Posology : מינונים

4.2     Posology and method of administration

Therapy should be initiated by a physician experienced in the management of HIV infection.
Posology

Adults
The recommended dose of Atripla is one tablet taken orally once daily.

If a patient misses a dose of Atripla within 12 hours of the time it is usually taken, the patient should take Atripla as soon as possible and resume the normal dosing schedule. If a patient misses a dose of Atripla by more than 12 hours and it is almost time for the next dose, the patient should not take the missed dose and simply resume the usual dosing schedule.

If the patient vomits within 1 hour of taking Atripla, another tablet should be taken. If the patient vomits more than 1 hour after taking Atripla he/she does not need to take another dose.

It is recommended that Atripla be taken on an empty stomach since food may increase efavirenz exposure and may lead to an increase in the frequency of adverse reactions (see sections 4.4 and 4.8).
In order to improve the tolerability to efavirenz with respect to undesirable effects on the nervous system, bedtime dosing is recommended (see section 4.8).

It is anticipated that tenofovir exposure (AUC) will be approximately 30% lower following administration of Atripla on an empty stomach as compared to the individual component tenofovir disoproxil when taken with food (see section 5.2). Data on the clinical translation of the decrease in pharmacokinetic exposure are not available. In virologically suppressed patients, the clinical relevance of this reduction can be expected to be limited (see section 5.1).

Where discontinuation of therapy with one of the components of Atripla is indicated or where dose modification is necessary, separate preparations of efavirenz, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil are available. Please refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics for these medicinal products.

If therapy with Atripla is discontinued, consideration should be given to the long half-life of efavirenz (see section 5.2) and long intracellular half-lives of emtricitabine and tenofovir. Because of interpatient variability in these parameters and concerns regarding development of resistance, HIV treatment guidelines should be consulted, also taking into consideration the reason for discontinuation.

Dose adjustment: If Atripla is co-administered with rifampicin to patients weighing 50 kg or more, an additional 200 mg/day (800 mg total) of efavirenz may be considered (see section 4.5).

Special populations

Elderly
Atripla should be administered with caution to elderly patients (see section 4.4).
Renal impairment
Atripla is not recommended for patients with moderate or severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance (CrCl) < 50 ml/min). Patients with moderate or severe renal impairment require dose interval adjustment of emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil that cannot be achieved with the combination tablet (see sections 4.4 and 5.2).

Hepatic impairment
The pharmacokinetics of Atripla have not been studied in patients with hepatic impairment. Patients with mild liver disease (Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT), Class A) may be treated with the normal recommended dose of Atripla (see sections 4.3, 4.4 and 5.2). Patients should be monitored carefully for adverse reactions, especially nervous system symptoms related to efavirenz (see sections 4.3 and 4.4).

If Atripla is discontinued in patients co-infected with HIV and HBV, these patients should be closely monitored for evidence of exacerbation of hepatitis (see section 4.4).

Paediatric population
Atripla is not indicated for children under 18 years old.
The safety and efficacy of Atripla in children under the age of 18 years have not been established (see section 5.2).

Method of administration

Atripla tablets should be swallowed whole with water, once daily. There is no information available regarding the crushing/splitting of the product. It is recommended that the film-coated tablet is not chewed, split or crushed.