Sodium Phenylbutyrate

INDICATIONS AND USAGE Sodium phenylbutyrate tablets are indicated as adjunctive therapy in the chronic management of patients with urea cycle disorders involving deficiencies of carbamylphosphate synthetase (CPS), ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC), or argininosuccinic acid synthetase (AS). It is indicated in all patients with neonatal-onset deficiency (complete enzymatic deficiency, presenting within the first 28 days of life). It is also indicated in patients with late-onset disease (partial enzymatic deficiency, presenting after the first month of life) who have a history of hyperammonemic encephalopathy. It is important that the diagnosis be made early and treatment initiated immediately to improve survival.

ADVERSE REACTIONS The assessment of clinical adverse events came from 206 patients treated with sodium phenylbutyrate. Adverse events (both clinical and laboratory) were not collected systematically in these patients, but were obtained from patient visit reports by the 65 co-investigators. Causality of adverse effects is sometimes difficult to determine in this patient population because they may result from either the underlying disease, the patient’s restricted diet, intercurrent illness, or sodium phenylbutyrate. Furthermore, the rates may be underestimated because they were reported primarily by parent or guardian and not the patient.

Pregnancy: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with sodium phenylbutyrate. It is also not known whether sodium phenylbutyrate can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Sodium phenylbutyrate should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

WARNINGS Each sodium phenylbutyrate tablet contains 62 mg of sodium (9.2% w/w) (corresponding to 124 mg of sodium per gram of sodium phenylbutyrate [12.4% w/w]). Sodium phenylbutyrate should be used with great care, if at all, in patients with congestive heart failure or severe renal insufficiency, and in clinical states in which there is sodium retention with edema. Because sodium phenylbutyrate is metabolized in the liver and kidney, and phenylacetylglutamine is primarily excreted by the kidney, use caution when administering the drug to patients with hepatic or renal insufficiency or inborn errors of beta oxidation. CONTRAINDICATIONS Sodium phenylbutyrate tablets should not be used to manage acute hyperammonemia, which is a medical emergency.