Otezla
apremilast
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What Otezla is and what it is used for
What you need to know before you take Otezla
How to take Otezla
Possible side effects
How to store Otezla
Contents of the pack and other information
Otezla contains the active substance ‘apremilast’. This belongs to a group of medicines called phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors, which help to reduce inflammation.
Otezla is used to treat adults with the following conditions:
‘Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs’ (DMARDs) or when you have tried one of these medicines and it did not work.
phototherapy - a treatment where certain areas of skin are exposed to ultraviolet light
systemic therapy - a treatment that affects the entire body rather than just one local area, such as ‘ciclosporin’, ‘methotrexate’ or ‘psoralen ’.
Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints, usually accompanied by psoriasis, an inflammatory disease of the skin.
Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease of the skin, which can cause red, scaly, thick, itchy, painful patches on your skin and can also affect your scalp and nails.
Behçet’s disease is a rare type of inflammatory disease which affects many parts of the body. The most common problem is mouth ulcers.
Psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis and Behçet’s disease are usually lifelong conditions and there is currently no cure. Otezla works by reducing the activity of an enzyme in the body called ‘phosphodiesterase 4’, which is involved in the process of inflammation. By reducing the activity of this enzyme, Otezla can help to control the inflammation associated with psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis and Behçet’s disease, and thereby reduce the signs and symptoms of these conditions.
In psoriatic arthritis, treatment with Otezla results in an improvement in swollen and painful joints, and can improve your general physical function.
In psoriasis, treatment with Otezla results in a reduction in psoriatic skin plaques and other signs and symptoms of the disease.
In Behçet’s disease, treatment with Otezla reduces the number of mouth ulcers and can stop them completely. It can also reduce the associated pain.
Otezla has also been shown to improve the quality of life in patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis or Behçet’s disease. This means that the impact of your condition on daily activities, relationships and other factors should be less than it was before.
if you are allergic to apremilast or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Otezla.
Tell your doctor before starting Otezla if you have depression which is getting worse with thoughts of suicide.
You or your caregiver should also tell your doctor straight away of any changes in behaviour or mood, feelings of depression and of any suicidal thoughts you may have after taking Otezla.
If you have severe kidney problems, your dose will be different – see section 3.
Talk to your doctor while taking Otezla if you lose weight without meaning to.
If you experience severe diarrhoea, nausea, or vomiting, you should talk to your doctor.
Otezla has not been studied in children and adolescents, therefore it is not recommended for use in children and adolescents aged 17 years and under.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This includes medicines obtained without a prescription and herbal medicines. This is because Otezla can affect the way some other medicines work. Also some other medicines can affect the way Otezla works.
In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist before taking Otezla if you are taking any of the following medicines:
rifampicin – an antibiotic used for tuberculosis
phenytoin, phenobarbital and carbamazepine - medicines used in the treatment of seizures or epilepsy
St John’s Wort – a herbal medicine for mild anxiety and depression.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
There is little information about the effects of Otezla in pregnancy. You should not become pregnant while taking this medicine and should use an effective method of contraception during treatment with Otezla.
It is not known if this medicine passes into human milk. You should not use Otezla while breast- feeding.
Otezla has no effect on the ability to drive and use machines.
Otezla contains lactose (a type of sugar). If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
When you first start taking Otezla, you will receive a ‘treatment initiation pack’ which contains all the doses as listed in the table below.
The ‘treatment initiation pack’ is clearly labelled to make sure you take the correct tablet at the correct time.
Your treatment will start at a lower dose and will gradually be increased over the first 6 days of treatment.
The ‘treatment initiation pack’ will also contain enough tablets for another 8 days at the recommended dose (days 7 to 14).
The recommended dose of Otezla is 30 mg twice a day after the titration phase is complete - one 30 mg dose in the morning and one 30 mg dose in the evening, approximately 12 hours apart, with or without food.
This is a total daily dose of 60 mg. By the end of day 6 you will have reached this recommended dose.
Once the recommended dose has been reached, you will only get the 30 mg tablet strength in your prescribed packs. You will only ever need to go through this stage of gradually increasing your dose once even if you re-start treatment.
Day | Morning Dose | Evening Dose | Total Daily Dose |
Day 1 | 10 mg (pink) | Do not take a dose | 10 mg |
Day 2 | 10 mg (pink) | 10 mg (pink) | 20 mg |
Day 3 | 10 mg (pink) | 20 mg (brown) | 30 mg |
Day 4 | 20 mg (brown) | 20 mg (brown) | 40 mg |
Day 5 | 20 mg (brown) | 30 mg (beige) | 50 mg |
Day 6 onwards | 30 mg (beige) | 30 mg (beige) | 60 mg |
If you have severe kidney problems then the recommended dose of Otezla is 30 mg once a day (morning dose). Your doctor will talk to you about how to increase your dose when you first start taking Otezla.
Otezla is for oral use.
Swallow the tablets whole, preferably with water.
You can take the tablets either with or without food.
Take Otezla at about the same time each day, one tablet in the morning and one tablet in the evening.
If your condition has not improved after six months of treatment, you should talk to your doctor.
If you take more Otezla than you should, talk to a doctor or go to a hospital straight away. Take the medicine pack and this leaflet with you.
