Special Warning : אזהרת שימוש

4.4       Special warnings and precautions for use
While effective viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy has been proven to substantially reduce the risk of sexual transmission, a residual risk cannot be excluded. Precautions to prevent transmission should be taken in accordance with national guidelines.

Regular assessment of virological response is advised. In the setting of lack or loss of virological response, resistance testing should be performed.

PREZISTA must always be given orally with low dose ritonavir as a pharmacokinetic enhancer and in combination with other antiretroviral medicinal products (see section 5.2).


The Summary of Product Characteristics or ritonavir as appropriate, must therefore be consulted prior to initiation of therapy with PREZISTA.

Increasing the dose of ritonavir from that recommended in section 4.2 did not significantly affect darunavir concentrations. It is not recommended to alter the dose of ritonavir.

Darunavir binds predominantly to α1-acid glycoprotein. This protein binding is concentration-dependent indicative for saturation of binding. Therefore, protein displacement of medicinal products highly bound to α1-acid glycoprotein cannot be ruled out (see section 4.5).

ART-experienced patients – once daily dosing
PREZISTA used in combination with low dose ritonavir once daily in ART-experienced patients should not be used in patients with one or more darunavir resistance associated mutations (DRV-RAMs) or HIV-1 RNA ≥ 100,000 copies/ml or CD4+ cell count < 100 cells x 106/l (see section 4.2). Combinations with optimised background regimen (OBRs) other than ≥ 2 NRTIs have not been studied in this population. Limited data are available in patients with HIV-1 clades other than B (see section 5.1).

Pregnancy
PREZISTA/ritonavir should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk. Caution should be used in pregnant women with concomitant medications which may further decrease darunavir exposure (see sections 4.5 and 5.2).

Elderly
As limited information is available on the use of PREZISTA in patients aged 65 and over, caution should be exercised in the administration of PREZISTA in elderly patients, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic function and of concomitant disease or other therapy (see sections 4.2 and 5.2).

Severe skin reactions
During the darunavir/ritonavir clinical development program (N=3,063), severe skin reactions, which may be accompanied with fever and/or elevations of transaminases, have been reported in 0.4% of patients. DRESS (Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms) and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome has been rarely (< 0.1%) reported, and during post-marketing experience toxic epidermal necrolysis and acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis have been reported. PREZISTA should be discontinued immediately if signs or symptoms of severe skin reactions develop. These can include, but are not limited to, severe rash or rash accompanied by fever, general malaise, fatigue, muscle or joint aches, blisters, oral lesions, conjunctivitis, hepatitis and/or eosinophilia.

Rash occurred more commonly in treatment-experienced patients receiving regimens containing PREZISTA/ritonavir + raltegravir compared to patients receiving PREZISTA/ritonavir without raltegravir or raltegravir without PREZISTA (see section 4.8).

Darunavir contains a sulphonamide moiety. PREZISTA should be used with caution in patients with a known sulphonamide allergy.

Hepatotoxicity
Drug-induced hepatitis (e.g. acute hepatitis, cytolytic hepatitis) has been reported with PREZISTA. During the darunavir/ritonavir clinical development program (N=3,063), hepatitis was reported in 0.5% of patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy with 
PREZISTA/ritonavir. Patients with pre-existing liver dysfunction, including chronic active hepatitis B or C, have an increased risk for liver function abnormalities including severe and potentially fatal hepatic adverse reactions. In case of concomitant antiviral therapy for hepatitis B or C, please refer to the relevant product information for these medicinal products.

Appropriate laboratory testing should be conducted prior to initiating therapy with PREZISTA used in combination with low dose ritonavir and patients should be monitored during treatment. Increased AST/ALT monitoring should be considered in patients with underlying chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, or in patients who have pre-treatment elevations of transaminases, especially during the first several months of PREZISTA used in combination with low dose ritonavir treatment.

If there is evidence of new or worsening liver dysfunction (including clinically significant elevation of liver enzymes and/or symptoms such as fatigue, anorexia, nausea, jaundice, dark urine, liver tenderness, hepatomegaly) in patients using PREZISTA used in combination with low dose ritonavir, interruption or discontinuation of treatment should be considered promptly.

