SINGULAIR 4 mg CHEWABLE TABLETS

Introduction

Package Leaflet: Information for the User

Singulair 4mg Chewable Tablets

montelukast

Read all of this leaflet carefully before giving this medicine to your child, because it contains important information.

• Keep this leaflet, you may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for your child only. Do not give it to others, even if they have the same symptoms as your child, as it may harm them.
• If your child experiences any side effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if they are not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

Contents of the Package Leaflet

1. What is Singulair and what is it used for
2. What you need to know before your child takes Singulair
3. How to take Singulair
4. Possible side effects
5. Storage of Singulair
6. Contents of the pack and further information

1. What is Singulair and what is it used for

What is Singulair

Singulair is a leukotriene receptor antagonist that blocks substances called leukotrienes.

How Singulair works

Leukotrienes cause narrowing and swelling of the airways in the lungs. By blocking leukotrienes, Singulair improves asthma symptoms and helps control asthma.

When to use Singulair

Your doctor has prescribed Singulair to treat your child's asthma and prevent asthma symptoms during the day and night.

• Singulair is used to treat patients between 2 and 5 years of age who are not adequately controlled with their medication and need additional treatment.
• Singulair is also used as an alternative treatment to inhaled corticosteroids in patients between 2 and 5 years of age who have not recently taken oral corticosteroids for the treatment of their asthma and have demonstrated that they are unable to use inhaled corticosteroids.
• Singulair also helps prevent exercise-induced narrowing of the airways in patients 2 years of age and older.

Depending on your child's symptoms and the severity of their asthma, your doctor will determine how to use Singulair.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease.

Asthma includes:

• difficulty breathing due to narrowing of the airways. This narrowing of the airways worsens and improves in response to various diseases.
• airways that are sensitive to many things, such as cigarette smoke, pollen, cold air, or exercise.
• swelling (inflammation) of the inner layer of the airways.

Asthma symptoms include: Cough, wheezing, and chest congestion.

2. What you need to know before your child takes Singulair

Tell your doctor about any allergy or medical problem your child has now or has had.

Do not give Singulair to your child

• if they are allergic to montelukast or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).

Warnings and precautions

Consult your doctor or pharmacist before giving Singulair to your child.

• If your child's asthma or breathing worsens, inform your doctor immediately.
• Singulair oral is not indicated for the treatment of acute asthma attacks. If an attack occurs, follow the instructions your doctor has given your child. Always have your child's rescue inhaler medication for asthma attacks.
• It is essential that your child uses all asthma medications prescribed by their doctor. Singulair should not be used instead of other asthma medications prescribed by your doctor for your child.
• If your child is being treated with asthma medications, they should be aware that if they develop a combination of symptoms such as flu-like illness, tingling or numbness of arms or legs, worsening of lung symptoms, and/or skin rash, they should consult their doctor.
• Your child should not take acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) or anti-inflammatory medications (also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or NSAIDs) if they worsen their asthma.

Several neuropsychiatric events (e.g., changes in behavior and mood-related, depression, and suicidal tendencies) have been reported in patients of all ages treated with montelukast (see section 4). If your child develops these symptoms while taking montelukast, they should contact their doctor.

Children and adolescents

Do not give this medicine to children under 2 years of age.

For pediatric patients under 18 years of age, other formulations of this medicine are available based on the age range.

Other medicines and Singulair

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if your child is taking, has recently taken, or might take any other medicines, including those obtained without a prescription.

Some medicines may affect the way Singulair works, or Singulair may affect the way other medicines work that your child is using.

Before taking Singulair, tell your doctor if your child is taking the following medicines:

• phenobarbital (used to treat epilepsy)
• phenytoin (used to treat epilepsy)
• rifampicin (used to treat tuberculosis and some other infections)

Taking Singulair with food and drinks

Singulair 4 mg chewable tablets should not be taken with food; they should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

This subsection is not applicable to Singulair 4 mg chewable tablets, as its use is indicated in children between 2 and 5 years of age.

Driving and using machines

This subsection is not applicable to Singulair 4 mg chewable tablets, as its use is indicated in children between 2 and 5 years of age. However, the following information is important for the active ingredient, montelukast.

Singulair is not expected to affect your child's ability to drive a car or operate machinery. However, individual responses to the medicine may vary. Certain side effects (such as dizziness and drowsiness) that have been reported with Singulair may affect your child's ability to drive or operate machinery.

Singulair 4mg chewable tablets contain aspartame, sodium, and benzyl alcohol

This medicine contains 1.2 mg of aspartame in each 4 mg chewable tablet, equivalent to 0.674 mg of phenylalanine. Aspartame is a source of phenylalanine that may be harmful if your child has phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder in which phenylalanine accumulates because the body cannot eliminate it properly.

This medicine contains less than 23 mg of sodium (1 mmol) per tablet; this is essentially "sodium-free".

This medicine contains up to 0.36 mg of benzyl alcohol in each tablet. Benzyl alcohol may cause allergic reactions.

Consult your doctor or pharmacist if your child has liver or kidney disease. This is because large amounts of benzyl alcohol can accumulate in the body and cause side effects (metabolic acidosis).

3. How to take Singulair

Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medicine given by your doctor or pharmacist for your child. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.

