Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir)

What is Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir)?

Daruvir (darunavir) is a protease (PRO-tee-ayz) inhibitor. Darunavir is an antiviral medication that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from multiplying in your body. Daruvir is used to treat HIV, the virus that can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Prezista is a brand name for the medication Darunavir. It is an antiretroviral drug used in the treatment of HIV infection. It belongs to the class of medications known as protease inhibitors.

Darunavir 800mg tablet: Darunavir 800mg tablet is a specific dosage strength of the medication Darunavir. It is prescribed by healthcare providers as part of an antiretroviral therapy regimen to manage HIV infection.

Darunavir 600mg tablet: Darunavir 600mg tablet is another dosage strength of the medication Darunavir. Like other strengths, it is used in combination with other HIV medications to control the progression of the virus.

Daruvir is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.

Important information

You should not take Daruvir/Prezista if you have severe liver disease. Serious drug interactions can occur when certain medicines are used together with darunavir. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all medicines you use now, and any medicine you start or stop using.

Before taking Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir) medicine

You should not take Daruvir if you are allergic to darunavir or ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra), or if you have severe liver disease. Some medicines can cause unwanted or dangerous effects when used with Daruvir. Your doctor may need to change your treatment plan if you use any of the following drugs: alfuzosin; cisapride; colchicine (in people with liver or kidney disease); dronedarone; pimozide; lovastatin or simvastatin; ranolazine; rifampin; sildenafil (Revatio, for pulmonary arterial hypertension); St. John's wort; triazolam or oral midazolam; or ergot medicines - dihydroergotamine, ergonovine, ergotamine, methylergonovine. To make sure Daruvir is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have: liver disease (especially hepatitis or cirrhosis); diabetes; a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia; high cholesterol or triglycerides; or if you are allergic to sulfa drugs.

It is not known whether Daruvir will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. HIV can be passed to your baby if you are not properly treated during pregnancy. Take all of your HIV medicines as directed to control your infection. If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry. This is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and to evaluate any effects of Daruvir on the baby. Daruvir can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using nonhormonal birth control (condom, diaphragm with spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while taking Daruvir.

Women with HIV or AIDS should not breastfeed a baby. Even if your baby is born without HIV, the virus may be passed to the baby in your breast milk. Darunavir and ritonavir should not be given to a child younger than 3 years old, or a child who weighs less than 22 pounds.

How should I take Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir/Prezista)?

• Take Daruvir exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medicine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Daruvir must be taken together with another medication called ritonavir. Take the medicines together at the same time every day.
• Take Daruvir tablets with a full glass (8 ounces) of water or milk. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not break or chew.
• Daruvir works best if you take it with food.
• Shake the oral suspension (liquid) well just before you measure a dose. Measure the liquid with the oral dosing syringe provided with this medicine. If you did not receive an oral syringe with your medication, ask your pharmacist for one.
• While using Daruvir, you may need frequent blood tests.
• Use Daruvir regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely.
• HIV/AIDS is usually treated with a combination of drugs. Use all medications as directed by your doctor. Read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each medication. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without your doctor's advice. Every person with HIV or AIDS should remain under the care of a doctor.
• Store Daruvir at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
  
  

Affordable HIV medication: Darunavir/Prezista is considered an affordable HIV medication compared to some other options available on the market. It is available in generic forms, which often offer cost savings and increased accessibility to individuals living with HIV.

Darunavir without prescription: Darunavir is a prescription medication, meaning it should not be obtained or used without a valid prescription from a healthcare professional. The prescription is necessary to ensure the appropriate dosage, monitoring, and overall management of the medication within the context of a comprehensive HIV treatment plan.

Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir) dosing information

Usual Adult Dose of Daruvir for HIV Infection:

Therapy-naive Patients and Therapy-experienced Patients with No Darunavir Resistance Associated Substitutions: Darunavir 800 mg plus ritonavir 100 mg orally once a day with food

Therapy-experienced Patients with At Least 1 Darunavir Resistance Associated Substitution (including V11I, V32I, L33F, I47V, I50V, I54L, I54M, T74P, L76V, I84V, and L89V): Darunavir 600 mg plus ritonavir 100 mg orally twice a day with food

Comments:
-Genotypic testing is recommended for therapy-experienced patients; however, when genotypic testing is not possible, darunavir 600 mg plus ritonavir 100 mg twice a day is recommended.

Use: In combination with ritonavir and other antiretroviral agents, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection

Usual Pediatric Dose for HIV Infection:

3 to less than 18 years:
Therapy-naive Patients and Therapy-experienced Patients with No Darunavir/Prezista Resistance Associated Substitutions:
Oral suspension:
10 to less than 15 kg: Darunavir 35 mg/kg plus ritonavir 7 mg/kg orally once a day with food

Therapy-experienced Patients with At Least 1 Darunavir Resistance Associated Substitution (including V11I, V32I, L33F, I47V, I50V, I54L, I54M, T74P, L76V, I84V, and L89V):
Oral suspension:
10 to less than 15 kg: Darunavir 20 mg/kg plus ritonavir 3 mg/kg orally twice a day with food

Tablets and oral suspension:
15 to less than 30 kg: Darunavir 375 mg plus ritonavir 48 mg orally twice a day with food
30 to less than 40 kg: Darunavir 450 mg plus ritonavir 60 mg orally twice a day with food
40 kg or more: Darunavir 600 mg plus ritonavir 100 mg orally twice a day with food

Comments:
-Special vigilance is recommended during dose selection, medication order transcription, dispensing information, and dosing instructions to reduce risk for medication errors, overdose, and underdose.
-Dose should not exceed the recommended adult dose.