Patients with coexisting conditions

Hepatic impairment
The safety and efficacy of PREZISTA have not been established in patients with severe underlying liver disorders and PREZISTA is therefore contraindicated in patients with severe hepatic impairment. Due to an increase in the unbound darunavir plasma concentrations, PREZISTA should be used with caution in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment (see sections 4.2, 4.3 and 5.2).

Renal impairment
No special precautions or dose adjustments for darunavir/ritonavir are required in patients with renal impairment. As darunavir and ritonavir are highly bound to plasma proteins, it is unlikely that they will be significantly removed by haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
Therefore, no special precautions or dose adjustments are required in these patients (see sections 4.2 and 5.2).

Haemophiliac patients
There have been reports of increased bleeding, including spontaneous skin haematomas and haemarthrosis in patients with haemophilia type A and B treated with PIs. In some patients additional factor VIII was given. In more than half of the reported cases, treatment with PIs was continued or reintroduced if treatment had been discontinued. A causal relationship has been suggested, although the mechanism of action has not been elucidated. Haemophiliac patients should, therefore, be made aware of the possibility of increased bleeding.

Weight and metabolic parameters
An increase in weight and in levels of blood lipids and glucose may occur during antiretroviral therapy. Such changes may in part be linked to disease control and life style. For lipids, there is in some cases evidence for a treatment effect, while for weight gain there is no strong evidence relating this to any particular treatment. For monitoring of blood lipids and glucose reference is made to established HIV treatment guidelines. Lipid disorders should be managed as clinically appropriate.

Osteonecrosis
Although the aetiology is considered to be multifactorial (including corticosteroid use, alcohol consumption, severe immunosuppression, higher body mass index), cases of osteonecrosis 
have been reported particularly in patients with advanced HIV disease and/or long-term exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy (CART). Patients should be advised to seek medical advice if they experience joint aches and pain, joint stiffness or difficulty in movement.

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
In HIV infected patients with severe immune deficiency at the time of initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (CART), an inflammatory reaction to asymptomatic or residual opportunistic pathogens may arise and cause serious clinical conditions, or aggravation of symptoms. Typically, such reactions have been observed within the first weeks or months of initiation of CART. Relevant examples are cytomegalovirus retinitis, generalised and/or focal mycobacterial infections and pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii (formerly known as Pneumocystis carinii). Any inflammatory symptoms should be evaluated and treatment instituted when necessary. In addition, reactivation of herpes simplex and herpes zoster has been observed in clinical studies with PREZISTA co-administered with low dose ritonavir.

Autoimmune disorders (such as 'Graves' disease and autoimmune hepatitis) have also been reported to occur in the setting of immune reactivation; however, the reported time to onset is more variable and these events can occur many months after initiation of treatment (see section 4.8).

Interactions with medicinal products
Several of the interaction studies have been performed with darunavir at lower than recommended doses. The effects on co-administered medicinal products may thus be underestimated and clinical monitoring of safety may be indicated. For full information on interactions with other medicinal products see section 4.5.

Pharmacokinetic enhancer and concomitant medications
Concomitant use of darunavir/ritonavir with strong CYP3A inducers such as lopinavir/ritonavir, rifampicin and herbal products containing St John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum, is contraindicated (see section 4.5).Efavirenz in combination with boosted PREZISTA may result in sub-optimal darunavir Cmin. If efavirenz is to be used in combination with PREZISTA, the PREZISTA/ritonavir 600/100 mg twice daily regimen should be used. See the Summary of Product Characteristics for PREZISTA 600 mg tablets (see section 4.5).


Life-threatening and fatal drug interactions have been reported in patients treated with colchicine and strong inhibitors of CYP3A and P-glycoprotein (P-gp; see sections 4.3 and 4.5).

PREZISTA 400mg tablets contain sunset yellow FCF (E110) which may cause an allergic reaction.

PREZISTA 400 mg mg tablets contain less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.

Effects on Driving

4.7       Effects on ability to drive and use machines

PREZISTA in combination with ritonavir has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines. However, dizziness has been reported in some patients during treatment with regimens containing PREZISTA co-administered with low dose ritonavir and should be borne in mind when considering a patient’s ability to drive or operate machinery (see section 4.8).