Label: information for the user
SIMBRINZA 10mg/ml+2mg/ml eye drop solution
brinzolamide/tartrate of brimonidine
Read this label carefully before starting to use this medication, as it contains important information for you.
1.What is SIMBRINZA and for what it is used
2.What you need to know before starting to use SIMBRINZA
3.How to use SIMBRINZA
4.Possible adverse effects
5.Storage of SIMBRINZA
6.Contents of the package and additional information
SIMBRINZA contains two active ingredients, brinzolamida and brimonidine tartrate. Brinzolamida belongs to a group of medications called carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and brimonidine tartrate belongs to a group of medications called alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists. Both active ingredients work together to reduce eye pressure.
SIMBRINZA is used to reduce eye pressure in adult patients (18 years of age and older) with eye diseases known as glaucoma or ocular hypertension and in those whose elevated eye pressure cannot be effectively controlled with a single medication.
Do not use SIMBRINZA
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor,ophthalmologist (eye specialist)or pharmacist before starting to use SIMBRINZA if you currently have or have had in the past:
Be especially careful with SIMBRINZA:
Severe skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, have been reported in association with brinzolamide treatment. Stop using SIMBRINZA and seek medical attention immediately if you notice any symptoms related to these severe skin reactions described in section 4.
If you wear soft contact lenses, do not use this eye drop with the contact lenses in place. See below the section “If you wear contact lenses - SIMBRINZA contains benzalkonium chloride”.
Children and adolescents
SIMBRINZA is not indicated for use in children and adolescents under 18years of age because it has not been studied in this age group. It is especially important that this medication not be used in children under 2years of age (see previous section “Do not use SIMBRINZA”) because it is unlikely to be safe.
Other medications and SIMBRINZA
Inform your doctor,ophthalmologist (eye specialist)or pharmacist if you are using, have used recently or may need to use any other medication.
SIMBRINZA may affect or be affected by other medications you are using, including other eye drops for glaucoma treatment.
Consult your doctor if you are using or think you may use any of the following medications:
You must also inform your doctor if the dose of any of your current medications changes.
Use of SIMBRINZA with alcohol
If you regularly consume alcohol,consult your doctor,ophthalmologist (eye specialist)or pharmacist before using this medication. SIMBRINZA may be affected by alcohol.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or intend to become pregnant, consult your doctor,ophthalmologist (eye specialist)or pharmacist before using this medication.It is recommended that women who may become pregnant use effective contraceptive methods during SIMBRINZA treatment. SIMBRINZA is not recommended during pregnancy. Do not use SIMBRINZA unless clearly indicated by your doctor.
If you are breastfeeding,SIMBRINZA may pass into breast milk. SIMBRINZA is not recommended during breastfeeding.
Driving and operating machinery
Immediately after applying SIMBRINZA, you may notice that your vision becomes blurry or abnormal. SIMBRINZA may also cause dizziness, drowsiness or fatigue in some patients.
Do not drive or operate machinery until the symptoms have disappeared.
If you wear contact lenses - SIMBRINZA contains benzalkonium chloride
This medication contains 0.15mgof benzalkonium chloride per 5ml, which is equivalent to 0.03mg/ml.
Benzalkonium chloride can be absorbed by soft contact lenses and may alter the color of the contact lenses. Remove the contact lenses before using this medication and wait 15minutes before putting them back in place. Benzalkonium chloride may cause eye irritation, especially if you have dry eyes or other corneal diseases (transparent layer at the front of the eye). Consult your doctor if you feel a strange sensation, burning or pain in the eye after using this medication.
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication indicated by your doctor, ophthalmologist (ophthalmologist) or pharmacist. In case of doubt, consult your doctor, ophthalmologist (ophthalmologist) or pharmacist again.
Only use SIMBRINZA in your eyes. Do not swallow or inject.
Recommended doseis onedrop in the affected eye or eyes twice a day.Use it at the same time every day.
How to use
Wash your hands before starting.
12
Shake well before using.
Remove the cap from the bottle. After removing the cap, the safety seal ring must be removed before using this medication.
Do not touch the dropper with your fingers when opening or closing the bottle, as the drops may become contaminated.
Hold the bottle, upside down, between your thumb and index finger.
Incline your head back.
Gently separate your lower eyelid from your eye with a finger, until a pouch forms where the drop should fall (figure 1).
Bring the tip of the bottle close to your eye. You can help with a mirror.
Do not touch your eye, eyelid, nearby areas or other surfaces with the dropper,becausethe drops may become contaminated.
Gently press the base of the bottle to allow onedrop of SIMBRINZA to fall.
Do not squeeze the bottle: it is designed for a gentle pressure on the base to be sufficient (figure2).
After using this eye drop, close your eyes gently and press with your finger the edge of your eye, near the nose for at least 2minutes. This helps to prevent the medication from passing to the rest of the body.
If you apply drops in both eyes, repeat the previous steps for the other eye. No need to close and shake the bottle between administrations of both eyes. Tighten the cap on the bottle immediately after using the product.
If you are using other eye dropsin addition to SIMBRINZA, wait at least fiveminutes between the application of SIMBRINZA and the other drops.
If a drop falls outside the eye, try again.
If you use more SIMBRINZA than you should
You can remove it by washing your eyes with warm water. Do not apply more drops until it is time for the next dose.
Adults who accidentally ingested medications containing brimonidine experienced a decrease in heart rate, decrease in blood pressure that may be followed by an increase in blood pressure, heart failure, difficulty breathing and effects on the nervous system. If this happens, contact your doctor immediately.
