Nevirapine Teva
nevirapine
Package leaflet: Information for the patient
nevirapine
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What Nevirapine Teva is and what it is used for
What you need to know before you take Nevirapine Teva
How to take Nevirapine Teva
Possible side effects
How to store Nevirapine Teva
Contents of the pack and other information
Nevirapine Teva belongs to a group of medicines called antiretrovirals, used in the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) infection.
The active substance of your medicine is called nevirapine. Nevirapine belongs to a class of anti-HIV medicines called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that HIV needs in order to multiply. Nevirapine stops reverse transcriptase from working. By stopping reverse transcriptase from working, Nevirapine Teva helps control HIV-1 infection.
Nevirapine Teva is indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infected adults, adolescents, and children of any age. You must take Nevirapine Teva together with other antiretroviral medicines. Your doctor will recommend the best medicines for you.
if you are allergic to nevirapine or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
if you have taken Nevirapine Teva before and had to stop the treatment because you suffered
from:
severe skin rash
skin rash with other symptoms for example:
fever
blistering
mouth sores
inflammation of the eye
swelling of the face
general swelling
shortness of breath
muscle or joint pain
general feelings of illness
abdominal pain
hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions
inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
if you have severe liver disease
if you have had to stop nevirapine treatment in the past because of changes in your liver function
if you are taking a medicine containing the herbal substance St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). This herbal substance may stop Nevirapine Teva from working properly.
The following patients are at increased risk of developing liver problems:
women
infected with hepatitis B or C
abnormal liver function tests
treatment-naïve patients with higher CD4 cell counts at the start of Nevirapine Teva therapy (women more than 250 cells/mm³, men more than 400 cells/mm³)
pre-treated patients with detectable HIV-1 plasma viral load and higher CD4 cell counts at the
start of nevirapine therapy (women more than 250 cells/mm³, men more than 400 cells/mm³)
In some patients with advanced HIV infection (AIDS) and a history of opportunistic infection (AIDS defining illness), signs and symptoms of inflammation from previous infections may occur soon after anti-HIV treatment is started. It is believed that these symptoms are due to an improvement in the body’s immune response, enabling the body to fight infections that may have been present with no obvious symptoms. If you notice any symptoms of infection, please inform your doctor immediately.
In addition to the opportunistic infections, autoimmune disorders (a condition that occurs when the immune system attacks healthy body tissue) may also occur after you start taking medicines for the treatment of your HIV infection. Autoimmune disorders may occur many months after the start of treatment. If you notice any symptoms of infection or other symptoms such as muscle weakness, weakness beginning in the hands and feet and moving up towards the trunk of the body, palpitations, tremor or hyperactivity, please inform your doctor immediately to seek necessary treatment.
Changes of body fat may occur in patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy. Contact your doctor if you notice changes in body fat (see section 4 “Possible side effects”).
Some patients taking combination antiretroviral therapy may develop a bone disease called osteonecrosis (death of bone tissue caused by loss of blood supply to the bone). The length of combination antiretroviral therapy, corticosteroid use, alcohol consumption, severe weakness of the immune system and higher body mass index may be some of the many risk factors for developing this disease. Signs of osteonecrosis are joint stiffness, aches and pains (especially of the hip, knee and shoulder) and difficulty in movement. If you notice any of these symptoms please inform your doctor.
If you are taking nevirapine and zidovudine concomitantly please inform your doctor since he might need to check your white blood cells.
Do not take Nevirapine Teva after an exposure to HIV unless you have been diagnosed with HIV and instructed to do so by your doctor. Nevirapine Teva is not a cure for HIV infection. Therefore, you may continue to develop infections and other illnesses associated with HIV infection. You should therefore remain in regular contact with your doctor. You can still pass on HIV when taking this medicine, although the risk is lowered by effective antiretroviral therapy. Discuss with your doctor the precautions needed to avoid infecting other people.
Prednisone should not be used to treat a rash related to Nevirapine Teva.
If you are taking oral contraceptives (e.g. “pill“) or other hormonal methods of birth control during treatment with Nevirapine Teva you should use a barrier contraception (e.g. condoms) in addition to prevent pregnancy and further HIV transmission.
If you are receiving post-menopausal hormone therapy, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
If you are taking or are prescribed rifampicin to treat tuberculosis please inform your doctor before taking this medicine with Nevirapine Teva.
Nevirapine Teva tablets can be taken by:
children 16 years of age or older
children under 16 years of age who:
weigh 50 kg or more
or have a body surface area above 1.25 square metres.
For children under 16 years of age who weigh less than 50 kg or whose body surface area is below
1.25 m2 other nevirapine containing oral formulations are available and should be used if appropriate.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. Inform your doctor about all other medicines you are taking before you start taking Nevirapine Teva. Your doctor might need to monitor whether your other medicines are still working and adjust doses. Carefully read the package leaflet of all other HIV medicinal products you are taking in combination with Nevirapine Teva.
