Abacavir/lamivudine

What Is Abacavir/lamivudine ?

Abacavir and lamivudine tablets, a combination of abacavir and lamivudine, both nucleoside analogue HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

What are the uses of this medicine?

• Abacavir and lamivudine tablets, in combination with other antiretroviral agents, are indicated for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection.

How does this medicine work?

• Abacavir and lamivudine is an antiretroviral agent
• Abacavir, lamivudine are in a class of medications called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs).
• They work by decreasing the amount of HIV in the blood.

Who Should Not Use this medicine ?

This medicine cannot be used in:

• who have the HLA-B*5701 allele
• with prior hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir or lamivudine.
• with moderate or severe hepatic impairment

Is this medicine FDA approved?

• Abacavir/lamivudine was approved for medical use in the United States in 2004.
• It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

How should this medicine be used?

Before initiating abacavir and lamivudine tablets, screen for the HLA-B*5701 allele because abacavir and lamivudine tablets contains abacavir.

Adults: The recommended dosage of abacavir and lamivudine tablets for adults is one tablet taken orally once daily, in combination with other antiretroviral agents, with or without food.

Pediatric patients weighing at least 25 kg: The recommended oral dose of abacavir and lamivudine for pediatric patients weighing at least 25 kg is one tablet daily in combination with other antiretroviral agents.

• Because abacavir and lamivudine tablet is a fixed-dose tablet and cannot be dose adjusted, abacavir and lamivudine tablets are not recommended in patients requiring dosage adjustment or patients with hepatic impairment.

What are the dosage forms and brand names of this medicine?

This medicine is available in fallowing doasage form:

• Abacavir and lamivudine tablets USP 600 mg/300 mg contain 600 mg of abacavir as abacavir sulfate and 300 mg of lamivudine.

This medicine is available in fallowing brand names:

• EPIVIR, TRIUMEQ, TRIZIVIR, and ZIAGEN

What side effects can this medication cause?

Common possible side effects of this medicine include:

• hypersensitivity
• insomnia
• depression/depressed mood
• headache/migraine
• fatigue/malaise
• dizziness/vertigo
• nausea
• diarrhea

What special precautions should I follow?

• All patients should be screened for the HLA-B*5701 allele prior to initiating therapy with abacavir and lamivudine or reinitiation of therapy .
• Before starting abacavir and lamivudine, review medical history for prior exposure to any abacavir­-containing product.
• Discontinue abacavir and lamivudine immediately if a hypersensitivity reaction is suspected, even when other diagnoses are possible (e.g., acute onset respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, pharyngitis, or influenza; gastroenteritis; or reactions to other medications).
• Treatment with abacavir and lamivudine should be suspended in any patient who develops clinical or laboratory findings suggestive of lactic acidosis or pronounced hepatotoxicity, which may include hepatomegaly and steatosis even in the absence of marked transaminase elevations.
• Immune reconstitution syndrome has been reported in patients treated with combination antiretroviral therapy.

What to do in case of emergency/overdose?

• There is no known specific treatment for overdose with abacavir and lamivudine.
• If overdose occurs, the patient should be monitored, and standard supportive treatment applied as required.

Abacavir: It is not known whether abacavir can be removed by peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis.

Lamivudine: Because a negligible amount of lamivudine was removed via (4-hour) hemodialysis.it is not known if continuous hemodialysis would provide clinical benefit in a lamivudine overdose event.

Can this medicine be used in pregnancy?

• Safety in pregnancy has not been well studied but it appears to be okay.

Can this medicine be used in children?

• In pediatric patients weighing less than 25 kg, use of abacavir and lamivudine as single products is recommended to achieve appropriate dosing.

What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?

• Store abacavir and lamivudine tablets at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F).

• Dailymed label info on Abacavir/lamivudine
• FDA Abacavir/lamivudine