Glycerol Phenylbutyrate
Glycerol Phenylbutyrate is an FDA drug label for the active ingredient GLYCEROL PHENYLBUTYRATE ORAL manufactured by Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc. administered by ORAL. This page reproduces the FDA-approved indications and usage, dosage, contraindications, warnings, and adverse reactions exactly as published in the drug label. Data source: openFDA (U.S. FDA), label effective 20260824.
- Generic name
- GLYCEROL PHENYLBUTYRATE ORAL
- Manufacturer
- Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Product type
- HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG
- Route
- ORAL
- Dosage form
- N/A
- NDC
- 31722-605
- Application
- ANDA205742
- Label effective
- 20260824
About this product
Glycerol Phenylbutyrate is an FDA-registered drug product whose active ingredient is GLYCEROL PHENYLBUTYRATE ORAL. It is labelled by Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc. taken by oral and marketed as a human prescription drug product. Identifiers on file: NDC 31722-605, application ANDA205742, label effective 20260824. This page reproduces the FDA-approved label text so you can check what a product is, who makes it and how it is supplied before discussing it with a pharmacist or prescriber.
What it is used for
Across FDA labelling, products containing GLYCEROL PHENYLBUTYRATE ORAL are most often described in connection with: glycerol phenylbutyrate, oral liquid, dietary protein, nitrogen-binding agent, chronic management, urea cycle, disorders ucds, cannot managed. Wording differs between labels, and the full indications section on this page takes precedence when it is present.
Indications & Usage
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid is indicated for use as a nitrogen-binding agent for chronic management of patients with urea cycle disorders (UCDs) who cannot be managed by dietary protein restriction and/or amino acid supplementation alone. Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid must be used with dietary protein restriction and, in some cases, dietary supplements (e.g., essential amino acids, arginine, citrulline, protein-free calorie supplements). Limitations of Use : • Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid is not indicated for the treatment of acute hyperammonemia in patients with UCDs because more rapidly acting interventions are essential to reduce plasma ammonia levels. • The safety and efficacy of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid for the treatment of N -acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS) deficiency has not been established. Glycerol phenylbutyrate is a nitrogen-binding agent indicated for chronic management of patients with urea cycle disorders (UCDs) who cannot be managed by dietary protein restriction and/or amino acid supplementation alone. Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid must be used with dietary protein restriction and, in some cases, dietary supplements. ( 1 ) Limitations of Use: • Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid is not indicated for treatment of acute hyperammonemia in patients with UCDs. ( 1 ) • Safety and efficacy for treatment of N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS) deficiency has not been established. ( 1 )
Dosage & Administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION • Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid should be prescribed by a physician experienced in management of UCDs. For administration and preparation, see full prescribing information. ( 2.1 , 2.6 ) Switching From Sodium Phenylbutyrate Tablets or Powder to Glycerol Phenylbutyrate Oral Liquid : • Patients should receive the dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate that contains the same amount of phenylbutyric acid, see full prescribing information for conversion. ( 2.2 ) Initial Dosage in Phenylbutyrate-Naïve Patients ( 2.3 ) : • Recommended dosage range is 4.5 to 11.2 mL/m 2 /day (5 to 12.4 g/m 2 /day). • For patients with some residual enzyme activity not adequately controlled with dietary restriction, the recommended starting dose is 4.5 mL/m 2 /day. • Take into account patient's estimated urea synthetic capacity, dietary • protein intake, and diet adherence. Dosage Adjustment and Monitoring : • Follow plasma ammonia levels to determine the need for dosage titration. ( 2.4 ) Dosage Modifications in Patients with Hepatic Impairment : • Start dosage at lower end of range. ( 2.5 , 8.7 ) 2.1 Important Administration Instructions Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid should be prescribed by a physician experienced in the management of UCDs. Instruct patients to take glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid with food or formula and to administer directly into the mouth via oral syringe. Instruct patients to use the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid