Patient Information Leaflet
Abacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg Film-Coated Tablets
Read this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
IMPORTANT --- Hypersensitivity Reactions
Abacavir/Lamivudine Viatris contains abacavir. Some people who take abacavir may develop ahypersensitivity reaction(severe allergic reaction), which can be life-threatening if you continue taking medicines that contain abacavir.You must read the information about “Hypersensitivity Reactions” carefully in section 4 of this leaflet.
The packaging of Abacavir/Lamivudine Viatris includes aWarning Cardto remind you and healthcare professionals about your hypersensitivity to abacavir.You must remove this card and carry it with you at all times..
1. What isAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatrisand what is it used for
2. What you need to know before takingAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatris
3. How to takeAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatris
4. Possible side effects
5. Storage ofAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatris
6. Contents of the pack and additional information
Abacavir/lamivudina is used in the treatment of infection caused by the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) in adults, adolescents, and children who weigh at least 25 kg.
Abacavir/lamivudina contains two active ingredients that are used for the treatment of infection caused by the HIV: abacavir and lamivudina. Both belong to a group of antiretroviral medications called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs).
Abacavir/lamivudina does not completely cure HIV infection; it reduces the amount of virus in the body and keeps it at a low level. It also increases the number of CD4 cells in the blood. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that plays an important role in helping the body fight infection.
Not everyone responds to abacavir/lamivudina treatment in the same way. Your doctor will monitor the effectiveness of your treatment.
Do not takeAbacavir/Lamivudina Viatris
Read carefully all the information about hypersensitivity reactions in section 4.
Consult your doctorif you think you are affected by any of these circumstances.Do not take this medication.
Warnings and precautions
Be especially careful with Abacavir/Lamivudina Viatris
Some people taking abacavir/lamivudina or other combination treatments for HIV are at a higher risk of experiencing severe side effects.You should be aware of the additional risks:
Consult your doctor before starting to take abacavir/lamivudina if you have any of these circumstances.You may need additional tests, including blood tests, while taking this medication.For more information see section 4.
Abacavir hypersensitivity reactions
Even patients who do not have the HLA-B*5701 gene can develop ahypersensitivity reaction(a severe allergic reaction).
Read carefully the information about hypersensitivity reactions in section 4 of this leaflet.
Risk of cardiovascular events
It cannot be ruled out that abacavir may increase the risk ofexperiencing cardiovascular events.
Inform your doctorif you have cardiovascular problems, smoke or have conditions that may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Do not stop taking abacavir/lamivudina unless your doctor advises you to.
Be aware of important symptoms
Some people taking HIV medications develop other conditions, which can be serious. You need to know what signs and symptoms to be aware of while taking abacavir/lamivudina.
Read the information about “Other possible side effects of combination HIV treatment” in section 4 of this leaflet.
Other medications and Abacavir/Lamivudina Viatris
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medication, including medications based on plants and those obtained without a prescription.
Remember to inform your doctor or pharmacist if you start taking a new medication while taking abacavir/lamivudina.
The following medications should not be used with abacavir/lamivudina:
Inform your doctorif you are being treated with any of these medications.
Some medications interact with abacavir/lamivudina
These include:
Inform your doctorif you are taking phenytoin. Your doctor may need to monitor you while you are taking abacavir/lamivudina.
Inform your doctorif you are taking methadone.
Inform your doctor or pharmacistif you are taking any of them.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or think you may be pregnant, consult your doctor before taking this medication.
Pregnancy
Abacavir/lamivudina is not recommended during pregnancy. This medicationand similar medicationsmay cause adverse effects in babies during pregnancy. If you have been taking abacavir/lamivudina during your pregnancy, your doctor may request that you have periodic blood tests and other diagnostic tests to monitor the development of your child. In children whose mothers took antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy, the benefit of HIV protection was greater than the risk of adverse effects.
Breastfeeding
It is not recommendedfor women with HIV to breastfeed,as the HIV infection can be passed to the baby through breast milk. A small amount of the components of abacavir/lamivudina may also pass into breast milk.
If you are breastfeeding orplan to breastfeed,you should consultyour doctoras soon as possible.
Driving and operating machinery
Abacavir/lamivudina may cause side effects that can affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.
Consult your doctorabout your ability to drive or operate machinery while taking this medication.
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication as indicated by your doctor. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
The recommended dose of abacavir/lamivudine for adults, adolescents, and children weighing at least 25 kg or more, is one tablet once a day.
Swallow the tablets whole, with a little water. This medication can be taken with or without food.
Maintain regular contact with your doctor
Abacavir/lamivudine helps control your condition. You will need to take it every day to prevent your disease from worsening. You may continue to develop other infections and diseases associated with HIV infection.
Remain in contact with your doctor and do not stop taking this medication without first speaking with your doctor.
If you take more Abacavir/Lamivudina Viatris than you should
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately,contact the nearest hospital emergency serviceor call the Toxicological Information Service, phone: 91 562 04 20, indicating the medication and the amount ingested.
