Asunaprevir is used together with other medicines to treat chronic hepatitis C infection, a long-lasting liver infection caused by hepatitis C virus.
Take Asunaprevir exactly as directed by your doctor or according to the instructions on the label. Do not take more or less than instructed by your doctor.
You may take this medicine with or without food. Try to take it at the same time each day.
You must complete the entire course of medicine. If you don't, the infection will not be properly controlled.
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is more than 8 hours since you missed the dose, skip the missed dose and return to your normal dosing schedule.
DO NOT double a dose under any circumstances.
If you often forget to take your medicine, let your doctor and pharmacist know.
Do not take this medicine if you ever had an allergic reaction (rashes, breathlessness, swollen eyes) to Asunaprevir or any other similar medicines.
Alert your doctor if you have moderate or severe liver disease as this medicine may not be suitable for you.
Do not take Asunaprevir with daclatasvir, peginterferon alfa and ribavirin if you are pregnant or planning to have a baby soon; or if your partner (for men) are pregnant, maybe pregnant or planning to be pregnant. If you become pregnant while being treated with these medicines, alert your doctor immediately. It may cause harm to your unborn child. It is important that you do not get pregnant or father a child during the treatment. You and your partner must use proven birth control methods while taking these medicines and for at least 6 months after stopping treatment. You may wish to discuss birth control methods with your doctor or pharmacist.
Do not take Asunaprevir with medicines to treat epilepsy (fits or seizures), fungal infection, HIV infection, TB (an infection known as tuberculosis), high blood pressure or irregular heartbeat, mood disorder, pulmonary arterial hypertension (high blood pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs), organ transplant or certain immune disorders, sleep disorder, inflammation, and high cholesterol level, or certain antibiotics or herbal supplements. Please see the section “Can I take this with other medicines?” below for more information.
Inform your doctor if you have the following conditions:
- current or previous hepatitis B virus infection
- HIV infection
- severe kidney disease
- mild liver disease
- had liver transplant or awaiting to undergo liver transplant
Let your doctor know if you are breastfeeding.
Keep your appointments with your doctor. Your doctor needs to monitor your condition and check your response to the medication regularly.
- If you ever had hepatitis B virus infection, it could become active again during or after treatment of hepatitis C virus with Asunaprevir. This may cause serious liver problems. Your doctor will check if you are at risk for hepatitis B virus reactivation.
- You may need to have routine blood tests (e.g. complete blood count, liver function test). Your doctor will advise you about how often you will need to have these tests.
- If you are pregnant, Asunaprevir taken with daclatasvir, peginterferon alfa and ribavirin may not be suitable for you. Pregnancy test may be done prior to initiation, during and 6 months after treatment.
Asuprenavir may cause any of the following side effects: headache, weakness, tiredness, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, stomach pain, weight loss, flu-like symptoms, cough, runny or stuffy nose, joint pain, muscle or back pain, difficulty sleeping, irritability, skin rash, itching, dry skin and hair loss.
Some side effects may need immediate medical help. Alert your doctor quickly if you experience any of the following:
- signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction e.g. breathlessness, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue, and rashes
- signs and symptoms of liver problems e.g. yellowing of the skin or eyes, pain in upper right side of the stomach, disorientation or confusion
- signs and symptoms of anaemia e.g. shortness of breath, dizziness, pale skin, loss of energy
- signs and symptoms of neutropenia e.g. fever, mouth sores, boils, swollen gums
- signs and symptoms of thrombocytopenia e.g. excessive bruising, prolonged bleeding from cuts, bleeding from your gums or nose
Inform your doctor if any of these side effects do not go away or are severe, or if you experience other side effects.
Do not take Asunaprevir with the following medicines:
- medicines for epilepsy (fits or seizures) e.g. carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin
- medicines to treat fungal infection e.g. fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole
- medicines for HIV infection e.g. efavirenz, etravirine, nevirapine, atazanavir, darunavir/ritonavir, fosamprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, cobistat or cobistat-containing regimen
- medicines to treat TB (an infection known as tuberculosis) e.g. rifampicin
- medicines for high blood pressure or irregular heartbeat e.g. diltiazem, verapamil, flecainide, propafenone
- medicine for mood disorder e.g. thioridazine
- medicine used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (high blood pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs) e.g. bosentan
- medicine used in organ transplant or certain immune disorders e.g. ciclosporin
- medicine to promote wakefulness e.g. modafinil
- medicine for inflammation e.g. dexamethasone
- cholesterol-lowering medicine e.g. gemfibrozil
- certain antibiotics e.g. clarithromycin, erythromycin, telithromycin, nafcillin
- herbal medicine e.g. St. John’s wort
Inform your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking any of these medicines:
- blood-thinning medicine e.g. dabigatran
- medicines to treat depression e.g. amitriptyline, imipramine, nortriptyline
- medicine for cough or cold e.g. dextromethorphan
- medicine for heart disease e.g. digoxin
- birth control medicines e.g. ethinyloestradiol, norelgestromin, noregestimate
- medicine for sleep disorder e.g. midazolam
- other cholesterol-lowering medicines e.g. atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, pitavastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin
This list does not include all medicines that may interact with Asunaprevir.
Always notify your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including herbal tonics such as traditional Chinese medicines, supplements and medicines that you buy without a prescription.
Avoid alcohol.
Store in a cool, dry place away from the reach of children.
Protect from light.
Medicines must not be used past the expiry date.
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