Indications

• Anaphylaxis, asthma, severe hypersensitivity reactions
• Rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica
• Systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, mixed connective tissue disease (other than systemic sclerosis), polyarteritis nodosa, sarcoidosis
• Pemphigus, bullous pemphigoid, pyoderma gangrenosum
• Minimal change nephrotic syndrome, acute interstitial nephritis
• Rheumatic carditis
• Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease
• Uveitis, optic neuritis
• Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• Acute and lymphatic leukaemia, malignant lymphoma, multiple myeloma
• Immune suppression in transplantation

Contraindications

Systemic infection unless specific anti-infective therapy is employed. Hypersensitivity to deflazacort or any of the ingredients. Patients receiving live virus immunisation.

Precautions & Warnings

Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactose deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicine.

Undesirable effects may be minimised by using the lowest effective dose for the minimum period, and by administering the daily requirement as a single morning dose or whenever possible as a single morning dose on alternate days. Frequent patient review is required to appropriately titrate the dose against disease activity.

Drug Interactions

Deflazacort is metabolised in the liver. It is recommended to increase the maintenance dose of deflazacort if drugs which are liver enzyme inducers are co-administered, e.g. rifampicin, rifabutin, carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, phenytoin, primidone and aminoglutethimide. For drugs which inhibit liver enzymes, e.g. ketoconazole it may be possible to reduce the maintenance dose of deflazacort.

In patients taking estrogens, corticosteroid requirements may be reduced.

The desired effects of hypoglycaemic agents (including insulin), anti-hypertensives and diuretics are antagonised by corticosteroids and the hypokalaemic effects of acetazolamide, loop diuretics, thiazide diuretics, beta 2-agonists, xanthines and carbenoxolone are enhanced.

The efficacy of coumarin anticoagulants may be enhanced by concurrent corticosteroid therapy and close monitoring of the INR or prothrombin time is required to avoid spontaneous bleeding.

In patients treated with systemic corticosteroids, use of non-depolarising muscle relaxants can result in prolonged relaxation and acute myopathy. Risk factors for this include prolonged and high dose corticosteroid treatment, and prolonged duration of muscle paralysis. This interaction is more likely following prolonged ventilation (such as in the ITU setting). The renal clearance of salicylates is increased by corticosteroids and steroid withdrawal may result in salicylate intoxication.

Dosage & Administration

As prescribed by the physician.

Presentation

AGECORT-6 Tablets: Alu Alu of 10s