Drug Interaction Report

MONITOR: Coadministration with inducers of CYP450 3A4 may decrease the plasma concentrations and pharmacologic effects of medroxyprogesterone, which is primarily metabolized by the isoenzyme. Aminoglutethimide, a CYP450 3A4 inducer, has been shown to significantly decrease the serum levels of medroxyprogesterone by 50% or more when administered at 250 mg two to four times daily to women with breast cancer receiving high-dose medroxyprogesterone orally. The decrease was accompanied by an increase in serum cortisol level, which suggests diminished adrenal suppressive effect of medroxyprogesterone. The interaction has not been studied with depot formulations of medroxyprogesterone. Because the clearance of medroxyprogesterone is approximately equal to the rate of hepatic blood flow, drugs that induce CYP450 3A4 are not expected to significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of medroxyprogesterone administered parenterally. In one study, no interaction was reported when medroxyprogesterone was administered intravenously with aminoglutethimide.

MANAGEMENT: Pharmacologic response to medroxyprogesterone should be monitored more closely whenever a CYP450 3A4 inducer is added to or withdrawn from therapy, and the dosage adjusted as necessary. When administered as the depot formulation for contraception, no dosage adjustment for medroxyprogesterone is currently recommended during coadministration with CYP450 3A4 inducers. However, consideration may be given to decreasing the dosing interval (e.g., from one injection every 12 weeks to every 10 weeks) if an interaction is suspected.

Coadministration with etravirine may slightly increase the plasma concentrations of ethinyl estradiol. The mechanism of interaction has not been described. In 16 study subjects administered ethinyl estradiol-norethindrone (35 mcg-1 mg) once a day with etravirine, ethinyl estradiol peak plasma concentration (Cmax), systemic exposure (AUC) and trough plasma concentration (Cmin) increased by 33%, 22% and 9%, respectively. These changes were statistically, but not clinically, significant. Etravirine had no effect on the pharmacokinetics of norethindrone. Etravirine and ethinyl estradiol-norethindrone may be coadministered without any dosage adjustments. No data are available for other estrogen or progestin products.

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Coadministration with food increases the oral bioavailability of etravirine. The mechanism is unknown. Compared to administration following a meal, the systemic exposure (AUC) to etravirine was decreased by about 50% when the drug was administered under fasting conditions. The types of meal studied (ranging from 345 kilocalories containing 17 grams fat to 1160 kilocalories containing 70 grams fat) did not appear to make a difference with respect to impact on etravirine bioavailability.

MANAGEMENT: Etravirine should always be administered following a meal.

Coadministration with grapefruit juice may increase the bioavailability of oral estrogens. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall induced by certain compounds present in grapefruits. In a small, randomized, crossover study, the administration of ethinyl estradiol with grapefruit juice (compared to herbal tea) increased peak plasma drug concentration (Cmax) by 37% and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) by 28%. Based on these findings, grapefruit juice is unlikely to affect the overall safety profile of ethinyl estradiol. However, as with other drug interactions involving grapefruit juice, the pharmacokinetic alterations are subject to a high degree of interpatient variability. Also, the effect on other estrogens has not been studied.