Priftin

Priftin is a prescription-only antitubercular drug used together with other drugs to treat both active (in adults and children 12 years and older) and inactive (in adults and children 2 years and older) tuberculosis.

It is available as:

• Tablet

Before using Priftin, you must know all about the risks and complications associated with it. Together with your doctor, you can decide whether the medication will do you more goods than the harms.

Here are some factors to be considered before deciding to use this medicine:

Allergies

Inform your doctor about the allergies you have, such as to this medication, other medications, or to foods, dyes, or preservatives.

Pediatric

Safety and efficacy of rifapentine in children younger than 12 years have not been well documented.

Geriatric

It may be used in elderly after assessing risks and benefits of the use.

Pregnancy

It falls under pregnancy category C for all trimesters, meaning that due to lack of sufficient studies, it’s not clear if this medication is safe for use in pregnancy.

Breastfeeding

Use only when absolutely necessary and monitor side effects in infant throughout the treatment.

Drug Interactions

Taking two medicines together can be harmful due to possible interactions. In other cases, even if there is a possible interaction between two medicines your doctor may advise you to take them together after adjusting the dose or issuing precautions. Here is a list of the medicines which in general are not recommended to be used with rifapentine.

Inform your doctor if you are using any of these medicines:

• Artemether
• Atazanavir
• Delamanid
• Isavuconazonium Sulfate
• Lurasidone
• Maraviroc
• Ranolazine
• Rilpivirine

Though usually not recommended, your doctor may decide, after adjusting dose or frequency of one or both medicines, to use this medicine with any of the following medicines:

• Abiraterone
• Apixaban
• Apremilast
• Bedaquiline
• Bortezomib
• Clarithromycin
• Clozapine
• Cobicistat
• Dolutegravir
• Donepezil
• Doxorubicin
• Efavirenz
• Eliglustat
• Enzalutamide
• Etravirine
• Everolimus
• Exemestane
• Fentanyl
• Fosamprenavir
• Ibrutinib
• Idelalisib
• Indinavir
• Irinotecan
• Ivabradine
• Ketoconazole
• Lapatinib
• Linagliptin
• Macitentan
• Mifepristone
• Naloxegol
• Netupitant
• Nevirapine
• Nifedipine
• Nilotinib
• Nimodipine
• Olaparib
• Palbociclib
• Panobinostat
• Perampanel
• Piperaquine
• Quetiapine
• Regorafenib
• Rivaroxaban
• Romidepsin
• Tasimelteon
• Ticagrelor
• Vemurafenib
• Vilazodone
• Vincristine
• Vinflunine
• Vorapaxar
• Vortioxetine

Rarely and only when absolutely needed, this medicine may be used with the following medicines even if using them together may put you at risk of certain side effects. In such cases, you may have to take the adjusted dose or change the frequency of intake.

• Acenocoumarol
• Acetyldigoxin
• Alprazolam
• Amiodarone
• Amitriptyline
• Betamethasone
• Bisoprolol
• Carbamazepine
• Chloramphenicol
• Chlorpropamide
• Ciprofloxacin
• Clofibrate
• Cyclosporine
• Dapsone
• Delavirdine
• Deslanoside
• Desogestrel
• Diazepam
• Dicumarol
• Dienogest
• Digoxin
• Disopyramide
• Doxycycline
• Drospirenone
• Estradiol Cypionate
• Estradiol Valerate
• Ethinyl Estradiol
• Ethynodiol Diacetate
• Etonogestrel
• Fluconazole
• Fosphenytoin
• Gallopamil
• Glyburide
• Haloperidol
• Levonorgestrel
• Levothyroxine
• Lorcainide
• Medroxyprogesterone Acetate
• Mestranol
• Metildigoxin
• Mexiletine
• Norelgestromin
• Norethindrone
• Norgestimate
• Nortriptyline
• Ospemifene
• Phenprocoumon
• Propafenone
• Propranolol
• Quinine
• Repaglinide
• Sildenafil
• Temazepam
• Theophylline
• Tocainide
• Tolbutamide
• Valproic Acid
• Warfarin
• Zidovudine

Other Interactions

Taking your medicine together with certain foods or items such as alcohol or tobacco may cause undesirable interactions. Talk to your doctor to know if using this medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco is safe.

Medical Problems

Certain medical conditions might influence the effects (both positive and adverse) and action of rifapentine.

Inform your doctor about the following conditions, if any:

• Alcohol abuses in the past
• Liver impairment: Use cautiously
• Porphyria: Do not use rifapentine

To use Priftin properly, you must follow all instructions given by your doctor.