Use: In combination with ritonavir and other antiretroviral agents, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection

Daruvir may cause severe or life-threatening skin reactions or rash.

Sometimes these skin reactions and skin rashes can become severe and require treatment in a hospital. You should call your healthcare provider immediately if you develop a rash. However, stop taking Daruvir® and ritonavir combination treatment and call your healthcare provider immediately if you develop any skin changes with these symptoms: fever, tiredness, muscle or joint pain, blisters or skin lesions, mouth sores or ulcers, red or inflamed eyes, like “pink eye.” Rash occurred more often in patients taking Daruvir® and raltegravir together than with either drug separately but was generally mild

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose of Daruvir and ritonavir as soon as you remember and take your next dose at the regularly scheduled time. Always take Daruvir and ritonavir together.

If you take Daruvir once daily and you are more than 12 hours late in taking your medications, skip the missed dose and take the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up for the missed dose.

If you take Daruvir twice daily and you are more than 6 hours late in taking your medications, skip the missed dose and take the next regularly scheduled dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What should I avoid while taking Daruvir/Prezista?
If you also take didanosine (Videx), take it 1 hour before or 2 hours after you take Daruvir. Taking Daruvir will not prevent you from passing HIV to other people. Do not have unprotected sex or share razors or toothbrushes. Talk with your doctor about safe ways to prevent HIV transmission during sex. Sharing drugs or medicine needles is never safe, even for a healthy person.

What is the most important information I should know about Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir)?

Daruvir can interact with other medicines and cause serious side effects. See “Who should not take Daruvir?”
Daruvir may cause liver problems. Some people taking Daruvir, together with Norvir (ritonavir), have developed liver problems that may be life-threatening. Your healthcare provider should do blood tests before and during your combination treatment with Daruvir. If you have chronic hepatitis B or C infection, your healthcare provider should check your blood tests more often because you have an increased chance of developing liver problems
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of these signs and symptoms of liver problems: dark (tea-colored) urine, yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes, pale-colored stools (bowel movements), nausea, vomiting, pain or tenderness on your right side below your ribs, or loss of appetite

What are the possible side effects of Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir)?

• High blood sugar, diabetes or worsening of diabetes, and increased bleeding in people with hemophilia have been reported in patients taking protease inhibitor medicines, including Daruvir
• Changes in body fat have been seen in some patients taking HIV medicines, including Daruvir. The cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known at this time
• Changes in your immune system can happen when you start taking HIV medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden
• The most common side effects related to taking Daruvir include diarrhea, nausea, rash, headache, stomach pain, and vomiting. This is not a complete list of all possible side effects. If you experience these or other side effects, talk to your healthcare provider. Do not stop taking Daruvir® or any other medicines without first talking to your healthcare provider

What other drugs will affect Daruvir Tablet (Darunavir)?

Many drugs can interact with darunavir. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any you start or stop using, especially: any other HIV/AIDS medicines; buprenorphine (Butrans, Buprenex, Suboxone, Subutex, Zubsolv); fluticasone or salmeterol (Advair, Flovent, Flonase, Serevent, Veramist); warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven); an antibiotic - clarithromycin, rifabutin; an antidepressant - desipramine, paroxetine, sertraline, trazodone; antifungal medicine - itraconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole; antipsychotic medicine - risperidone, quetiapine, thioridazine; cholesterol-lowering medicine - atorvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin; heart medicine - amiodarone, digoxin, felodipine, flecainide, metoprolol, nicardipine, nifedipine, propafenone, quinidine, timolol; hepatitis C medicine - boceprevir or telaprevir; medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection - cyclosporine, sirolimus, tacrolimus; medicines to treat erectile dysfunction - sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, Viagra, and others.

FAQs

Q: How is Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) taken?

A: Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) is usually taken by mouth with food. The exact dosage and duration of treatment will be determined by your healthcare provider based on your specific condition and needs.

Q: Can Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) cure HIV infection?

A: No, Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) is not a cure for HIV infection. It is an antiretroviral medication that helps to manage the virus and prevent its progression. It is usually used in combination with other HIV medications as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen.

Q: Are there any special instructions for taking Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir)?

A: Yes, it is important to take Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Do not skip doses or stop taking the medication without consulting your doctor. Additionally, make sure to take it with food as directed, as this can affect its absorption and effectiveness.

Q: Is Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) available in generic form?

A: Yes, generic versions of the Darunavir Tablet (Daruvir) are available. Generic drugs contain the same active ingredient as the brand-name medication and are generally more affordable.