Increased ALT activity
In clinical studies, the drug ribavirin Vikeyra Pak with or without ribavirin for about 1% of the observed transient, asymptomatic increase in ALT activity by more than 5 times the upper limit of normal (see. The section "Side effect").
Increased ALT activity observed much more frequently in women taking ethinylestradiol preparations based on, for example, combined oral contraceptives, contraceptive patches, and vaginal contraceptive ring (see. The section "Contraindications"). Increased ALT activity is typically observed during the 4 weeks of treatment and decreased within 2-8 weeks from the start of increase of ALT activity with continued therapy with ribavirin Vikeyra Pak with or without ribavirin. You should stop taking medications containing ethinyl estradiol before the use of the drug Viqueira Pak. During the course of therapy with Vikeyra Pack is recommended to use alternative methods of contraception (eg, oral contraceptives, progestin-based or non-hormonal contraceptives). Renewal of medication containing ethinyl estradiol, it is recommended to begin approximately 2 weeks after the termination of the course of therapy with the drug Viqueira Pak.
Women who received no ethinyl estradiol, and other estrogens (for example, estradiol and conjugated estrogens) as hormone replacement therapy, ALT activity indicators corresponded to those recorded in patients who did not receive estrogens. Nevertheless, since the number of patients receiving other estrogens is limited, they should be used with caution in combination with Viqueira Pak.
Biochemical parameters of the liver should be measured during the first 4 weeks of therapy and if the serum ALT activity exceeds the upper limit of the norm, then it is necessary to re-conduct the study and further monitor the activity of ALT of such patients, and also:
- patients should be informed of the need for consultation with the attending physician immediately if they experience fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, jaundice or discoloration of stool;
- consider stopping the use of Vicair Pak if the serum ALT activity is above the upper limit of 10time.
Risk of decompensation of liver function and liver failure in patients with cirrhosis of the liver
In the postmarketing period, there have been cases of decompensation of liver function and liver failure, including liver transplantation or death, in patients who received the drug Viqueira Pak. Most patients with these severe outcomes had signs of advanced stages of liver cirrhosis before initiating therapy with Vicair Pak.
Registered cases usually occurred within one to four weeks after the initiation of therapy and were characterized by a sharp increase in the concentration of direct bilirubin in the serum without increasing the activity of ALT along with clinical signs of liver decompensation. Due to the fact that reports of these events are received voluntarily from a population of undetermined size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship with the effect of the drug.
Viqueira Pak is contraindicated in patients with moderate and severe liver function disorders (class B and C on the Child-Pugh scale).
For patients with cirrhosis of the liver it is necessary:
- monitor the appearance of clinical signs of decompensation of liver function (eg, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, bleeding from varicose veins);
- laboratory indicators of liver function, including the concentration of direct bilirubin, should be evaluated before the initiation of therapy and within the first 4 weeks after initiation of treatment, as well as in the presence of clinical indications;
- to cancel the drug Viqueira Pak in patients with signs of decompensation of liver function.
Risks associated with concomitant use of ribavirin
In the case of combined use of Viqueira Pak with ribavirin, the warnings and precautions applicable to ribavirin, in particular the unwantedness of pregnancy, should be considered. A complete list of warnings and precautions against the use of ribavirin is provided in the instructions for its use.
Risks associated with side effects or a decrease in the effect of therapy due to simultaneous prescription with other drugs
The combined use of a number of drugs can lead to known, or potentially significant, drug interactions, resulting in:
- Loss of therapeutic effectiveness, possibly - with the development of resistance;
- Clinically significant adverse reactions associated with an increase in exposure to drugs that are used in conjunction with the drug Viqueira Pak, or with the excipients of the drug.
Table 5 (section "Interaction with other drugs") indicates measures to correct possible and known significant drug interactions, including recommendations for dosing of drugs. The possibility of developing drug interactions should be assessed prior to the use of Vicair Pak and during the course of therapy; recommended monitoring of adverse reactions associated with the use of drugs used in conjunction with active and auxiliary substances of the drug Viqueira Pak.
Use with fluticasone
Fluticasone is a glucocorticosteroid metabolized by isoenzyme CYP3A. Caution should be exercised when using the combination of Viqueira Pak and fluticasoma or other glucocorticosteroids that are metabolized with the participation of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme.
The combined use of inhaled glucocorticosteroids metabolized by the CYP3A isoenzyme may increase the systemic effect of glucocorticosteroids; Cushing's syndrome and subsequent suppression of adrenal function with drugs containing ritonavir. The combined use of the drug Viqueira Pak and glucocorticosteroids, in particular for long-term therapy, should be started only if the potential benefit of treatment outweighs the risk of systemic effects of glucocorticosteroids.
Simultaneous use with other antiviral drugs, direct action against the hepatitis C virus
The safety and efficacy of Viqueira Pak with ribavirin or without ribavirin have been established. The simultaneous use of the drug Viqueira Pak with other direct antiviral drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C has not been studied and therefore can not be recommended.
Simultaneous use with colchicine
The interaction between the preparation of Viqueira Pak and colchicine has not been studied.It is recommended to reduce the dose of colchicine or to temporarily discontinue treatment with colchicine in patients with normal renal or hepatic function if treatment with Viqueira Pak is required. In patients with renal or hepatic insufficiency, concomitant use of colchicine with the preparation of Viqueira Pak is contraindicated.
Simultaneous use with statins
Simvastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin are contraindicated.