If you forgot to take Abacavir/Lamivudina Viatris
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember and then continue with your usual treatment. Do not take a double dose to compensate for the missed doses.
It is essential to take this medication regularly, as irregular intake may increase the risk of experiencing a hypersensitivity reaction.
If you interrupt treatment with Abacavir/Lamivudina Viatris
If for any reason, you have stopped taking this medication - especially because you think it has side effects or due to another illness:
Consult your doctor before resuming treatment.Your doctor will check if your symptoms were related to a hypersensitivity reaction. If your doctor considers it related,he will instruct you never to take this medication again or any other medication that contains abacavir (for example, abacavir/lamivudine, abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine, abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine).It is essential that you follow this warning.
If your doctor advises you to restart treatment with abacavir/lamivudine, you can ask him to take the first doses in a place where you have easy access to medical assistance if necessary.
If you have any other doubts about the use of this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.
During treatment for HIV, there may be an increase in weight and blood glucose and lipid levels. This is related, in part, to the recovery of health and lifestyle, and, in the case of blood lipids, sometimes to the HIV medicines themselves. Your doctor will monitor these changes.
When you are on treatment for HIV, it may be difficult to distinguish whether a symptom is a side effect of abacavir/lamivudine or of other medicines you are taking, or is due to an effect of the HIV disease itself.Therefore, it is very important that you inform your doctor about any change in your health.
Even patients who do not have the HLA-B*5701 gene can develop ahypersensitivity reaction(a severe allergic reaction), described in this leaflet in the box called “Hypersensitivity reactions”.
It is very important that you read and understand the information about this serious reaction.
In addition to the side effects listed below for abacavir/lamivudine,other disorders may develop during combined HIV treatment.
It is important that you read the information under the heading “Other possible side effects of combined HIV treatment”.
STOP taking this medicine and contact a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following side effects:
Frequent(may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Hypersensitivity reactions Abacavir/Lamivudine Viatris containsabacavir(an active ingredient also present in abacavir/lamivudine, abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine, abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine). Abacavir can cause a severe allergic reaction known as a hypersensitivity reaction. These hypersensitivity reactions have been observed more frequently in people taking medicines containing abacavir. Who suffers these reactions? Anyone taking abacavir/lamivudine could develop a hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir, which could put their life at risk if they continue to take this medicine. You are more likely to develop this reaction if you have a gene calledHLA-B*5701(but you can still develop this reaction even if you do not have this gene). Before starting treatment with abacavir/lamivudine Viatris, you should have had a test to detect this gene. If you know you have this gene, tell your doctor before taking this medicine. About 3 to 4 in every 100 patients treated with abacavir in a clinical trial who did not have the HLA-B*5701 gene developed a hypersensitivity reaction. What are the symptoms? The most common symptoms are:
Other frequently observed signs include:
Other symptoms may include: Joint pain, mouth ulcers, sore throat, chest pain, breathing difficulties (respiratory problems), inflammation of arms or legs, swollen lymph nodes (neck, arm, or groin), low blood pressure, conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye), numbness or tingling in hands or feet. Signs of liver problems include yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, dark urine, pale stools, and signs of kidney problems include little or no urine or back pain. Kidney or liver problems may also be shown in blood tests. When do these reactions occur? Hypersensitivity reactions can occur at any time during treatment with this medicine, but are more likely to occur in the first 6 weeks of treatment. Contact your doctor immediately: 1if you have a skin rash OR 2if you have symptoms including at least 2 of the following groups: - fever - difficulty breathing, sore throat, or cough - nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain - excessive tiredness or general feeling of illness. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking abacavir/lamivudine. If you have stopped taking this medicine If you have stopped taking abacavir/lamivudine due to a hypersensitivity reaction, NEVER TAKE abacavir/lamivudine or any other medicine containing abacavir (for example, abacavir/lamivudine, abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine, abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine) again. If you do, within hours, you may experience a drop in blood pressure that can put your life at risk or cause death. If for any reason, you have interrupted treatment with abacavir/lamivudine - especially because you think you are having side effects or another illness: Consult your doctor before restarting treatment.Your doctor will check if your symptoms were related to a hypersensitivity reaction. If your doctor considers that they may have been related,they will advise you that you should never take abacavir/lamivudine or any other medicine containing abacavir (for example, abacavir/lamivudine, abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine, abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine) again.It is important that you follow this warning. Occasionally, hypersensitivity reactions have developed in people who take abacavir again after having only one symptom of those listed in the Information Card before stopping it. Very rarely, reactions have developed in people who restart treatment with abacavir, but who did not have any symptoms of hypersensitivity before stopping it. If your doctor advises you to restart treatment with abacavir/lamivudine, you may ask them to take the first doses in a place where you have easy access to medical assistance if necessary. If you are hypersensitive to this medicine, you must return all your tablets without using them, so that they can be disposed of safely. Consult your doctor or pharmacist. The packaging of Abacavir/Lamivudine Viatrisincludes anInformation Cardto remind you and healthcare staff about hypersensitivity reactions.Separate the card from the packaging and carry it with you always. |
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
Inform your doctor as soon as possible if you experience any of the following side effects:
Infrequent(may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
Very rare(may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
Other possible side effects:
Frequent(may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Infrequent(may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
If you experience side effects
Inform your doctor or pharmacistif you consider that any of the side effects you experience are serious or if you notice any side effect not mentioned in this leaflet.
