Interactions : אינטראקציות

4.5         Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Effects of other medicinal products on vardenafil

In vitro studies
Vardenafil is metabolised predominantly by hepatic enzymes via cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform 3A4, with some contribution from CYP3A5 and CYP2C isoforms. Therefore, inhibitors of these isoenzymes reduce vardenafil clearance.

In vivo studies
Co-administration of the HIV protease inhibitor indinavir (800 mg three times a day), a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor, with vardenafil (10 mg film-coated tablets) resulted in a 16-fold increase in vardenafil AUC and a 7-fold increase in vardenafil Cmax. At 24 hours, the plasma levels of vardenafil had fallen to approximately 4% of the maximum vardenafil plasma level (Cmax).

Co-administration of vardenafil with ritonavir (600 mg twice daily) resulted in a 13-fold increase in vardenafil Cmax and a 49-fold increase in vardenafil AUC0-24 when co-administered with vardenafil 5 mg.
The interaction is a consequence of blocking hepatic metabolism of vardenafil by ritonavir, a highly potent CYP3A4 inhibitor, which also inhibits CYP2C9. Ritonavir significantly prolonged the half-life of vardenafil to 25.7 hours (see section 4.3).

Co-administration of ketoconazole (200 mg), a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor, with vardenafil (5 mg) resulted in a 10-fold increase in vardenafil AUC and a 4-fold increase in vardenafil Cmax (see section 4.4).

Although specific interaction studies have not been conducted, the concomitant use of other potent CYP3A4 inhibitors (such as itraconazole) can be expected to produce vardenafil plasma levels comparable to those produced by ketoconazole. Concomitant use of vardenafil with potent CYP3A4 inhibitors such as itraconazole and ketoconazole (oral use) should be avoided (see sections 4.3 and 4.4). In men older than 75 years the concomitant use of vardenafil with itraconazole or ketoconazole is contraindicated (see section 4.3).

Co-administration of erythromycin (500 mg three times a day), a CYP3A4 inhibitor, with vardenafil (5 mg) resulted in a 4-fold increase in vardenafil AUC and a 3-fold increase in Cmax. Although a specific interaction study has not been conducted, the co-administration of clarithromycin can be expected to result in similar effects on vardenafil AUC and Cmax. When used in combination with a moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor such as erythromycin or clarithromycin, vardenafil dose adjustment might be necessary (see sections 4.2 and 4.4).

Cimetidine (400 mg twice daily), a non-specific cytochrome P450 inhibitor, had no effect on vardenafil AUC and Cmax when co-administered with vardenafil (20 mg) to healthy volunteers.

Grapefruit juice being a weak inhibitor of CYP3A4 gut wall metabolism, may give rise to modest increases in plasma levels of vardenafil (see section 4.4).

The pharmacokinetics of vardenafil (20 mg) was not affected by co-administration with the H2-antagonist ranitidine (150 mg twice daily), digoxin, warfarin, glibenclamide, alcohol (mean maximum blood alcohol level of 73 mg/dl) or single doses of antacid (magnesium hydroxide/aluminium hydroxide).

Although specific interaction studies were not conducted for all medicinal products, population pharmacokinetic analysis showed no effect on vardenafil pharmacokinetics of the following concomitant medicinal products: acetylsalicylic acid, ACE-inhibitors, beta-blockers, weak CYP3A4 inhibitors, diuretics and medicinal products for the treatment of diabetes (sulfonylureas and metformin).

Effects of vardenafil on other medicinal products

There are no data on the interaction of vardenafil and non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitors such as theophylline or dipyridamole.

