Patient Information
PREZISTA (pre-ZIS-ta)
(darunavir)
Oral Suspension
PREZISTA (pre-ZIS-ta)
(darunavir)
Tablets
Read this Patient Information before you start taking PREZISTA and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or your treatment.
Also read the Patient Information leaflet for NORVIR® (ritonavir).
What is the most important information I should know about PREZISTA?
- PREZISTA can interact with other medicines and cause serious side effects. It is important to know the medicines that should not be taken with PREZISTA. See the section "Who should not take PREZISTA?"
- PREZISTA may cause liver problems. Some people taking PREZISTA in combination with NORVIR® (ritonavir) have developed liver problems which may be life-threatening. Your healthcare provider should do blood tests before and during your combination treatment with PREZISTA. If you have chronic hepatitis B or C infection, your healthcare provider should check your blood tests more often because you have an increased chance of developing liver problems.
- Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the below signs and symptoms of liver problems.
PREZISTA may cause severe or life-threatening skin reactions or rash. Sometimes these skin reactions and skin rashes can become severe and require treatment in a hospital. You should call your healthcare provider immediately if you develop a rash. However, stop taking PREZISTA and ritonavir combination treatment and call your healthcare provider immediately if you develop any skin changes with symptoms below:
- fever
- tiredness
- muscle or joint pain
- blisters or skin lesions
- mouth sores or ulcers
- red or inflamed eyes, like "pink eye" (conjunctivitis)
Rash occurred more often in patients taking PREZISTA and raltegravir together than with either drug separately, but was generally mild.
See "What are the possible side effects of PREZISTA?" for more information about side effects.
What is PREZISTA?
PREZISTA is a prescription anti-HIV medicine used with ritonavir and other anti-HIV medicines to treat adults and children 3 years of age and older with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection. PREZISTA is a type of anti-HIV medicine called a protease inhibitor. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
When used with other HIV medicines, PREZISTA may help to reduce the amount of HIV in your blood (called "viral load"). PREZISTA may also help to increase the number of white blood cells called CD4 (T) cell which help fight off other infections. Reducing the amount of HIV and increasing the CD4 (T) cell count may improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).
Children under 3 years of age should not take PREZISTA.
PREZISTA does not cure HIV infection or AIDS and you may continue to experience illnesses associated with HIV-1 infection, including opportunistic infections. You should remain under the care of a doctor when using PREZISTA.
Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 infection.
- Do not share needles or other injection equipment.
- Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes and razor blades.
- Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safe sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.
Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions on how to prevent passing HIV to other people.
Who should not take PREZISTA?
Do not take PREZISTA with any of the following medicines:
- alfuzosin (Uroxatral®)
- dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45®, Embolex®, Migranal®), ergonovine, ergotamine (Cafergot®,Ergomar®) methylergonovine
- cisapride
- pimozide (Orap®)
- oral midazolam, triazolam (Halcion®)
- the herbal supplement St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- the cholesterol lowering medicines lovastatin (Mevacor®, Altoprev®, Advicor®) or simvastatin (Zocor®, Simcor®, Vytorin®)
- rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifater®, Rifamate®, Rimactane®)
- sildenafil (Revatio®) only when used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Serious problems can happen if you or your child take any of these medicines with PREZISTA.
What should I tell my doctor before I take PREZISTA?
PREZISTA may not be right for you. Before taking PREZISTA, tell your healthcare provider if you:
- have liver problems, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C
- are allergic to sulfa medicines
- have high blood sugar (diabetes)
- have hemophilia
- are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if PREZISTA will harm your unborn baby.
