2.1 Adults

The recommended starting dose of DITROPAN XL® is 5 or 10 mg once daily at approximately the same time each day. Dosage may be adjusted in 5-mg increments to achieve a balance of efficacy and tolerability (up to a maximum of 30 mg/day). In general, dosage adjustment may proceed at approximately weekly intervals.

2.2 Pediatric Patients Aged 6 Years of Age and Older

The recommended starting dose of DITROPAN XL® is 5 mg once daily at approximately the same time each day. Dosage may be adjusted in 5-mg increments to achieve a balance of efficacy and tolerability (up to a maximum of 20 mg/day).

5.1 Angioedema

Angioedema of the face, lips, tongue and/or larynx has been reported with oxybutynin. In some cases, angioedema occurred after the first dose. Angioedema associated with upper airway swelling may be life-threatening. If involvement of the tongue, hypopharynx, or larynx occurs, oxybutynin should be promptly discontinued and appropriate therapy and/or measures necessary to ensure a patent airway should be promptly provided.

5.2 Central Nervous System Effects

Oxybutynin is associated with anticholinergic central nervous system (CNS) effects [see Adverse Reactions (6)]. A variety of CNS anticholinergic effects have been reported, including hallucinations, agitation, confusion and somnolence. Patients should be monitored for signs of anticholinergic CNS effects, particularly in the first few months after beginning treatment or increasing the dose. Advise patients not to drive or operate heavy machinery until they know how DITROPAN XL® affects them. If a patient experiences anticholinergic CNS effects, dose reduction or drug discontinuation should be considered.

DITROPAN XL® should be used with caution in patients with preexisting dementia treated with cholinesterase inhibitors due to the risk of aggravation of symptoms.

DITROPAN XL® should be used with caution in patients with Parkinson's disease due to the risk of aggravation of symptoms.

5.3 Worsening of Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis

DITROPAN XL® should be used with caution in patients with myasthenia gravis due to the risk of aggravation of symptoms.

5.4 Worsening of Symptoms of Decreased Gastrointestinal Motility in Patients with Autonomic Neuropathy

DITROPAN XL® should be used with caution in patients with autonomic neuropathy due to the risk of aggravation of symptoms of decreased gastrointestinal motility.

5.5 Urinary Retention

DITROPAN XL® should be administered with caution to patients with clinically significant bladder outflow obstruction because of the risk of urinary retention [see Contraindications (4)].

5.6 Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions

DITROPAN XL® should be administered with caution to patients with gastrointestinal obstructive disorders because of the risk of gastric retention [see Contraindications (4)].

DITROPAN XL®, like other anticholinergic drugs, may decrease gastrointestinal motility and should be used with caution in patients with conditions such as ulcerative colitis and intestinal atony.

DITROPAN XL® should be used with caution in patients who have gastroesophageal reflux and/or who are concurrently taking drugs (such as bisphosphonates) that can cause or exacerbate esophagitis.

As with any other nondeformable material, caution should be used when administering DITROPAN XL® to patients with preexisting severe gastrointestinal narrowing (pathologic or iatrogenic). There have been rare reports of obstructive symptoms in patients with known strictures in association with the ingestion of other drugs in nondeformable controlled-release formulations.

6.1 Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, the adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice.

The safety and efficacy of DITROPAN XL® (5 to 30 mg/day) was evaluated in 774 adult subjects who participated in five double-blind, controlled clinical trials. In four of the five studies, Ditropan IR (5 to 20 mg/day in 199 subjects) was an active comparator. Adverse reactions reported by ≥ 1% of subjects are shown in Table 1.

The discontinuation rate due to adverse reactions was 4.4% with DITROPAN XL® compared to 0% with Ditropan IR. The most frequent adverse reaction causing discontinuation of study medication was dry mouth (0.7%).

The following adverse reactions were reported by <1% of DITROPAN XL®-treated patients and at a higher incidence than placebo in clinical trials: Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders: anorexia, fluid retention; Vascular disorders: hot flush; Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders: dysphonia; Gastrointestinal Disorders: dysphagia, frequent bowel movements; General disorders and administration site conditions: chest discomfort, thirst.

6.2 Postmarketing Experience

The following additional adverse reactions have been reported from worldwide postmarketing experience with DITROPAN XL®. Because postmarketing 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.

Infections and Infestations: Urinary tract infection; Psychiatric Disorders: psychotic disorder, agitation, confusional state, hallucinations, memory impairment, abnormal behavior; Nervous System Disorders: convulsions; Eye Disorders: glaucoma; Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders: nasal congestion; Cardiac Disorders: arrhythmia, tachycardia, palpitations, QT interval prolongation; Vascular Disorders: flushing, hypertension; Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: rash; Renal and Urinary Disorders: impotence; General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: hypersensitivity reactions, including angioedema with airway obstruction, urticaria, and face edema; anaphylactic reactions requiring hospitalization for emergency treatment; Injury, poisoning and procedural complications: fall.