Rosuvastatin
With the joint application of the drug Viqueira Pak with rosuvastatin, the exposure of rosuvastatin may be increased more than 3-fold. If rosuvastatin is required during treatment with Viqueira Pak, the maximum daily dose of rosuvastatin should be 5 mg.
Pitavastatin and fluvastatin
Investigations of the interaction of fluvastatin, Pitavastatin and Viqueira Pak have not been conducted. Theoretically, it is possible to increase the exposure of fluvastatin and Pitavastatin when combined with Vicair Pack. It is recommended to temporarily stop the use of Pitavastatin and fluvastatin for the duration of treatment with Vicera Pak.If treatment with statins is necessary during the entire period of treatment with Vikaira Pak, a reduced dose should be used pravastatin / rosuvastatin
Treatment of patients with co-infection of VGC/ HIV-1
Low doses of ritonavir in the Vickeyr Pak preparation may lead to the appearance of viral strains with resistance to HIV protease inhibitors in patients with HIV / HCG co-infection who are not receiving continuous antiretroviral therapy. HIV-infected patients who do not receive antiretroviral therapy should not take the drug.
When co-infection with HIV, drug interactions should be considered.
Atazanavir can be used in combination with Vikaira Pak. It should be noted that atazanavir must be taken without ritonavir, since ritonavir in a dose of 100 mg once a day is included in the drug Viqueira Pak. This combination is characterized by an increased risk of developing hyperbilirubinemia (including yellowing of the sclera), in particular, when ribavirin is part of the hepatitis C treatment regimen.
Darunavir 800 mg once a day with simultaneous admission with the drug Viqueira Pak can be used in the absence of pronounced resistance to HIV protease inhibitors(reduced effect of darunavir).
HIV protease inhibitors, with the exception of atazanavir and darunavir (eg, indinavir, saquinavir, tipranavir, lopinavir, ritonavir), are contraindicated.
When combined with the preparation Viqueira Pak and raltegravir, the exposure of raltegravir is significantly increased (2-fold). The use of this combination was not associated with any specific safety problems in a limited population of patients during therapy for 12-24 weeks.
Exposure of rilpivirin significantly increases (3-fold) in the appointment of rilpivirin in combination with the preparation of Viqueira Pak; As a result, the possibility of extending the interval QT. If a HIV protease inhibitor is added (atazanavir, darunavir), exposure to rilpivirin may be further increased, and therefore this combination is contraindicated.
Other NNRTIs (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) efavirenz, etravirine and nevirapine are contraindicated.
Liver failure
In patients with mild hepatic insufficiency (class A on the Child-Pugh scale), a correction of the proportion of Vickeyr Pak is not required.Viqueira Pak is contraindicated in patients with moderate to severe hepatic insufficiency (class B and C on the Child-Pugh scale).
Renal insufficiency
It is not necessary to adjust the dose of Viqueira Pak in patients with mild, moderate and severe renal failure.
Patients after liver transplantation
The safety and efficacy of the use of Vickeyr Pak in combination with ribavirin was studied in 34 patients with HCV genotype 1 after liver transplantation (at least 12 months after liver transplantation). The main objectives of this study were to assess safety and determine the proportion of patients who achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the end of treatmentSVR12) and after 24 weeks of treatment with Viqueira Pak in combination with ribavirin. The initial dose of ribavirin ranged from 600 mg to 800 mg per day as the most commonly used at the beginning and at the end of treatment with Vicair Pak.
Thirty-four participants who did not receive treatment for HCV after liver transplantation and who had a fibrosis score on a scale Metavir - 2 or less (29 with HCV genotype 1a and 5 with HCV genotype 1b) were included in clinical studies.Thirty-one of 32 patients for whom data were obtained at a time point SVR12 (96.9%) achieve SVR12 (96.3% in patients with genotype 1a). One patient with a genotype of HCV 1a had a relapse after treatment.
The overall safety profile of the Vickeyr Pak preparation in combination with ribavirin in HCV-infected patients after liver transplantation was the same as in patients treated with Wikeyra Pak in combination with ribavirin in phase 3 clinical trials, with the exception of anemia. Ten patients (29.4%) had at least one hemoglobin value (after the initial) less than 10 g / dL. In 55.9% (19/34) of patients, the dose of ribavirin was reduced and 2.9% (1/34) of ribavirin was withdrawn. Dose change ribavirin did not affect the frequency of achieving a stable virologic response. Five patients required the use of erythropoietin (in all five patients, ribavirin in an initial dose of 1000 mg to 1200 mg. No patient required a blood transfusion).
Other genotypes of HCV
For patients infected with other genotypes of HCV, with the exception of genotype 1, the safety and efficacy of the Vickeyr Pak drug has not been established.
Effect on ECG
Effect of the combined use of ombitasvir / paritrapeprir / ritonavir and dasabuwir on the interval QTc were evaluated in a randomized double-blind study with placebo and active control (moxifloxacin 400 mg), 4-way cross, careful monitoring QT in 60 healthy subjects who received ombitasvir / paritaprevir / ritonavir and dasabuvir. In a study with the ability to detect small effects in doses exceeding therapeutic - paritrapevin 350 mg, ritonavir 150 mg, ombitasvir 50 mg and dasabuvir 500 mg - did not show a clinically significant prolongation of the interval QT. The above doses provide a concentration of 6, 1.8 and 2 times higher than the therapeutic concentrations of paritrapeprir, ombitasvir and dasabuvir.
Children
There is no data on the efficacy and safety of the drug in children under 18 years of age.
Elderly patients
Do not require dose adjustment in elderly patients.