Here are some points to consider:

• Follow your doctor’s instructions about the use of any medicine.
• Read the package insert carefully and follow accordingly. For any query, consult your doctor.
• Do not break, chew or crush the tablet. Swallow the entire tablet.
• Never discontinue or skip the dose of any antitubercular medicines without consulting your doctor. Doing so can make the TB microorganism resistant to treatment. Remember that TB treatments last for months.

Dosing

For best results, follow your doctor to know what amount of medicine you should take in a single dose. The doses of a medicine can differ according to the conditions for which it is being prescribed. Remember your doses can differ. Consult your doctor if you have anything to ask. The doses of tablets are:

For the treatment of active tuberculosis:

• Adults and children 12 years and older: 600 milligrams (mg) twice a week with an interval between the doses more than 72 hours. Then, 600 mg once a week for 4 months taken with isoniazid or other medicines.
• Children younger than 12 years of age: Your doctor will decide the use and dose.

For the treatment of latent tuberculosis:

• Adults and children 12 years and older: Maximum dose of 900 milligrams (mg) once a week taken with isoniazid for 12 weeks. Remember for children, the dose is determined based on the body weight.
• Children 2 to 11 years of age: Maximum dose of 300- 900 mg once a week was taken with isoniazid for 12 weeks. Remember for children, the dose is determined based on the body weight.
• Children younger than 2 years of age: Your doctor will decide the use and dose.

Missed Dose

Take your missed dose once you remember but avoid it if it’s time to take your next dose, and follow your normal dosing schedule. Avoid taking double doses to make up for the missed dose.

Storage

• Store in a closed container at room temperature.
• Keep away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
• Do not freeze.
• Keep away from children.
• Discard any unused or expired medicines.

If you take Priftin, your doctor should perform routine checkups and advise you in taking precautions. Your progress should be regularly monitored to determine if you are responding to the treatment.

You may also need blood tests to detect any undesirable effects. Remember:

• If your symptoms do not respond to the treatment within 2 to 3 weeks, or if they worsen, consult your doctor.

• If you develop symptoms indicative of serious liver damage, such as the tender upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, decreased appetite, or yellowish eyes or skin, see your doctor immediately. AVOID alcohol while taking rifapentine as alcohol can further damage your liver and make the medicine less effective.

• If you are allergic to this medicine, you may develop a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Seek emergency medical help if you have an itchy rash, rapid heart rhythm, hive, fever or chills, dizziness, or fainting, swollen eyelids or areas around the eyes, or abnormal bleeding, bruising.

• You may have reddish-orange colored urine, stools, saliva, sputum, sweat, and tears while taking rifapentine. Do not panic as it is normal. Colored tears can affect your soft contact lenses if you're wearing them. Therefore, during the treatment with rifapentine, do not wear soft contact lenses.

• You may have severe diarrhea while taking rifapentine or 2 months after discontinuing rifapentine. Consult your doctor before taking any anti-diarrheal medicine. Consult your doctor to find ways to manage diarrhea.

• Rifapentine can make you more susceptible to infections. Therefore, you:
  • May avoid sick people, as far as possible.
  • Need to visit your doctor immediately if you develop fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back pain, or pain during urination.

• It can also affect your blood clotting mechanisms making your bleed or bruise more readily. Therefore, take extra care while brushing or flossing your teeth. Any dental procedure should be conducted only after your blood counts become normal.

• Rifapentine can also affect results of some medical tests. Inform the concerned doctor about your intake of rifapentine.

• Rifapentine can interfere with the action of some contraceptive pills. Therefore, use other contraceptive measures to avoid pregnancy.

• Consult your doctor before taking any prescription or nonprescription medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Make sure you meet with your doctor in using Priftin to avoid unwanted potential side effects.

Consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following side effects:

More common:

• Bloody urine
• Pain in joint, lower back or side
• Swollen feet or lower legs

Less common:

• Black, tar-like or bloody stools
• Red dots on the skin
• Severe abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• A sore throat and fever
• Abnormal bleeding or bruising
• Excessive tiredness
• Yellowish eyes or skin

Rare:

• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Elevated blood pressure
• Severe or persistent pain in the head

Mild and non-serious side effects usually go away on their own without requiring medical intervention. You may also ask your doctor to learn more about how you may prevent or reduce the side effects.

Talk to your doctor if the side effects persist or worry you, including:

Less common:

• Acne
• Constipation
• Decreased appetite

The side effects of the medicine are not limited to the ones listed above. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any side effects that are uncommon or worry you. To report side effects to the FDA, contact at 1-800-FDA-1088.