Additional adverse events reported with some other oxybutynin chloride formulations include: cycloplegia, mydriasis, and suppression of lactation. In one reported case, concomitant use of oxybutynin with carbamazepine and dantrolene was associated with adverse events of vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, unsteadiness, slurred speech and nystagmus, suggestive of carbamazepine toxicity.

8.1 Pregnancy

8.3 Nursing Mothers

It is not known whether oxybutynin is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when DITROPAN XL® is administered to a nursing woman.

8.4 Pediatric Use

The safety and efficacy of DITROPAN XL® were studied in 60 children in a 24-week, open-label, non-randomized trial. Patients were aged 6–15 years, all had symptoms of detrusor overactivity in association with a neurological condition (e.g., spina bifida), all used clean intermittent catheterization, and all were current users of oxybutynin chloride. Study results demonstrated that administration of DITROPAN XL® 5 to 20 mg/day was associated with an increase from baseline in mean urine volume per catheterization from 108 mL to 136 mL, an increase from baseline in mean urine volume after morning awakening from 148 mL to 189 mL, and an increase from baseline in the mean percentage of catheterizations without a leaking episode from 34% to 51%.

Urodynamic results were consistent with clinical results. Administration of DITROPAN XL® resulted in an increase from baseline in mean maximum cystometric capacity from 185 mL to 254 mL, a decrease from baseline in mean detrusor pressure at maximum cystometric capacity from 44 cm H2O to 33 cm H2O, and a reduction in the percentage of patients demonstrating uninhibited detrusor contractions (of at least 15 cm H2O) from 60% to 28%.

The pharmacokinetics of DITROPAN XL® in these patients were consistent with those reported for adults [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

DITROPAN XL® is not recommended in pediatric patients who cannot swallow the tablet whole without chewing, dividing, or crushing, or in children under the age of 6.

8.5 Geriatric Use

The rate and severity of anticholinergic effects reported by patients less than 65 years old and those 65 years and older were similar. The pharmacokinetics of DITROPAN XL® were similar in all patients studied (up to 78 years of age).

8.6 Renal Impairment

There were no studies conducted with DITROPAN XL® in patients with renal impairment.

8.7 Hepatic Impairment

There were no studies conducted with DITROPAN XL® in patients with hepatic impairment.

System Components and Performance

DITROPAN XL® uses osmotic pressure to deliver oxybutynin chloride at a controlled rate over approximately 24 hours. The system, which resembles a conventional tablet in appearance, comprises an osmotically active bilayer core surrounded by a semipermeable membrane. The bilayer core is composed of a drug layer containing the drug and excipients, and a push layer containing osmotically active components. There is a precision-laser drilled orifice in the semipermeable membrane on the drug-layer side of the tablet. In an aqueous environment, such as the gastrointestinal tract, water permeates through the membrane into the tablet core, causing the drug to go into suspension and the push layer to expand. This expansion pushes the suspended drug out through the orifice. The semipermeable membrane controls the rate at which water permeates into the tablet core, which in turn controls the rate of drug delivery. The controlled rate of drug delivery into the gastrointestinal lumen is thus independent of pH or gastrointestinal motility. The function of DITROPAN XL® depends on the existence of an osmotic gradient between the contents of the bilayer core and the fluid in the gastrointestinal tract. Since the osmotic gradient remains constant, drug delivery remains essentially constant. The biologically inert components of the tablet remain intact during gastrointestinal transit and are eliminated in the feces as an insoluble shell.

12.1 Mechanism of Action

Oxybutynin relaxes bladder smooth muscle. Oxybutynin chloride exerts a direct antispasmodic effect on smooth muscle and inhibits the muscarinic action of acetylcholine on smooth muscle. No blocking effects occur at skeletal neuromuscular junctions or autonomic ganglia (antinicotinic effects).

Antimuscarinic activity resides predominantly in the R-isomer. A metabolite, desethyloxybutynin, has pharmacological activity similar to that of oxybutynin in in vitro studies.

12.2 Pharmacodynamics

In patients with conditions characterized by involuntary bladder contractions, cystometric studies have demonstrated that oxybutynin increases bladder (vesical) capacity, diminishes the frequency of uninhibited contractions of the detrusor muscle, and delays the initial desire to void.

12.3 Pharmacokinetics

13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

A 24-month study in rats at dosages of oxybutynin chloride of 20, 80, and 160 mg/kg/day showed no evidence of carcinogenicity. These doses are approximately 6, 25, and 50 times the maximum human exposure, based on a human equivalent dose taking into account normalization of body surface area.

Oxybutynin chloride showed no increase of mutagenic activity when tested in Schizosaccharomyces pompholiciformis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Salmonella typhimurium test systems.

Reproduction studies with oxybutynin chloride in the mouse, rat, hamster, and rabbit showed no evidence of impaired fertility.

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15–30°C (59–86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature]. Protect from moisture and humidity.

Keep out of reach of children.