Pregnancy Registry: You and your healthcare provider will need to decide if taking PREZISTA is right for you. If you take PREZISTA while you are pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about how you can be included in the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of the registry is follow the health of you and your baby. - are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. We do not know if PREZISTA can be passed to your baby in your breast milk and whether it could harm your baby. Also, mothers with HIV-1 should not breastfeed because HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in the breast milk.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using PREZISTA and certain other medicines may affect each other causing serious side effects. PREZISTA may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect how PREZISTA works.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:
- medicine to treat HIV
- estrogen-based contraceptives (birth control). PREZISTA might reduce the effectiveness of estrogen-based contraceptives. You must take additional precautions for birth control such as a condom.
- medicine for your heart such as bepridil, lidocaine (Xylocaine Viscous®), quinidine (Nuedexta®) , amiodarone (Pacerone®, Cardarone®), digoxin (Lanoxin®), flecainide (Tambocor®), propafenone (Rythmol®)
- warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®)
- medicine for seizures such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Epitol®), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®)
- medicine for depression such as trazadone and desipramine (Norpramin®)
- clarithromycin (Prevpac®, Biaxin®)
- medicine for fungal infections such as ketoconazole (Nizoral®), itraconazole (Sporanox®, Onmel®), voriconazole (VFend®)
- colchicine (Colcrys®, Col-Probenecid®)
- rifabutin (Mycobutin®)
- medicine used to treat blood pressure, a heart attack, heart failure, or to lower pressure in the eye such as metoprolol (Lopressor®, Toprol-XL®), timolol (Cosopt®, Betimol®, Timoptic®, Isatolol®, Combigan®)
- midazolam administered by injection
- medicine for heart disease such as felodipine (Plendil®), nifedipine
(Procardia®, Adalat CC®, Afeditab CR®), nicardipine (Cardene®) - steroids such as dexamethasone, fluticasone (Advair Diskus®, Veramyst®, Flovent®, Flonase®)
- bosentan(Tracleer®)
- medicine to treat chronic hepatitis C such as boceprevir (Victrelis™), telaprevir (Incivek™)
- medicine for cholesterol such as pravastatin (Pravachol®), atorvastatin (Lipitor®), rosuvastatin (Crestor®)
- medicine to prevent organ transplant failure such as cyclosporine
(Gengraf®, Sandimmune®, Neoral®), tacrolimus (Prograf®), sirolimus (Rapamune®) - salmeterol (Advair®, Serevent®)
- medicine for narcotic withdrawal such as methadone (Methadose®, Dolophine Hydrochloride), buprenorphine (Butrans®, Buprenex®, Subutex®), buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®)
- medicine to treat schizophrenia such as risperidone (Risperdal®), thioridazine
- medicine to treat erectile dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension such as sildenafil ( Viagra®, Revatio®), vardenafil ( Levitra®, Staxyn®), tadalafil (Cialis®, Adcirca®)
- medicine to treat anxiety, depression or panic disorder such as sertraline (Zoloft®), paroxetine (Paxil®)
This is not a complete list of medicines that you should tell your healthcare provider that you are taking. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if your medicine is one that is listed above. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor or pharmacist when you get a new medicine. Do not start any new medicines while you are taking PREZISTA without first talking with your healthcare provider.
How should I take PREZISTA?
- Take PREZISTA every day exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
- You must take ritonavir (NORVIR®) at the same time as PREZISTA.
- Do not change your dose of PREZISTA or stop treatment without talking to your healthcare provider first.
- Take PREZISTA and ritonavir (NORVIR®) with food.
- Swallow PREZISTA tablets whole with a drink. If you have difficulty swallowing PREZISTA tablets, PREZISTA oral suspension is also available. Your health care provider will help determine whether PREZISTA tablets or oral suspension is right for you.
- PREZISTA oral suspension should be given with the supplied oral dosing syringe. Shake the suspension well before each usage.
- If your child is taking PREZISTA, your child's healthcare provider will decide the right dose based on your child's weight. Your child's healthcare provider will tell you how much PREZISTA (tablets or oral suspension) and how much ritonavir (NORVIR®) (capsules, tablets or solution) your child should take. Your child should take PREZISTA with ritonavir twice a day with food. If your child does not tolerate ritonavir oral solution, ask your child's healthcare provider for advice.
