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warnings and cautions
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS 5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS 5.1 Risk of Limited Oral Absorption Absorption of orally administered atovaquone oral suspension is limited but can be significantly increased when the drug is taken with food. Failure to administer atovaquone oral suspension with food may result in lower plasma atovaquone concentrations and may limit response to therapy. Consider therapy with other agents in patients who have difficulty taking atovaquone oral suspension with food or in patients who have gastrointestinal disorders that may limit absorption of oral medications [see Clinical Pharmacology (Section 12.3)]. 5.2 Hepatotoxicity Cases of cholestatic hepatitis, elevated liver enzymes, and fatal liver failure have been reported in patients treated with atovaquone [see Adverse Reactions (Section 6.2)]. If treating patients with severe hepatic impairment, closely monitor patients following administration of atovaquone oral suspension. -------------- WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS ----------------- Failure to administer atovaquone oral suspension with food may result in lower plasma atovaquone concentrations and may limit response to therapy. Patients with gastrointestinal disorders may have limited absorption resulting in suboptimal atovaquone concentrations. (5.1) Hepatotoxicity: Elevated liver chemistry tests and cases of hepatitis and fatal liver failure have been reported. (5.2) 5.1 Risk of Limited Oral Absorption Absorption of orally administered atovaquone oral suspension is limited but can be significantly increased when the drug is taken with food. Failure to administer atovaquone oral suspension with food may result in lower plasma atovaquone concentrations and may limit response to therapy. Consider therapy with other agents in patients who have difficulty taking atovaquone oral suspension with food or in patients who have gastrointestinal disorders that may limit absorption of oral medications [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. 5.2 Hepatotoxicity Cases of cholestatic hepatitis, elevated liver enzymes, and fatal liver failure have been reported in patients treated with atovaquone [see Adverse Reactions (6.2)]. If treating patients with severe hepatic impairment, closely monitor patients following administration of atovaquone oral suspension.
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adverse reactions
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS 6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following adverse reaction is discussed in another section of the labeling: Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (Section 5.2)]. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared with rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Additionally, because many subjects who participated in clinical trials with atovaquone had complications of advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, it was often difficult to distinguish adverse reactions caused by atovaquone from those caused by underlying medical conditions. PCP Prevention Trials In two clinical trials, atovaquone oral suspension was compared with dapsone or aerosolized pentamidine in HIV-1-infected adolescent (13 to 18 years) and adult subjects at risk of PCP (CD4 count < 200 cells/mm3 or a prior episode of PCP) and unable to tolerate TMP-SMX. Dapsone Comparative Trial: In the dapsone comparative trial (n = 1,057), the majority of subjects were white (64%), male (88%), and receiving prophylaxis for PCP at randomization (73%); the mean age was 38 years. Subjects received atovaquone oral suspension 1,500 mg once daily (n = 536) or dapsone 100 mg once daily (n = 521); median durations of exposure were 6.7 and 6.5 months, respectively. Adverse reaction data were collected only for adverse reactions requiring discontinuation of treatment, which occurred at similar frequencies in subjects treated with atovaquone oral suspension or dapsone (Table 1). Among subjects taking neither dapsone nor atovaquone at enrollment (n = 487), adverse reactions requiring discontinuation of treatment occurred in 43% of subjects treated with dapsone and 20% of subjects treated with atovaquone oral suspension. Gastrointestinal adverse reactions (nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting) were more frequently reported in subjects treated with atovaquone oral suspension (Table 1). Table 1. Percentage (> 2%) of Subjects with Selected Adverse Reactions Requiring Discontinuation of Treatment in the Dapsone Comparative PCP Prevention Trial Adverse Reaction All Subjects Atovaquone Oral Suspension 1,500 mg/day (n = 536) % Dapsone 100 mg/day (n = 521) % Rash 6.3 8.8 Nausea 4.1 0.6 Diarrhea 3.2 0.2 Vo...
adverse reactions table
Table 1. Percentage (> 2%) of Subjects with Selected Adverse Reactions Requiring Discontinuation of Treatment in the Dapsone Comparative PCP Prevention TrialAdverse Reaction All Subjects Atovaquone Oral Suspension 1,500 mg/day (n = 536) % Dapsone 100 mg/day (n = 521) % Rash 6.3 8.8Nausea 4.1 0.6Diarrhea 3.2 0.2Vomiting 2.2 0.6