bottle and oral syringe as follows: Use a new reclosable bottle cap adapter with each new bottle that is opened. Open the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid bottle and twist on the new reclosable bottle cap adapter. Use a new and dry oral syringe to withdraw each prescribed dose of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid. Discard the oral syringe after each dose. Tightly close the tethered tab on the reclosable bottle cap adapter after each use. Do not rinse the reclosable bottle cap adapter. Discard bottle and any remaining contents 28 days after opening. If water or moisture enters the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid bottle, the contents will become cloudy in appearance. If the contents of the bottle appear cloudy at any time, do not use the remaining glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid in the bottle and return it to the pharmacy to be discarded. Instruct that glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid should be administered just prior to breastfeeding in infants who are breastfeeding. For patients who cannot swallow, see the instructions on administration of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid by nasogastric tube or gastrostomy tube [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.6 )] . For patients who require a volume of less than 1 mL per dose via nasogastric or gastrostomy tube, the delivered dose may be less than anticipated. Closely monitor these patients using ammonia levels [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.6 )] . The recommended dosages for patients switching from sodium phenylbutyrate to glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid and patients naïve to phenylbutyric acid are different [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.2 , 2.3 )] . For both subpopulations: Patients 2 years of age and older: Give glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid in 3 equally divided dosages, each rounded up to the nearest 0.5 mL Patients less than 2 years: Give glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid in 3 or more equally divided dosages, each rounded up to the nearest 0.1 mL. The maximum total daily dosage is 17.5 mL (19 g). Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid must be used with dietary protein restriction and, in some cases, dietary supplements (e.g., essential amino acids, arginine, citrulline, protein-free calorie supplements). 2.2 Switching From Sodium Phenylbutyrate to Glycerol Phenylbutyrate Oral Liquid Patients switching from sodium phenylbutyrate to glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid should receive the dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid that contains the same amount of phenylbutyric acid. The conversion is as follows: Total daily dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate (mL) = total daily dosage of sodium phenylbutyrate tablets (g) x 0.86 Total daily dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate (mL) = total daily dosage of sodium phenylbutyrate powder (g) x 0.81 2.3 Initial Dosage in Phenylbutyrate-Naïve Patients The recommended dosage range, based upon body surface area, in patients naïve to phenylbutyrate (PBA) is 4.5 to 11.2 mL/m 2 /day (5 to 12.4 g/m 2 /day). For patients with some residual enzyme activity who are not adequately controlled with protein restriction, the recommended starting dosage is 4.5 mL/m 2 /day. In determining the starting dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid in treatment-naïve patients, consider the patient’s residual urea synthetic capacity, dietary protein requirements, and diet adherence. Dietary protein is approximately 16% nitrogen by weight. Given that approximately 47% of dietary nitrogen is excreted as waste and approximately 70% of an administered PBA dose will be converted to urinary phenylacetylglutamine (U-PAGN), an initial estimated glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dose for a 24-hour period is 0.6 mL glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid per gram of dietary protein ingested per 24-hour period. The total daily dosage should not exceed 17.5 mL. 2.4 Dosage Adjustment and Monitoring During treatment with glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid, patients should be followed clinically and with plasma ammonia levels to determine the need for dosage titration. Closely monitor plasma ammonia levels during treatment with glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid and when changing the dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid. The methods used for measuring plasma ammonia levels vary among individual laboratories and values obtained using different assay methods may not be interchangeable. Normal ranges and therapeutic target levels for plasma ammonia depend upon the assay method used by the