Pharmacological properties : תכונות פרמקולוגיות

Pharmacodynamic Properties

5.1   Pharmacodynamic properties

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Other antidepressants. ATC code: N06AX21.
Mechanism of action
Duloxetine is a combined serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor. It weakly inhibits dopamine reuptake with no significant affinity for histaminergic, dopaminergic, cholinergic and adrenergic receptors.

Pharmacodynamic effects
In animal studies, increased levels of 5-HT and NE in the sacral spinal cord, lead to increased urethral tone via enhanced pudendal nerve stimulation to the urethral striated sphincter muscle only during the storage phase of the micturition cycle. A similar mechanism in women is believed to result in stronger urethral closure during urine storage with physical stress that could explain the efficacy of duloxetine in the treatment of women with SUI.

Clinical efficacy and safety
The efficacy of duloxetine 40 mg given twice daily in the treatment of SUI was established in four double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, that randomised 1913 women (22 to 83 years) with SUI; of these, 958 patients were randomised to duloxetine and 955 to placebo. The primary efficacy measures were Incontinence Episode Frequency (IEF) from diaries and an incontinence specific quality of life questionnaire score (I-QOL).

Incontinence Episode Frequency: In all four studies the duloxetine-treated group had a 50% or greater median decrease in IEF compared with 33% in the placebo-treated group. Differences were observed at each visit after 4 weeks (duloxetine 54% and placebo 22%), 8 weeks (52% and 29%), and 12 weeks (52% and 33%) of medication.

In an additional study limited to patients with severe SUI, all responses with duloxetine were achieved within 2 weeks.

The efficacy of YENTREVE has not been evaluated for longer than 3 months in placebo- controlled studies. The clinical benefit of YENTREVE compared with placebo has not been demonstrated in women with mild SUI, defined in randomised trials as those with IEF < 14 per week. In these women, YENTREVE may provide no benefit beyond that afforded by more conservative behavioural interventions.

Quality of Life: Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL) questionnaire scores were significantly improved in the duloxetine-treated patient group compared with the placebo-treated group (9.2 versus 5.9 score improvement, p<0.001). Using a global improvement scale (PGI), significantly more women using duloxetine considered their symptoms of stress incontinence to be improved with treatment compared with women using placebo (64.6% versus 50.1%, p<0.001).

YENTREVE and Prior Continence Surgery: There are limited data that suggest that the benefits of YENTREVE are not diminished in women with stress urinary incontinence who have previously undergone continence surgery.


YENTREVE and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT): During a 12-week blinded, randomised, controlled study, YENTREVE demonstrated greater reductions in IEF compared with either placebo treatment or with PFMT alone. Combined therapy (duloxetine + PFMT) showed greater improvement in both pad use and condition-specific quality of life measures than YENTREVE alone or PFMT alone.

Pharmacokinetic Properties

5.2   Pharmacokinetic properties

Duloxetine is administered as a single enantiomer. Duloxetine is extensively metabolised by oxidative enzymes (CYP1A2 and the polymorphic CYP2D6), followed by conjugation. The pharmacokinetics of duloxetine demonstrate large intersubject variability (generally 50-60%), partly due to gender, age, smoking status and CYP2D6 metaboliser status.

Absorption: Duloxetine is well absorbed after oral administration with a Cmax occurring 6 hours post dose. The absolute oral bioavailability of duloxetine ranged from 32% to 80% (mean of 50%). Food delays the time to reach the peak concentration from 6 to 10 hours and it marginally decreases the extent of absorption (approximately 11%). These changes do not have any clinical significance.

Distribution: Duloxetine is approximately 96% bound to human plasma proteins. Duloxetine binds to both albumin and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein. Protein binding is not affected by renal or hepatic impairment.

Biotransformation: Duloxetine is extensively metabolised and the metabolites are excreted principally in urine. Both cytochromes P450-2D6 and 1A2 catalyse the formation of the two major metabolites glucuronide conjugate of 4-hydroxy duloxetine and sulfate conjugate of 5- hydroxy, 6-methoxy duloxetine. Based upon in vitro studies, the circulating metabolites of duloxetine are considered pharmacologically inactive. The pharmacokinetics of duloxetine in patients who are poor metabolisers with respect to CYP2D6 has not been specifically investigated. Limited data suggest that the plasma levels of duloxetine are higher in these patients.

Elimination: The elimination half-life of duloxetine ranges from 8 to 17 hours (mean of 12 hours). After an intravenous dose the plasma clearance of duloxetine ranges from 22 l/hr to 46 l/hr (mean of 36 l/hr). After an oral dose the apparent plasma clearance of duloxetine ranges from 33 to 261 l/hr (mean 101 l/hr).

Special populations
Gender: Pharmacokinetic differences have been identified between males and females (apparent plasma clearance is approximately 50% lower in females). Based upon the overlap in the range of clearance, gender-based pharmacokinetic differences do not justify the recommendation for using a lower dose for female patients.

Age: Pharmacokinetic differences have been identified between younger and elderly females (≥65 years) (AUC increases by about 25% and half-life is about 25% longer in the elderly), although the magnitude of these changes is not sufficient to justify adjustments to the dose. As a general recommendation, caution should be exercised when treating the elderly (see sections 4.2 and 4.4).


Renal impairment: End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving dialysis had a 2-fold higher duloxetine Cmax and AUC values compared with healthy subjects. Pharmacokinetic data on duloxetine is limited in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment.

Hepatic impairment: Moderate liver disease (Child Pugh Class B) affected the pharmacokinetics of duloxetine. Compared with healthy subjects, the apparent plasma clearance of duloxetine was 79% lower, the apparent terminal half-life was 2.3 times longer, and the AUC was 3.7 times higher in patients with moderate liver disease. The pharmacokinetics of duloxetine and its metabolites have not been studied in patients with mild or severe hepatic insufficiency.

Breast-feeding mothers: The disposition of duloxetine was studied in 6 lactating women who were at least 12-weeks postpartum. Duloxetine is detected in breast milk, and steady-state concentrations in breast milk are about one-fourth those in plasma. The amount of duloxetine in breast milk is approximately 7 µg/day while on 40 mg twice daily dosing. Lactation did not influence duloxetine pharmacokinetics.