Severe adverse effects were reported in children who had accidentally ingested medications containing brimonidine. The signs included drowsiness, weakness, low body temperature, pallor and difficulty breathing. If this happens, contact your doctor immediately.
If you have accidentally ingested SIMBRINZA, contact your doctor immediately.
If you forgot to use SIMBRINZA
Continue with the next scheduled dose. Do not apply a double dose to compensate for the missed doses. Do not apply more than onedrop twice a day in the affected eye(s).
If you interrupt treatment with SIMBRINZA
Do not stop treatment with SIMBRINZA without consulting your doctor first, as your eye pressure will not be controlled, which may cause vision loss.
If you have any other questions about the use of this medication, ask your doctor, ophthalmologist (ophthalmologist) or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.
If you experience any of the following side effects, stop using this medicine and seek immediate medical attention, as they may be signs of a drug reaction. The frequency of an allergic reaction to this medicine is unknown (it cannot be estimated from the available data).
Seek immediate contact with your doctor if you feel dizzy or extremely tired.
The following side effects have been observed with SIMBRINZA and with other medicines that contain brinzolamide or brimonidine separately.
Flat, non-elevated, circular or target-like red patches on the trunk, often with central blisters, skin peeling, mouth ulcers, throat, nose, genital, and eye ulcers. These severe skin reactions may be preceded by fever and flu-like symptoms (Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis).
Frequent(may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
Very rare(may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Frequency unknown(cannot be estimated from the available data)
Reporting of side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor, ophthalmologist (eye specialist), or pharmacist, even if it is a possible side effect that does not appear in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the national notification system included in theAnexo V. By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the bottle and on the box after “CAD”. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
This medication does not require special conditions for conservation.
To prevent infections, discard the bottle 4weeks after the first opening. Write the opening date in the space provided on the box.
Medications should not be thrown down the drains or in the trash. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the containers and medications that you no longer need. In this way, you will help protect the environment.
Composition of SIMBRINZA
Small amounts of sodium hydroxide and/or hydrochloric acid are added to maintain normal acidity levels (pH levels).
Appearance of the product and contents of the pack
SIMBRINZA eye drops in suspension are a liquid (a uniform white to off-white suspension) presented in a box containing one or threeplastic bottles of 5ml with a screw cap.
Only some pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing authorization holder
Novartis Europharm Limited
Vista Building
Elm Park, Merrion Road
Dublin 4
Ireland
Responsible manufacturer
Novartis Farmacéutica, S.A.
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 764
08013 Barcelona
Spain
Novartis Manufacturing NV
Rijksweg 14
2870 Puurs-Sint-Amands
Belgium
Novartis Pharma GmbH
Roonstraße 25
D-90429 Nuremberg
Germany
Siegfried El Masnou, S.A.
Camil Fabra 58
El Masnou
08320 Barcelona
Spain
Novartis Pharma GmbH
Sophie-Germain-Strasse 10
90443 Nürnberg
Germany
You can obtain more information about this medicine by contacting the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
België/Belgique/Belgien Novartis Pharma N.V. Tel: +32 2 246 16 11 | Lietuva Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Tel: +370 5 269 16 50 |
???????? Novartis PharmaServices Inc. ???.: +359 2 489 98 28 | Luxembourg/Luxemburg Novartis Pharma N.V. Tel: +32 2 246 16 11 |
Ceská republika Novartis s.r.o. Tel: +420 225 775 111 | Magyarország Novartis Hungária Kft. Tel.: +36 1 457 65 00 |
Danmark Novartis Healthcare A/S Tlf: +45 39 16 84 00 | Malta Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Tel: +356 2122 2872 |
Deutschland Novartis Pharma GmbH Tel: +49 911 273 0 | Nederland Novartis Pharma B.V. Tel: +31 26 37 82 111 |
Eesti Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Tel: +372 66 30 810 | Norge Novartis Norge AS Tlf: +47 23 05 20 00 |
Ελλ?δα Novartis (Hellas) A.E.B.E. Tel: +30 210 281 17 12 | Österreich Novartis Pharma GmbH Tel: +43 1 86 6570 |
España Novartis Farmacéutica, S.A. Tel: +34 93 306 42 00 | Polska Novartis Poland Sp. z o.o. Tel.: +48 22 375 4888 |
France Novartis Pharma S.A.S. Tel: +33 1 55 47 66 00 | Portugal Novartis Farma - Produtos Farmacêuticos, S.A. Tel: +351 21 000 8600 |
Hrvatska Novartis Hrvatska d.o.o. Tel. +385 1 6274 220 | România Novartis Pharma Services Romania SRL Tel: +40 21 31299 01 |
Ireland Novartis Ireland Limited Tel: +353 1 260 12 55 | Slovenija Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Tel: +386 1 300 75 50 |
Ísland Vistor hf. Tel: +354 535 7000 | Slovenská republika Novartis Slovakia s.r.o. Tel: + 421 2 5542 5439 |
Italia Novartis Farma S.p.A. Tel: +39 02 96 54 1 | Suomi/Finland Novartis Finland Oy Tel: +358 (0)10 6133 200 |
Κ?προς Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Tel: +357 22 690 690 | Sverige Novartis Sverige AB Tel: +46 8 732 32 00 |
Latvija Novartis Pharma Services Inc. Tel: +371 67 887 070 |
Last update of this leaflet:
Other sources of information
Detailed information on this medicine is available on the website of the European Medicines Agency:http://www.ema.europa.eu
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.