeks.
No overall differences in
safety or effectiveness were observed between these
subjects and younger subjects. No other clinical
experience has identified differences in responses
between the elderly and younger subjects, but
greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot
be
ruled out. The most
clinically serious adverse event reported following
multiple oral imiquimod doses of 200 mg (equivalent
to imiquimod content of 16 packets) was hypotension,
which resolved following oral or intravenous fluid
administration.
If there is clinical
evidence of persistent tumor at the posttreatment
assessment for clinical clearance, a biopsy or other
alternative intervention should be considered.
Patients should be prescribed no more than 36
packets for the 6week treatment period. The
application site should not be occluded.
The incidence and severity of local skin reactions
during controlled clinical trials are shown in the
following table. 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. Hepatic: abnormal liver function.
Severe local inflammatory reactions of the female
external genitalia can lead to severe vulvar
swelling. Severe vulvar swelling can lead to urinary
retention. Dosing should be interrupted or
discontinued for severe vulvar swelling.
A
rest period of several days may be taken if required
by the patient's discomfort or severity of the local
skin reaction. However, the treatment period should
not be extended beyond 16 weeks due to missed doses
or rest periods. Response to treatment cannot be
adequately assessed until resolution of local skin
reactions.
Female patients should take
special care if applying the cream at the opening of
the vagina because local skin reactions on the
delicate moist surfaces can result in pain or severe
swelling, and may cause difficulty in passing urine
or inability to urinate. Uncircumcised males
treating warts under the foreskin should retract the
foreskin and clean the area daily. Should severe
local
skin
reaction occur, the cream should be removed by
washing the treatment area with mild soap and water.
Therefore, patients should minimize or avoid natural
or artificial sunlight exposure. The treatment area
should not be bandaged or otherwise occluded.
Potential local skin reactions include erythema,
edema, vesicles, erosions/ulcerations,
weeping/exudate, flaking/scaling/dryness, and
scabbing/crusting.
Aldara (imiquimod)
cream will not cure your genital or perianal warts.
Children usually do not get actinic keratoses or
basal cell carcinoma. Talk to your healthcare
provider if you are pregnant or plan to become
pregnant.
The average number of doses not
received per subject due to rest periods was 7 doses
with a range of 2 to 22 doses; 79% of subjects
(15/19) resumed therapy after a rest period.
Overall, in the clinical studies, 2% (4/185) of
subjects discontinued for local skin/application
site reactions. Some subjects also reported systemic
reactions.
Wash your hands. Leave the
cream on the treated area for the amount of time
your healthcare provider tells you. Do not take a
bath or get the treated area wet during this time.
However, the clinical relevance of these findings is
unknown. Mean peak serum drug concentrations at the
end of week 16 were approximately 0. Dose
proportionality was not observed.
Aldara (
aldara
ordering online) cream may weaken condoms and
vaginal diaphragms. This means they may not work as
well to prevent pregnancy. This may lead to pain or
trouble passing urine or cause you not to be able to
urinate.
In a dermal mouse carcinogenicity
study, imiquimod cream (up to 5 mg/kg/application
imiquimod or 0. An increased number of skin
papillomas was observed in vehicle cream control
group animals at the treated site only. No
additional effect on tumor development beyond the
vehicle effect was noted with the addition of the
active ingredient, imiquimod, to the vehicle cream.
Patients should be warned to use protective clothing
(e. Patients who may have considerable sun exposure,
e. The enhancement of ultraviolet carcinogenicity is
not necessarily dependent on phototoxic mechanisms.
On a scheduled dosing day, study cream was applied
to the target tumor and approximately 1 cm (about
1/3 inch) beyond the target tumor prior to normal
sleeping hours, and 5 times per week dosing was
continued for a total of 6 weeks. The target tumor
area was clinically assessed 12 weeks after the last
scheduled application of study cream. The entire
target tumor was then excised and examined
histologically for the presence of tumor.
Data on composite clearance (defined as both
clinical and histological clearance) are shown in
the table below. Target tumor inclusion criteria
were the same as for the studies described above.
The median baseline wart area was 69 mm (range 8 to
5525 mm).
Overall, in the clinical
studies, 2% (5/215) of subjects discontinued for
local skin/application site reactions. The incidence
of adverse reactions reported by 1% of subjects
during the studies is summarized below. The
incidence of application site reactions reported by
1% of the subjects during the 6 week treatment
period is summarized in the table below.
Sufficient cream should be applied to cover the
treatment area, including 1 centimeter of skin
surrounding the tumor. Early clinical clearance
cannot be adequately assessed until resolution of
local skin reactions (e. Local skin reactions or
other findings (e.
Call your doctor for
medical advice about side effects. Do not freeze. It
may harm them.
Oral doses of 1, 5 and 20
mg/kg/day imiquimod were administered during the
period of organogenesis (gestational days 6 15) to
pregnant female rats. Intravenous doses of 0. No
treatment related effects on embryofetal toxicity or
teratogenicity were noted at 2 mg/kg/day (1.
Following the treatment period the cream should be
removed by washing the treated area with mild soap
and water. Treatment may resume once the reaction
subsides. Nonocclusive dressings such as cotton
gauze or cotton underwear may be used in the
management of skin reactions.
Flulike
symptoms: tiredness, fever, nausea, muscle pain and
chills. Tell your healthcare provider right away if
you have any of the symptoms listed above. For more
information, ask your healthcare provider or
pharmacist.
Partiallyused packets should
be discarded and not reused. The patient should wash
the treatment area with mild soap and water before
applying the cream, and allow the area to dry
thoroughly. The treatment area should include a 1 cm
margin of skin around the tumor.
The
clinical outcome of therapy can be determined after
resolution of application site reactions and/or
local skin reactions. It is common for patients to
experience local skin reactions such as erythema,
erosion, excoriation/flaking, and edema at the site
of application or surrounding areas. Most skin
reactions are mild to moderate.
Subject
accountability is shown in the figure below. The
median time to complete wart clearance was 10 weeks.
There may be new information.
Keep out of
reach of children. The most frequently reported
local skin reactions were erythema, flaking/scaling/
dryness, and scabbing/crusting. The prevalence and
severity of local skin reactions that occurred
during controlled studies are shown in the following
table.
Because of local skin reactions,
during treatment and until healed, the treatment
area is likely to appear noticeably different from
normal skin. These skin color changes may be
permanent in some patients. An interruption of
dosing should be considered.
Systemic
absorption of imiquimod was observed across the
affected skin of 12 subjects with genital/perianal
warts, with an average dose of 4. Mean peak drug
concentration of approximately 0. Mean urinary
recoveries of imiquimod and metabolites combined
over the whole course of treatment, expressed as
percent of the estimated applied dose, were 0.
Wash off the medicine and call your doctor at once
if you have a serious skin reaction such as severe
itching, burning, oozing, bleeding, or skin changes
where the medicine is applied. Less serious side
effects may include: mild skin irritation, dryness,
flaking, scabbing, redness, or hardening of the skin
where the medicine was applied;. Aldara (imiquimod)
is not for oral, ophthalmic, or intravaginal use.