Drug Interactions between Aptivus and Terramycin

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Administration with food, particularly dairy products, significantly reduces tetracycline absorption. The calcium content in some foods can form nonabsorbable chelates with tetracycline.

MANAGEMENT: Tetracycline should be administered one hour before or two hours after meals. Because oral tetracycline has caused rare cases of esophagitis and esophageal ulceration, patients should be advised to take tetracycline with a large glass of water while standing or sitting upright and to avoid laying down immediately afterwards.

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Food does not appear to substantially alter the pharmacokinetics of tipranavir. When tipranavir capsules or oral solution was coadministered with ritonavir capsules at steady-state, no clinically significant changes in tipranavir peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and systemic exposure (AUC) were observed under fed conditions (500 to 682 kcal, 23% to 25% calories from fat) relative to fasted conditions. The effect of food on tipranavir exposure during coadministration with ritonavir tablets has not been evaluated. High-fat foods may enhance the gastrointestinal absorption of tipranavir. In a multiple-dose study, administration of tipranavir capsules with a high-fat meal (868 kcal, 53% from fat, 31% from carbohydrates) increased the oral bioavailability of tipranavir by 31% compared to administration with toast and skimmed milk, but did not significantly affect tipranavir Cmax. Thus, tipranavir may be safely taken with standard or high-fat meals.

MANAGEMENT: Tipranavir coadministered with low-dose ritonavir should be taken with food to improve the gastrointestinal tolerability of ritonavir. According to the product labeling, tipranavir coadministered with ritonavir capsules or solution can be taken with or without meals, whereas tipranavir coadministered with ritonavir tablets must be taken with meals.

GENERALLY AVOID: The bioavailability of oral tetracyclines and iron salts may be significantly decreased during concurrent administration. Therapeutic failure may result. The proposed mechanism is chelation of tetracyclines by the iron cation, forming an insoluble complex that is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In ten healthy volunteers, simultaneous oral administration of ferrous sulfate 200 mg and single doses of various tetracyclines (200 mg to 500 mg) resulted in reductions in the serum levels of methacycline and doxycycline by 80% to 90%, oxytetracycline by 50% to 60%, and tetracycline by 40% to 50%. In another study, 300 mg of ferrous sulfate reduced the absorption of tetracycline by 81% and that of minocycline by 77%. Conversely, the absorption of iron has been shown to be decreased by up to 78% in healthy subjects and up to 65% in patients with iron depletion when ferrous sulfate 250 mg was administered with tetracycline 500 mg. Available data suggest that administration of iron 3 hours before or 2 hours after a tetracycline largely prevents the interaction with most tetracyclines except doxycycline. Due to extensive enterohepatic cycling, iron binding may occur with doxycycline even when it is given parenterally. It has also been shown that when iron is administered up to 11 hours after doxycycline, serum concentrations of doxycycline may still be reduced by 20% to 45%.

MANAGEMENT: Coadministration of a tetracycline with any iron-containing product should be avoided if possible. Otherwise, patients should be advised to stagger the times of administration by at least three to four hours, although separating the doses may not prevent the interaction with doxycycline.