Drug Interactions between elbasvir / grazoprevir and st. john's wort

GENERALLY AVOID: An isolated case report suggests that foods containing large amounts of tyramine may precipitate a hypertensive crisis in patients treated with St. John's wort. The mechanism of interaction is unknown, as St. John's wort is not thought to possess monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibiting activity at concentrations achieved in vivo. The case patient was a 41-year-old man who had been taking St. John's wort for seven days prior to presentation at the emergency room with confusion and disorientation. The patient recalled last eating aged cheese and having a glass of red wine approximately 10 hours prior to admission. No other cause of delirium or hypertension could be identified. In addition, alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of St. John's wort. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

MANAGEMENT: Until further information is available, patients treated with St. John's wort should consider avoiding consumption of protein foods in which aging or breakdown of protein is used to increase flavor. These foods include cheese (particularly strong, aged or processed cheeses), sour cream, wine (particularly red wine), champagne, beer, pickled herring, anchovies, caviar, shrimp paste, liver (particularly chicken liver), dry sausage, figs, raisins, bananas, avocados, chocolate, soy sauce, bean curd, yogurt, papaya products, meat tenderizers, fava beans, protein extracts, and dietary supplements. Caffeine may also precipitate hypertensive crisis so its intake should be minimized as well. Patients should also be advised to avoid or limit consumption of alcohol.

Food does not appear to have clinically significant effects on the pharmacokinetics of elbasvir and grazoprevir. When a single 50 mg-100 mg dose of elbasvir-grazoprevir was administered to healthy study subjects with a high-fat meal (900 kcal; 500 kcal from fat), elbasvir peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and systemic exposure (AUC) decreased by 15% and 11%, respectively, while grazoprevir Cmax and AUC increased by 2.8- and 1.5-fold, respectively, compared to administration under fasting conditions. According to the product labeling, elbasvir-grazoprevir may be administered with or without food.