Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

US Brand Name

  1. Daklinza

Descriptions


Daclatasvir is used together with sofosbuvir and with or without ribavirin to treat chronic hepatitis C infection.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before Using

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of daclatasvir in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of daclatasvir in the elderly.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Carbamazepine
  • Enzalutamide
  • Fosphenytoin
  • Mitotane
  • Phenytoin
  • Rifampin
  • St John's Wort

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Abametapir
  • Alpelisib
  • Amiodarone
  • Avacopan
  • Boceprevir
  • Bosentan
  • Clarithromycin
  • Cobicistat
  • Conivaptan
  • Cyclosporine
  • Dabigatran Etexilate
  • Dexamethasone
  • Digoxin
  • Efavirenz
  • Etravirine
  • Fedratinib
  • Fexinidazole
  • Fosnetupitant
  • Idelalisib
  • Indinavir
  • Itraconazole
  • Ketoconazole
  • Lopinavir
  • Mavacamten
  • Mavorixafor
  • Modafinil
  • Morphine
  • Morphine Sulfate Liposome
  • Nafcillin
  • Nefazodone
  • Nelfinavir
  • Netupitant
  • Nevirapine
  • Omaveloxolone
  • Oxcarbazepine
  • Phenobarbital
  • Posaconazole
  • Prednisone
  • Primidone
  • Repotrectinib
  • Rifabutin
  • Ritonavir
  • Saquinavir
  • Seladelpar
  • Simeprevir
  • Talazoparib
  • Tazemetostat
  • Telaprevir
  • Telithromycin
  • Tenofovir Alafenamide
  • Topotecan
  • Ubrogepant
  • Venetoclax
  • Voriconazole
  • Warfarin

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

  • Grapefruit Juice

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Heart disease or
  • Liver disease—Use with caution. May increase risk for bradycardia (slow heartbeat) when used together with sofosbuvir and amiodarone.
  • Hepatitis B, or history of—Use with caution. May cause this condition to become active again.

Proper Use

To help clear up your infection completely, take daclatasvir together with sofosbuvir for the full time of treatment, even if you begin to feel better after a few days. Also, it is important to keep the amount of medicine in your body at a steady level. To help keep the amount constant, daclatsvir must be used on a regular schedule.

This medicine should come with patient information leaflet. Read and follow the instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.

Take this medicine with or without food.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

  • For oral dosage form (tablets):
    • For chronic hepatitis C, with sofosbuvir:
      • Adults—60 milligrams (mg) once a day for 12 weeks.
      • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects. Blood tests will be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine together with ribavirin while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. These medicines may also cause birth defects if the father is using it when his sexual partner becomes pregnant. Avoid pregnancy during combination treatment with daclatasvir, sofosbuvir, and ribavirin for 6 months of stopping treatment. If a pregnancy occurs while you are using these medicines, tell your doctor right away.

Do not use this medicine together with certain other medicines, including carbamazepine (Tegretol®), phenytoin (Dilantin®), rifampin (Rifadin®), or St. John's wort. Using these medicines together may cause unwanted effects.

Do not use this medicine together with sofosbuvir and amiodarone. Using these medicines together may increase your risk of bradycardia. Symptoms of bradycardia include chest pain or discomfort, lightheadedness, dizziness or fainting, shortness of breath, slow or irregular heartbeat, or unusual tiredness.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Incidence not known

  1. Chest pain or discomfort
  2. lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
  3. slow or irregular heartbeat
  4. unusual tiredness

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

  1. Headache
  2. nausea

Less common

  1. Diarrhea

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.