If you miss a dose of Otezla, take it as soon as you remember. If it is close to the time for your next dose, just skip the missed dose. Take the next dose at your regular time.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
You should continue taking Otezla until your doctor tells you to stop.
Do not stop taking Otezla without talking to your doctor first.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Tell your doctor straight away about any changes in behaviour or mood, feelings of depression, thoughts of suicide or suicidal behaviour (this is uncommon).
diarrhoea
nausea
headache
upper respiratory tract infections such as cold, runny nose, sinus infection
cough
back pain
vomiting
feeling tired
stomach pain
loss of appetite
frequent bowel movements
difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
indigestion or heartburn
inflammation and swelling of the tubes in your lungs (bronchitis)
common cold (nasopharyngitis)
depression
migraine
tension headache
rash
hives (urticaria)
weight loss
allergic reaction
bleeding in the bowel or in the stomach
suicidal ideation or behaviour
severe allergic reaction (may include swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat that may lead to difficulty breathing or swallowing)
If you are 65 years of age or older, you might have a higher risk of complications of severe diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. If your gut problems become severe, you should talk to your doctor.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the national reporting
system listed in Appendix V. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister or on the wallet or on the carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not store above 30°C.
Do not use this medicine if you notice any damage or signs of tampering to the medicine packaging.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
The active substance is apremilast.
Otezla 10 mg film-coated tablets: each film-coated tablet contains 10 mg of apremilast.
Otezla 20 mg film-coated tablets: each film-coated tablet contains 20 mg of apremilast.
Otezla 30 mg film-coated tablets: each film-coated tablet contains 30 mg of apremilast.
The other ingredients in the tablet core are cellulose microcrystalline, lactose monohydrate, croscarmellose sodium and magnesium stearate.
The film-coating contains poly (vinyl alcohol), titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol (3350), talc, iron oxide red (E172).
The 20 mg film-coated tablet also contains iron oxide yellow (E172).
The 30 mg film-coated tablet also contains iron oxide yellow (E172) and iron oxide black (E172).
The Otezla 10 mg film-coated tablet is a pink, diamond shaped film-coated tablet with “APR” engraved on one side and “10” on the opposite side.
The Otezla 20 mg film-coated tablet is a brown, diamond shaped film-coated tablet with “APR” engraved on one side and “20” on the opposite side.
The Otezla 30 mg film-coated tablet is a beige, diamond shaped film-coated tablet with “APR” engraved on one side and “30” on the opposite side.
Pack sizes
The treatment initiation pack is a folding wallet containing 27 film-coated tablets: 4 x 10 mg tablets, 4 x 20 mg tablets and 19 x 30 mg tablets.
The one-month standard pack contains 56 x 30 mg film-coated tablets.
The three-month standard pack contains 168 x 30 mg film-coated tablets.
Amgen Europe B.V. Minervum 7061
4817 ZK Breda The Netherlands
Amgen Europe B.V. Minervum 7061
4817 ZK Breda The Netherlands
1831 Diegem Belgium
For any information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the Marketing Authorisation Holder.
s.a. Amgen n.v.
Tel/Tél: +32 (0)2 7752711
Amgen Switzerland AG Vilniaus filialas Tel: +370 5 219 7474
Амджен България ЕООД Тел.: +359 (0)2 424 7440
s.a. Amgen Belgique/Belgien
Tel/Tél: +32 (0)2 7752711
Amgen s.r.o.
Tel: +420 221 773 500
Amgen Kft.
Tel.: +36 1 35 44 700
Amgen, filial af Amgen AB, Sverige Tlf: +45 39617500
Amgen B.V. The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)76 5732500
Amgen B.V.
Tel: +31 (0)76 5732500
Amgen Switzerland AG Vilniaus filialas Tel: +372 586 09553
Amgen AB
Tel: +47 23308000
Amgen Ελλάς Φαρμακευτικά Ε.Π.Ε. Τηλ: +30 210 3447000
Amgen GmbH
Tel: +43 (0)1 50 217
Amgen S.A.
Tel: +34 93 600 18 60
Amgen Biotechnologia Sp. z o.o. Tel.: +48 22 581 3000
Amgen S.A.S.
Tél: +33 (0)9 69 363 363
Amgen Biofarmacêutica, Lda. Tel: +351 21 4220606
Amgen d.o.o.
Tel: +385 (0)1 562 57 20
Amgen România SRL Tel: +4021 527 3000
Amgen Ireland Limited Tel: +353 1 8527400
AMGEN zdravila d.o.o. Tel: +386 (0)1 585 1767
Vistor hf.
Sími: +354 535 7000
Amgen S.r.l.
Tel: +39 02 6241121
Amgen AB, sivuliike Suomessa/Amgen AB, filial i Finland
Puh/Tel: +358 (0)9 54900500
C.A. Papaellinas Ltd Τηλ: +357 22741 741
Amgen AB
Tel: +46 (0)8 6951100
Amgen Switzerland AG Rīgas filiāle Tel: +371 257 25888
Amgen Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1223 420305
Detailed and updated information on this medicine is available by scanning the QR code on the outer packaging with a smartphone. The same information is also available on the following URL: www.otezla-eu-pil.com.