• This medicine should be administered to children under adult supervision. For children who have problems taking a chewable tablet, an oral granule formulation is available.
• Your child should only take one Singulair chewable tablet once a day, as prescribed by their doctor.
• It should be taken even when your child does not have symptoms or when they have an acute asthma attack.

For children from 2 to 5years of age:

The recommended dose is one 4 mg chewable tablet daily in the evening.

If your child is taking Singulair, ensure they do not take any other medicine that contains the same active ingredient, montelukast.

This medicine is taken orally.

The tablets should be chewed before swallowing.

Singulair 4 mg chewable tablets should not be taken with food; they should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food.

If your child takes more Singulair than they should

Seek help from your child's doctor immediately.

In most cases of overdose, no side effects were reported. The symptoms that occurred most frequently in overdose in adults and children were abdominal pain, drowsiness, thirst, headache, vomiting, and hyperactivity.

Consult your doctor, pharmacist, or call the Toxicology Information Service, phone 91.562.04.20, indicating the medicine and the amount taken. It is recommended to take the packaging and the package leaflet of the medicine to the healthcare professional.

If you forget to give Singulair to your child

Try to give Singulair as prescribed. However, if your child forgets a dose, just resume the usual routine of one chewable tablet once a day.

Do not give a double dose to make up for forgotten doses.

If your child stops taking Singulair

Singulair can only treat your child's asthma if they continue taking it.

It is essential that your child continues taking Singulair for as long as their doctor prescribes it. It will help control your child's asthma.

If you have any other questions about the use of this medicine, ask your child's doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

In clinical trials conducted with Singulair 4 mg chewable tablets, the side effects related to the administration of the medicine and reported most frequently (may affect up to 1 in 10 people) were:

• abdominal pain
• thirst

Additionally, the following side effects were reported in clinical trials with Singulair 10 mg film-coated tablets and 5 mg chewable tablets:

• headache

These side effects were generally mild and occurred with a higher frequency in patients treated with Singulair than with placebo (a pill that does not contain medicine).

Serious side effects

Consult your doctor immediatelyif you observe any of the following side effects in your child, which may be serious and your child may need urgent medical treatment.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):

• allergic reactions that include swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat that can cause difficulty breathing or swallowing
• mood-related changes: excitement including aggressive or hostile behavior, depression
• seizures

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):

• increased risk of bleeding
• tremor
• palpitations

Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):

• combination of symptoms such as flu-like illness, tingling or numbness of arms and legs, worsening of lung symptoms, and/or skin rash (Churg-Strauss syndrome) (see section 2)
• low platelet count
• mood-related changes: hallucinations, disorientation, suicidal thoughts and actions
• swelling (inflammation) of the lungs
• severe skin reactions (erythema multiforme) that can occur without warning
• inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)

Other side effects reported during the post-marketing period of the medicine

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

• upper respiratory tract infection

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

• diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
• skin rash
• fever
• elevated liver enzymes

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):

• mood-related changes: sleep disturbances, including nightmares, sleep problems, sleepwalking, irritability, feeling anxious, restlessness
• dizziness, drowsiness, tingling/numbness
• nosebleeds
• dry mouth, indigestion
• bruising, itching, hives
• joint or muscle pain, muscle cramps
• bedwetting (in children)
• weakness/tiredness, malaise, swelling

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):

• mood-related changes: attention disturbance, memory disturbance, uncontrolled muscle movements

Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):

• red, painful lumps under the skin, which most frequently appear on the shins (erythema nodosum)
• mood-related changes: obsessive-compulsive symptoms, stuttering

Reporting of side effects:

If your child experiences any side effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if they are not listed in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish Medicines Surveillance System for Human Use: https://www.notificaram.es. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. Storage of Singulair

• Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date that appears on the blister after EXP. The first two numbers indicate the month; the last four numbers indicate the year. The expiry date is the last day of the month indicated.
• Store in the original packaging to protect it from light and moisture.
• Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Place the packaging and any unused medicine in the SIGRE collection point at the pharmacy. If in doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and any unused medicine. This will help protect the environment.

6. Contents of the pack and further information

Composition of Singulair

• The active ingredient is montelukast. Each chewable tablet contains montelukast sodium equivalent to 4 mg of montelukast.
• The other ingredients are:

mannitol (E-421), microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose (E-463), red iron oxide (E-172), sodium croscarmellose, cherry flavor that contains benzyl alcohol (E-1519), aspartame (E-951), and magnesium stearate.

Appearance of the product and pack contents

Singulair 4 mg chewable tablets are pink, oval, biconvex, with SINGULAIR engraved on one side and MSD 711 on the other.

Blister packs in packs of: 7, 10, 14, 20, 28, 30, 50, 56, 98, 100, 140, and 200 tablets.

Blister packs (unit dose) in packs of: 49x1, 50x1, and 56x1 tablets.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing authorization holder and manufacturer

Marketing authorization holder

Organon Salud, S.L.

Paseo de la Castellana, 77

28046 Madrid

Spain

Tel.: 915911279

Manufacturer

Merck Sharp & Dohme, B.V.

Waarderweg 39

2031 BN, Haarlem

Netherlands

or

Organon Heist bv

Industriepark 30

2220 Heist-op-den-Berg

Belgium

This medicine is authorized in the Member States of the European Economic Area under the following names:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Singulair

Date of last revision of this leaflet:04/2023.

Detailed and updated information on this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) http://www.aemps.gob.es/