It is particularly important that you tell your doctor if you are taking or have recently taken:
St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum, medicine to treat depression)
rifampicin (medicine to treat tuberculosis)
rifabutin (medicine to treat tuberculosis)
macrolides e.g. clarithromycin (medicine to treat bacterial infections)
fluconazole (medicine to treat fungal infections)
ketoconazole (medicine to treat fungal infections)
itraconazole (medicine to treat fungal infections)
methadone (medicine used for treatment of opiate addicts)
warfarin (medicine to reduce blood clotting)
hormonal contraceptives (e.g. the “pill”)
atazanavir (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
lopinavir/ritonavir (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
fosamprenavir (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
efavirenz (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
etravirine (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
rilpivirine (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
delavirdine (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
zidovudine (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
boceprevir (medicine to treat hepatitis C)
telaprevir (medicine to treat hepatitis C)
elvitegravir/cobicistat (another medicine to treat HIV-infection)
Your doctor will carefully monitor the effect of Nevirapine Teva and any of these medicines if you are taking them together.
If you are undergoing kidney dialysis, your doctor may consider a dose adjustment of Nevirapine Teva. This is because Nivirapine Teva can be partly washed out of your blood by dialysis.
There are no restrictions on taking Nevirapine Teva with food and drink.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
You should stop breast-feeding if you are taking Nevirapine Teva. It is in general recommended that you do not breast-feed if you have HIV infection because it is possible that your baby can become infected with HIV through your breast milk.
You may experience fatigue when taking Nevirapine Teva. Use caution when engaging in activities such as driving, using any tools or machines. If you experience fatigue you should avoid potentially hazardous tasks such as driving or using any tools or machines.
This medicine contains lactose (milk sugar). If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium- free’.
You should not use Nevirapine Teva on its own. You must take it with at least two other antiretroviral medicines. Your doctor will recommend the best medicines for you.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Dose:
The dose is one 200 mg tablet per day for the first 14 days of treatment (“lead-in” period). After 14 days, the recommended dose is one 200 mg tablet twice a day.
It is very important that you take only one Nevirapine Teva tablet a day for the first 14 days (”lead-in” period) If you have any rash during this period, do not increase the dose but consult your doctor.
The 14-day “lead-in” period has been shown to lower the risk of skin rash.
As Nevirapine Teva must always be taken together with other HIV antiretroviral medicines, you should follow the instructions for your other medicines carefully. These are supplied in the package leaflets for those medicines.
You should continue to take Nevirapine Teva for as long as instructed by your doctor.
As explained in ”Warnings and precautions”, above, your doctor will monitor you with liver tests or for undesirable effects such as rash. Depending on the outcome your doctor may decide to interrupt or stop your Nevirapine Teva treatment. Your doctor might then decide to restart you on a lower dose.
Only take Nevirapine Teva tablets by mouth. Do not chew your tablets. You may take Nevirapine Teva with or without food.
Do not take more Nevirapine Teva than prescribed by your doctor and described in this leaflet. There is at present little information on the effects of Nevirapine Teva overdose. Consult your doctor if you have taken more Nevirapine Teva than you should.
Try not to miss a dose. If you notice that you have missed a dose within 8 hours of when it was due, take the missed dose as soon as possible. If it has been more than 8 hours since the dose was due only take the next dose at the usual time.
Taking all doses at the appropriate times:
greatly increases the effectiveness of your combination antiretroviral medicines.
reduces the chances of your HIV infection becoming resistant to your antiretroviral medicines.
It is important that you continue taking Nevirapine Teva correctly, as described above, unless your doctor instructs you to stop.
If you stop taking Nevirapine Teva for more than 7 days your doctor will instruct you to start the 14 day 'lead-in' period (described above) once again, before returning to the twice daily dose.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
During HIV therapy there may be an increase in weight and in levels of blood lipids and glucose. This is partly linked to restored health and life style, and in the case of blood lipids sometimes to the HIV medicines themselves. Your doctor will test for these changes.
If you ever observe any rash symptoms, inform your doctor immediately.
When rash occurs it is normally mild to moderate. However, in some patients a rash, which appears as a blistering skin reaction, can be severe or life-threatening (Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis) and deaths have been recorded. Most of the cases of both severe rash and mild/moderate rash occur in the first six weeks of treatment.
If rash occurs and you also feel sick, you must stop treatment and visit your doctor immediately. Hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions can occur. Such reactions may appear in the form of anaphylaxis
(a severe form of allergic reaction) with symptoms such as:
rash
swelling of the face
difficulty breathing (bronchial spasm)
anaphylactic shock
Hypersensitivity reactions can also occur as rash with other side effects such as:
fever
blistering of your skin
mouth sores
inflammation of the eye
swelling of the face
general swelling
shortness of breath
muscle or joint pain
a reduction in the numbers of your white blood cells (granulocytopenia)
general feelings of illness
severe problems with liver or kidneys (liver or kidney failure).
Tell your doctor immediately if you experience rash and any of the other side effects of a hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction. Such reactions can be life-threatening.