Other possible side effects of combined HIV treatment
Combined treatments, such as abacavir/lamivudine, can cause other disorders to develop during HIV treatment.
Symptoms of infection and inflammation
Exacerbation of old infections
People with advanced HIV infection (AIDS) have a weakened immune system and are more likely to develop serious infections (opportunistic infections). These infections may have been “latent” and not detected by the weakened immune system before treatment began. After treatment begins, the immune system becomes stronger, and it starts to fight these infections, which can cause symptoms of infection or inflammation. The symptoms usually includefever, as well as some of the following:
In rare cases, as the immune system becomes stronger, it may also attack healthy tissues (autoimmune disorders). The symptoms of autoimmune disorders may appear many months after starting treatment for HIV infection. The symptoms may include:
If you notice any symptoms of infectione inflammation or if you notice any of the above symptoms:
Inform your doctor immediately. Do not take any other medicine for the infection without your doctor's advice.
You may have problems with your bones
Some patients receiving combined HIV treatment develop a bone disease calledosteonecrosis. With this disease, part of the bone tissue dies due to a reduction in blood supply to the bone. People are more likely to develop this disease:
The signs of osteonecrosis include:
If you notice any of these symptoms:
Inform your doctor.
Reporting side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible side effect not mentioned in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish System for the Vigilance of Medicinal Products for Human Use: https://www.notificaram.es. By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information about the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the box, bottle label or blister pack after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Bottle only: Write the date the bottle was opened in the space provided on the label and/or case. Do not use this medication after 90 days of its opening.
This medication does not require any special storage temperature. Store in the original packaging to protect it from light.
Medicines should not be thrown down the drains or in the trash. If in doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the containers and medications that you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.
Composition of Abacavir/LamivudineViatris
The active ingredients of each film-coated tablet are abacavir sulfate equivalent to 600 mg of abacavir and 300 mg of lamivudine.
The other components are microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, magnesium stearate, anhydrous colloidal silica, and talc. The coating contains hypromellose, titanium dioxide (E-171), macrogol, and polisorbate 80.
Appearance of Abacavir/LamivudineViatrisand packaging contents
White, rectangular, biconvex film-coated tablet, engraved with “AL12” on one face and “M” on the other.
It is presented in plastic bottles with a white opaque child-resistant closure containing 30 tablets and in packs containing 30, 30x1 (perforated unit dose blisters) or 90 tablets or in multi-packs of 90 tablets consisting of 3 packs, each containing 30 tablets.
Only some pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder:
Viatris Limited
Damastown Industrial Park
Mulhuddart, Dublin 15
Dublin
Ireland
Manufacturers:
Mylan Hungary Kft
Mylan utca 1.
Komárom, 2900
Hungary
O
Mylan Germany GmbH
Zweigniederlassung Bad Homburg v. d. Hoehe
Benzstrasse 1, Bad Homburg v. d. Hoehe
Hessen, 61352, Germany
For more information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
Viatris Pharmaceuticals, S.L.
C/ General Aranaz, 86
28027 - Madrid
Spain
This medicine is authorized in the member states of the European Economic Area and in the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) with the following names:
GermanyAbacavir/LamivudinMylan Pharma600 mg/300 mg Filmtabletten
AustriaAbacavir/LamivudinViatris600 mg/300 mg Filmtabletten
BelgiumAbacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg filmomhuldetabletten
BulgariaAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatris 600 mg/300 mg film-coated tablets
DenmarkAbacavir/LamivudineViatris
SpainAbacavir/LamivudinaViatris600 mg/300 mg comprimidos EFG
EstoniaAbacavir/LamivudineViatris
FinlandAbakavir/LamivudinViatris
FranceABACAVIR/LAMIVUDINE VIATRIS 600 mg/300 mg comprimé pelliculé
GreeceAbacavir/LamivudineMylan Pharma600 mg/300 mg film-coated tablets
IrelandAbacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg Film-coated Tablets
LatviaAbacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg apvalkotas tabletes
LithuaniaAbacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg plevele dengtos tabletes
LuxembourgAbacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg comprimés pelliculés
NorwayAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatris
NetherlandsAbacavir/Lamivudine Viatris 600 mg/300 mg filmomhulde tabletten
PortugalAbacavir/LamivudinaMylan600 mg/300 mg comprimidos revestidos por película
United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)Abacavir/LamivudineViatris600 mg/300 mg Film-coated Tablets
RomaniaAbacavir/LamivudinaViatris600 mg/300 mg comprimate filmate
SwedenAbakavir/LamivudinViatris
Last review date of this leaflet:December 2024
For detailed and updated information about this medicine, please visit the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) https://www.aemps.gob.es/
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.