- If you take too much PREZISTA, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hosptial emergency room right away.
What should I do if I miss a dose?
People who take PREZISTA one time a day:
- If you miss a dose of PREZISTA by less than 12 hours, take your missed dose of PREZISTA right away. Then take your next dose of PREZISTA at your regularly scheduled time.
- If you miss a dose of PREZISTA by more than 12 hours, wait and then take the next dose of PREZISTA at your regularly scheduled time.
People who take PREZISTA two times a day
- If you miss a dose of PREZISTA by less than 6 hours, take your missed dose of PREZISTA right away. Then take your next dose of PREZISTA at your regularly scheduled time.
- If you miss a dose of PREZISTA by more than 6 hours, wait and then take the next dose of PREZISTA at your regularly scheduled time.
If a dose of PREZISTA is skipped, do not double the next dose. Do not take more or less than your prescribed dose of PREZISTA at any one time.
What are the possible side effects of PREZISTA?
PREZISTA can cause side effects including:
- See "What is the most important information I should know about PREZISTA?"
- Diabetes and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Some people who take protease inhibitors including PREZISTA can get high blood sugar, develop diabetes, or your diabetes can get worse. Tell your healthcare provider if you notice an increase in thirst or urinate often while taking PREZISTA.
- Changes in body fat. These changes can happen in people who take antiretroviral therapy. The changes may include an increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck ("buffalo hump"), breast, and around the back, chest, and stomach area. Loss of fat from the legs, arms, and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known.
- Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Call your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after starting your HIV medicine.
- Increased bleeding for hemophiliacs. Some people with hemophilia have increased bleeding with protease inhibitors including PREZISTA.
The most common side effects of PREZISTA include:
- diarrhea
- nausea
- rash
- headache
- abdominal pain
- vomiting
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
These are not all of the possible side effects of PREZISTA. For more information, ask your health care provider.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
How should I store PREZISTA?
- Store PREZISTA oral suspension and tablets at room temperature [77°F (25°C)].
- Do not refrigerate or freeze PREZISTA oral suspension.
- Keep PREZISTA away from high heat.
- PREZISTA oral suspension should be stored in the original container.
Keep PREZISTA and all medicines out of the reach of children.
General information about PREZISTA
Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use PREZISTA for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give PREZISTA to other people even if they have the same condition you have. It may harm them.
This leaflet summarizes the most important information about PREZISTA. If you would like more information, talk to your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about PREZISTA that is written for health professionals.
For more information, call 1-800-526-7736.
What are the ingredients in PREZISTA?
Active ingredient: darunavir
Inactive ingredients:
PREZISTA Oral Suspension: hydroxypropyl cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylparaben sodium, citric acid monohydrate, sucralose, masking flavor, strawberry cream flavor,
hydrochloric acid (for pH adjustment), purified water.
PREZISTA 75 mg and 150 mg Tablets: colloidal silicon dioxide,
crospovidone, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose. The film
coating contains: OPADRY® White (polyethylene glycol 3350,
polyvinyl alcohol-partially hydrolyzed, talc, titanium dioxide).
PREZISTA 400 mg and 600 mg Tablets: colloidal silicon dioxide,
crospovidone, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose. The film
coating contains: OPADRY® Orange (FD&C Yellow No. 6, polyethylene glycol 3350, polyvinyl alcohol-partially hydrolyzed, talc, titanium dioxide).
This Patient Information has been approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration.
Manufactured by:
PREZISTA Oral Suspension
Janssen Pharmaceutica, N.V.
Beerse, Belgium
PREZISTA Tablets
Janssen Ortho LLC, Gurabo, PR 00778
Manufactured for:
Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, Titusville NJ 08560
NORVIR® is a registered trademark of its respective owner.
PREZISTA® is a registered trademark of Janssen Pharmaceuticals
© Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2006