Abnormal liver functioning has been reported with the use of Nevirapine Teva. This includes some cases of inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), which can be sudden and intense (fulminant hepatitis) and liver failure, which can be both fatal.
Tell your doctor if you experience any of the following clinical symptoms of liver damage:
loss of appetite
feeling sick (nausea)
vomiting
yellow skin (jaundice)
abdominal pain
The side effects described below have been experienced by patients given nevirapine: Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
rash
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
decreased numbers of white blood cells (granulocytopenia)
allergic reactions (hypersensitivity)
headache
feeling sick (nausea)
vomiting
abdominal pain
loose stools (diarrhoea)
inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
feeling tired (fatigue)
fever
abnormal liver function tests
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
allergic reaction characterised by rash, swelling of the face, difficulty breathing (bronchial spasm) or anaphylactic shock
decreased numbers of red blood cells (anaemia)
yellow skin (jaundice)
severe and life-threatening skin rashes (Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis)
hives (urticaria)
fluid under the skin (angioedema)
joint pain (arthralgia)
muscle pain (myalgia)
decreased blood phosphorus
increased blood pressure
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1000 people):
sudden and intense inflammation of the liver (fulminant hepatitis)
drug reaction with systemic symptoms (drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms)
The following events have also been reported when nevirapine has been used in combination with other antiretroviral agents:
decreased numbers of red blood cells or platelets
inflammation of the pancreas
decrease in or abnormal skin sensations.
These events are commonly associated with other antiretroviral agents and may be expected to occur when Nevirapine Teva is used in combination with other agents; however, it is unlikely that these events are due to treatment with Nevirapine Teva.
A reduction in white blood cells (granulocytopenia) can occur, which is more common in children. A reduction in red blood cells (anaemia), which may be related to nevirapine therapy, is also more commonly observed in children. As with rash symptoms, please inform your doctor of any side effects.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the national reporting system
listed in Appendix V. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and on the blister after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
The active substance is nevirapine. Each tablet contains 200 mg nevirapine (as nevirapine anhydrate).
The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, povidone K25, sodium starch glycolate (Type A), colloidal silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate.
White, oval, biconvex tablets. One side is debossed with "N", a scoreline and "200". The opposite side is debossed with a scoreline. The score line is only to facilitate breaking for ease of swallowing and not to divide into equal doses.
Nevirapine Teva tablets are supplied in blisters, with 14 (Calendar Pack), 60 or 120 tablets per carton. Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Teva B.V. Swensweg 5 2031GA Haarlem The Netherlands
Manufacturer:
TEVA Pharmaceutical Works Private Limited Company Pallagi út 13,
4042 Debrecen, Hungary
Pharmachemie B.V. Swensweg 5,
2031 GA Haarlem The Netherlands
For any information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the Marketing Authorisation Holder:
Teva Pharma Belgium N.V./S.A./AG Tél/Tel: +32 38207373
UAB Teva Baltics Tel: +370 52660203
Тева Фарма ЕАД
Teл: +359 24899585
Teva Pharma Belgium N.V./S.A./AG Belgique/Belgien
Tél/Tel: +32 38207373
Teva Pharmaceuticals CR, s.r.o. Tel: +420 251007111
Teva Gyógyszergyár Zrt. Tel: +36 12886400
Teva Denmark A/S Tlf: +45 44985511
Teva Pharmaceuticals Ireland L-Irlanda
Tel: +44 2075407117
TEVA GmbH
Tel: +49 73140208
Teva Nederland B.V. Tel: +31 8000228400
UAB Teva Baltics Eesti filiaal Tel: +372 6610801
Teva Norway AS Tlf: +47 66775590
Specifar A.B.E.E.
Τηλ: +30 2118805000
ratiopharm Arzneimittel Vertriebs-GmbH Tel: +43 1970070
Teva Pharma, S.L.U. Tel: +34 913873280
Teva Santé
Tél: +33 155917800
Teva Pharmaceuticals Polska Sp. z o.o. Tel: +48 223459300
Teva Pharma - Produtos Farmacêuticos, Lda.
Tel: +351 214767550
Pliva Hrvatska d.o.o. Tel: +385 13720000
Teva Pharmaceuticals S.R.L. Tel: +40 212306524
Teva Pharmaceuticals Ireland Tel: +44 2075407117
Pliva Ljubljana d.o.o. Tel: +386 15890390
Teva Pharma Iceland ehf. Sími: +354 5503300
TEVA Pharmaceuticals Slovakia s.r.o. Tel: +421 257267911
Teva Italia S.r.l. Tel: +39 028917981
Teva Finland Oy
Puh/Tel: +358 201805900
Specifar A.B.E.E.
Ελλάδα
Τηλ: +30 2118805000
Teva Sweden AB Tel: +46 42121100
UAB Teva Baltics filiāle Latvijā
Tel: +371 67323666
Teva Pharmaceuticals Ireland Ireland
Tel: +44 2075407117