In vivo studies
No potentiation of the blood pressure lowering effect of sublingual nitroglycerin (0.4 mg) was observed when vardenafil (10 mg) was given at varying time intervals (1 h to 24 h) prior to the dose of nitroglycerin in a study in 18 healthy male subjects. Vardenafil 20 mg film-coated tablets potentiated the blood pressure lowering effect of sublingual nitroglycerin (0.4 mg) taken 1 and 4 hours after vardenafil administration to healthy middle aged subjects. No effect on blood pressure was observed when nitroglycerin was taken 24 hours after administration of a single dose of vardenafil 20 mg film-coated tablets. However, there is no information on the possible potentiation of the hypotensive effects of nitrates by vardenafil in patients, and concomitant use of Levitra orodispersible tablets and nitrates is therefore contraindicated (see section 4.3).

Nicorandil is a hybrid of potassium channel opener and nitrate. Due to the nitrate component it has the potential to have serious interaction with vardenafil.

Since alpha-blocker monotherapy can cause marked lowering of blood pressure, especially postural hypotension and syncope, interaction studies were conducted with vardenafil. In two interaction studies with healthy normotensive volunteers after forced titration of the alpha-blockers tamsulosin or terazosin to high doses, hypotension (in some cases symptomatic) was reported in a significant number of subjects after co-administration of vardenafil. Among subjects treated with terazosin, hypotension was observed more frequently when vardenafil and terazosin were given simultaneously than when the dosing was separated by a time interval of 6 hours.

Based on the results of interaction studies conducted with vardenafil in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on stable tamsulosin, terazosin or alfuzosin therapy: 
•       When vardenafil (film-coated tablets) was given at doses of 5, 10 or 20 mg on a background of stable therapy with tamsulosin, there was no symptomatic reduction in blood pressure, although 3/21 tamsulosin treated subjects exhibited transient standing systolic blood pressures of less than 85 mmHg.
•       When vardenafil 5 mg (film-coated tablets) was given simultaneously with terazosin 5 or 10 mg, one of 21 patients experienced symptomatic postural hypotension. Hypotension was not observed when vardenafil 5 mg and terazosin administration was separated by 6 hours.
•       When vardenafil (film-coated tablets) was given at doses of 5 or 10 mg on a background of stable therapy with alfuzosin, compared to placebo, there was no symptomatic reduction in blood pressure.

Therefore, concomitant treatment should be initiated only if the patient is stable on his alpha-blocker therapy. In those patients who are stable on alpha-blocker therapy, vardenafil should be initiated at the lowest recommended starting dose of 5mg. Levitra may be administered at any time with tamsulosin or alfuzosin. With other alpha-blockers a time separation of dosing should be considered when vardenafil is prescribed concomitantly (see section 4.4).

Levitra 10 mg orodispersible tablets should not be taken as starting dose in patients treated with alpha- blockers (see section 4.4).


No significant interactions were shown when warfarin (25 mg), which is metabolised by CYP2C9, or digoxin (0.375 mg) was co-administered with vardenafil (20 mg film-coated tablets). The relative bioavailability of glibenclamide (3.5 mg) was not affected when co-administered with vardenafil (20 mg).
In a specific study, where vardenafil (20 mg) was co-administered with slow release nifedipine (30 mg or 60 mg) in hypertensive patients, there was an additional reduction on supine systolic blood pressure of 6 mmHg and supine diastolic blood pressure of 5 mmHg accompanied with an increase in heart rate of 4 bpm.

When vardenafil (20 mg film-coated tablets) and alcohol (mean maximum blood alcohol level of 73 mg/dl) were taken together, vardenafil did not potentiate the effects of alcohol on blood pressure and heart rate and the pharmacokinetics of vardenafil were not altered.

Vardenafil (10 mg) did not potentiate the increase in bleeding time caused by acetylsalicylic acid (2 x 81 mg).

Riociguat
Preclinical studies showed additive systemic blood pressure lowering effect when PDE5 inhibitors were combined with riociguat. In clinical studies, riociguat has been shown to augment the hypotensive effects of PDE5 inhibitors. There was no evidence of favourable clinical effect of the combination in the population studied. Concomitant use of riociguat with PDE5 inhibitors, including vardenafil, is contraindicated (see section 4.3).