Drug-Induced Hepatitis (June 2005)

Roche Pharmaceuticals has notified health care professionals about new information that reinforces a contraindication when prescribing combination antiretroviral therapy for treating HIV infection.. Rifampin has been contraindicated with saquinavir, because the rifampin will reduce plasma levels of saquinavir. A study was recently performed to see whether boosting saquinavir with ritonavir would overcome this problem. But when healthy volunteers in the study were given rifampin along with the combination of saquinavir and ritonavir, 39 percent developed significant hepatocellular toxicity. As a result, Roche Pharmaceuticals is cautioning that rifampin should not be given to patients who are also receiving a combination of saquinavir and ritonavir.