Drug Interactions between emtricitabine / lopinavir / ritonavir / tenofovir and fentanyl / ropivacaine

MONITOR CLOSELY: Coadministration with inhibitors of CYP450 3A4 may increase the plasma concentrations of fentanyl, which is primarily metabolized by the isoenzyme. Increased fentanyl concentrations could increase or prolong adverse drug effects and may cause potentially fatal respiratory depression. Conversely, discontinuation of a CYP450 3A4 inhibitor could decrease fentanyl plasma concentrations, decrease opioid efficacy, and possibly even lead to a withdrawal syndrome in patients who had developed physical dependence to fentanyl. In eleven healthy volunteers, coadministration of the potent inhibitor ritonavir (200 mg orally three times a day on day 1; 300 mg three times a day on day 2; one morning dose of 300 mg on day 3) and intravenous fentanyl (5 mcg/kg two hours after the afternoon dose of ritonavir on day 2) resulted in a 174% increase in fentanyl systemic exposure (AUC) and a 67% decrease in fentanyl clearance compared to administration of fentanyl alone (with placebo). No other formulations of fentanyl such as patches or buccal tablets were studied.

MANAGEMENT: Patients receiving fentanyl with potent or moderate CYP450 3A4 inhibitors should be carefully monitored, and dosage adjustments made accordingly as needed. This is particularly important when an inhibitor is added after a stable dose of fentanyl has been achieved. Some authorities recommend avoiding concomitant use of fentanyl during and for 2 weeks after treatment with itraconazole. Patients and/or their caregivers should be advised to seek medical attention if potential signs and symptoms of toxicity occur, such as dizziness, confusion, fainting, extreme sedation, unresponsiveness, bradycardia, slow or difficult breathing, and shortness of breath. When discontinuing CYP450 3A4 inhibitors, monitor patients closely at frequent intervals and consider increasing the opioid dosage if needed to maintain adequate analgesia or if symptoms of opioid withdrawal occur. Patients treated with transdermal formulations of fentanyl should be cautioned that drug interactions and drug effects may be observed for a prolonged period beyond removal of the patch, as significant amounts of fentanyl are absorbed from the skin for 17 hours or more after the patch is removed.

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MONITOR: Coadministration with ritonavir, with or without lopinavir, has been suggested in postmarketing reports to increase the proximal tubular intracellular concentrations of tenofovir and potentiate the risk of tenofovir-induced nephrotoxicity. The proposed mechanism is ritonavir inhibition of tenofovir renal tubular secretion into the urine via multidrug resistance protein MRP2. Analysis of data from a compassionate access study in which 271 patients with advanced HIV disease received the combination for a mean duration of 63 weeks revealed no clinically significant nephrotoxicity associated with coadministration. However, there have been case reports of renal failure associated with acute tubular necrosis, Fanconi's syndrome, and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in combination with ritonavir. Some patients had incomplete recovery of renal function more than a year after cessation of tenofovir therapy. Ritonavir given in combination with lopinavir has also been reported to modestly increase the plasma concentrations of tenofovir. In contrast, both slight decreases and no change in lopinavir and ritonavir concentrations have been reported.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised if tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is prescribed with ritonavir. Renal function should be monitored regularly, including surveillance for signs of tubulopathy such as glycosuria, acidosis, increases in serum creatinine level, electrolyte disturbances (e.g., hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia), and proteinuria. The same precaution may be applicable during therapy with other protease inhibitors based on their similar pharmacokinetic profile, although clinical data are lacking. Nelfinavir reportedly does not alter the pharmacokinetics of tenofovir, or vice versa. Tenofovir administration should be discontinued promptly if nephropathy develops.

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MONITOR: Coadministration with ritonavir, with or without lopinavir, has been suggested in postmarketing reports to increase the proximal tubular intracellular concentrations of tenofovir and potentiate the risk of tenofovir-induced nephrotoxicity. The proposed mechanism is ritonavir inhibition of tenofovir renal tubular secretion into the urine via multidrug resistance protein MRP2. Analysis of data from a compassionate access study in which 271 patients with advanced HIV disease received the combination for a mean duration of 63 weeks revealed no clinically significant nephrotoxicity associated with coadministration. However, there have been case reports of renal failure associated with acute tubular necrosis, Fanconi's syndrome, and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in combination with ritonavir. Some patients had incomplete recovery of renal function more than a year after cessation of tenofovir therapy. Ritonavir given in combination with lopinavir has also been reported to modestly increase the plasma concentrations of tenofovir. In contrast, both slight decreases and no change in lopinavir and ritonavir concentrations have been reported.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised if tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is prescribed with ritonavir. Renal function should be monitored regularly, including surveillance for signs of tubulopathy such as glycosuria, acidosis, increases in serum creatinine level, electrolyte disturbances (e.g., hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia), and proteinuria. The same precaution may be applicable during therapy with other protease inhibitors based on their similar pharmacokinetic profile, although clinical data are lacking. Nelfinavir reportedly does not alter the pharmacokinetics of tenofovir, or vice versa. Tenofovir administration should be discontinued promptly if nephropathy develops.

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Coadministration with inhibitors of CYP450 3A4 may modestly increase the plasma concentrations of ropivacaine. Although ropivacaine is primarily metabolized by CYP450 1A2, it has been shown to undergo some metabolism via CYP450 3A4. In eight healthy volunteers, pretreatment with the 3A4 inhibitor erythromycin (500 mg three times a day for 6 days) was found to have only minor effects on the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of ropivacaine (0.6 mg/kg IV over 30 minutes) compared to placebo. However, in combination with the potent 1A2 inhibitor fluvoxamine (100 mg daily), erythromycin further increased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of ropivacaine by 50% compared to fluvoxamine alone, which increased the ropivacaine AUC by 3.7-fold. Fluvoxamine alone prolonged the elimination half-life of ropivacaine from 2.3 to 7.4 hours, while the addition of erythromycin further increased the half-life to 11.9 hours. In another study, pretreatment with the potent 3A4 inhibitor ketoconazole (100 mg twice daily for 2 days) decreased the mean total plasma clearance of ropivacaine (40 mg IV over 20 minutes) by just 15% in 12 healthy volunteers. Thus, it appears that CYP450 3A4 inhibitors may only have a significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine in the presence of a CYP450 1A2 inhibitor such as fluvoxamine, ciprofloxacin, or mexiletine.

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