individual laboratory. During treatment with glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid, refer to the assay-specific normal ranges and to the therapeutic target ranges for plasma ammonia. Normal Plasma Ammonia In patients treated with glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid who experience neurologic symptoms (e.g. nausea, vomiting, headache, somnolence or confusion) in the absence of high plasma ammonia or other intercurrent illness to explain these symptoms, consider reducing the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosage and clinically monitor patients for potential neurotoxicity from high phenylacetate (PAA) concentrations. If available, obtain measurements of plasma PAA concentrations and plasma phenylacetylglutamine (PAGN) to calculate the ratio of plasma PAA to PAGN which may help to guide glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosing. The PAA to PAGN ratio has generally been less than 1 in patients with UCDs who did not have significant plasma PAA accumulation. In general, a high PAA to PAGN ratio may indicate a slower or less efficient conjugation reaction to form PAGN, which may lead to increases in PAA without further conversion to PAGN [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) , Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. Elevated Plasma Ammonia In patients 6 years and older, when plasma ammonia is elevated, increase the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosage to maintain fasting plasma ammonia to less than half the upper limit of normal (ULN). In infants and pediatric patients below 6 years of age, if obtaining fasting ammonia is problematic due to frequent feedings, adjust the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosage to keep the first ammonia of the morning below the ULN for age. If available, the ratio of PAA to PAGN in the same plasma sample may provide additional information to assist in dosage adjustment decisions [see Use in Specific Populations (8.7), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. Dietary Protein Intake If available, urinary phenylacetylglutamine (U-PAGN) measurements may be used to help guide glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosage adjustment. Each gram of U-PAGN excreted over 24 hours covers waste nitrogen generated from 1.4 grams of dietary protein. If U-PAGN excretion is insufficient to cover daily dietary protein intake and the fasting ammonia is greater than half the ULN, the glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosage should be increased. The amount of dosage adjustment should factor in the amount of dietary protein that has not been covered, as indicated by the 24-hour U-PAGN output, and the estimated glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dose needed per gram of dietary protein ingested and the maximum total daily dosage (i.e., 17.5 mL). Consider a patient's use of concomitant medications, such as probenecid, when making dosage adjustment decisions based on U-PAGN. Probenecid may result in a decrease of the urinary excretion of PAGN [see Drug Interactions (7.2)]. 2.5 Dosage Modifications in Patients with Hepatic Impairment For patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment, the recommended starting dosage is at the lower end of the recommended dosing range (4.5 mL/m 2 /day) and the dosage should be kept at the lowest necessary to control the patient’s plasma ammonia [see Use in Specific Populations ( 8.7 )] . 2.6 Preparation for Nasogastric Tube or Gastrostomy Tube Administration It is recommended that all patients who can swallow take glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid orally, even those with nasogastric and/or gastrostomy tubes. For patients who cannot swallow, a nasogastric tube or gastrostomy tube may be used to administer glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid as follows: Utilize a new dry oral syringe to withdraw each prescribed dosage of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid from the bottle. Place the tip of the syringe into the nasogastric/gastrostomy tube. Utilizing the plunger of the syringe, administer glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid into the tube. Use a separate syringe to flush the nasogastric/gastrostomy tube. Flush once with 10 mL of water or formula and allow the flush to drain. If needed, flush a second time with an additional 10 mL of water or formula to clear the tube. For patients who require a volume of less than 1 mL per dose via nasogastric or gastrostomy tube, the delivered dosage may be less than anticipated due to adherence of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid to the plastic tubing. Therefore, these patients should be closely monitored using ammonia levels following initiation of glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid dosing or dosage adjustments.
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to phenylbutyrate. Signs of hypersensitivity include wheezing, dyspnea, coughing, hypotension, flushing, nausea, and rash. Known hypersensitivity to phenylbutyrate. ( 4 )
Adverse Reactions
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Neurotoxicity [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Pancreatic insufficiency or Intestinal Malabsorption [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Most common adverse reactions (≥10%) in adults are: diarrhea, flatulence, and headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-866-495-1995 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. Assessment of adverse reactions was based on exposure of 45 adult patients (31 female and 14 male) with UCD subtype deficiencies of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC, n=40), carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS, n=2), and argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS, n=1) in a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled (glycerol phenylbutyrate vs sodium phenylbutyrate), crossover, 4-week study (Study 1) that enrolled patients 18 years of age and older [see Clinical Studies ( 14.1 )] . One of the 45 patients received only sodium phenylbutyrate prior to withdrawing on day 1 of the study due to an adverse reaction. The most common adverse reactions (occurring in at least 10% of patients) reported during short-term treatment with glycerol phenylbutyrate were diarrhea, flatulence, and headache. Table 1 summarizes adverse reactions occurring in 2 or more patients treated with glycerol phenylbutyrate or sodium phenylbutyrate (incidence of at least 4% in either treatment arm). Table 1: Adverse Reactions Reported in 2 or More Adult Patients with UCDs (at least 4% in Either Treatment Arm) in Study 1 Number (%) of Patients in Study 1 Sodium Phenylbutyrate (N = 45) Glycerol Phenylbutyrate (N = 44) Diarrhea 3 (7) 7 (16) Headache 4 (9) 6 (14) Flatulence 1 (2) 6 (14) Abdominal pain 2 (4) 3 (7) Vomiting 2 (4) 3 (7) Decreased appetite 2 (4) 3 (7) Fatigue 1 (2) 3 (7) Dyspepsia 3 (7) 2 (5) Nausea 3 (7) 1 (2) Dizziness 4 (9) 0 Abdominal discomfort 3 (7) 0 Other Adverse Reactions Glycerol phenylbutyrate has been evaluated in 77 patients with UCDs (51 adult and 26 pediatric patients ages 2 years to 17 years) in 2 open-label long-term studies, in which 69 patients completed 12 months of treatment with glycerol phenylbutyrate (median exposure = 51 weeks). During these studies there were no deaths. Adverse reactions reported in at least 10% of adult patients were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, dizziness, headache, and fatigue. Adverse reactions reported in at least 10% of pediatric patients ages 2 years to 17 years were upper abdominal pain, rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, and headache. Glycerol phenylbutyrate has been evaluated in 17 patients with UCDs ages 2 months to less than 2 years in 3 open-label studies. The median exposure was 6 months (range 0.2 to 20 months). Adverse reactions reported in at least 10% of pediatric patients aged 2 months to less than 2 years were neutropenia, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, pyrexia, hypophagia, cough, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, rash, and papule. Glycerol phenylbutyrate has been evaluated in 16 patients with UCDs less than 2 months of age (age range 0.1 to 2 months, median age 0.5 months) in a single, open-label study. The median exposure was 10 months (range 2 to 20 months). Adverse reactions reported in at least 10% of pediatric patients aged less than 2 months were vomiting, rash, gastroesophageal reflux, increased hepatic enzymes, feeding disorder (decreased appetite, hypophagia), anemia, cough, dehydration, metabolic acidosis, thrombocytosis, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, lymphocytosis, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, pyrexia, lethargy, and irritability/agitation. 6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of glycerol phenylbutyrate. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure: • Abnormal body odor, including from skin, hair and urine • Retching and gagging • Dysgeusia or burning sensation in mouth
Frequently asked questions
What is Glycerol Phenylbutyrate used for?
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid is indicated for use as a nitrogen-binding agent for chronic management of patients with urea cycle disorders (UCDs) who cannot be managed by dietary protein restriction and/or amino acid supplementation alone. Glycerol phenylbutyrate oral liquid must be used with dietary protein restriction and, in some cases, dietary supplements …
Who makes Glycerol Phenylbutyrate?
Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the labeler of record for Glycerol Phenylbutyrate.
What form does Glycerol Phenylbutyrate come in?
administered by oral. Strengths and pack sizes vary by label, so compare the NDC on your pack with the identifier listed on this page.
Is Glycerol Phenylbutyrate prescription or over-the-counter?
The FDA label for this product is recorded as human prescription drug. Marketing status can differ between strengths and countries, so check the dispensing rules where you live.
Has Glycerol Phenylbutyrate been recalled?
No FDA recall record in our database matches this product name or manufacturer. Recall data is updated periodically, so a very recent notice may not appear here yet.
Where does this information come from?
All content is reproduced from FDA Structured Product Labelling data via openFDA. It is provided for identification and reference only and is not medical advice.
This page reproduces FDA Structured Product Labelling data for identification and reference. It is not medical advice, does not diagnose or treat any condition, and does not sell or price any medicine.