An Overview of Ziagen (Abacavir)

What should I tell my health care provider before taking abacavir?

Before taking abacavir, tell your health care provider:

• If you are allergic to abacavir or any other medicines.
• If you have been tested and know whether or not you have a particular gene variation called HLA-B*5701.
• If you have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or have other liver problems.
• If you have heart problems, smoke, or have diseases that increase your risk of heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.
• If you have any other medical conditions.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Whether abacavir can harm an unborn baby is unknown.
• If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you are infected with HIV or are taking abacavir.
• About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Abacavir may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how abacavir works. Taking abacavir together with certain medicines or products may cause serious side effects.

How should I take abacavir?

Abacavir comes in two forms:

• 300-mg tablets (brand name: Ziagen).
• 20-mg/mL oral solution (a strawberry- and banana-flavored liquid, brand name: Ziagen).

Take abacavir according to your health care provider's instructions.

Take abacavir with or without food.

Always take abacavir in combination with other anti-HIV medicines.

Children 3 months of age and older can also take abacavir. The child's health care provider will decide the right dose and whether the child should take the tablet or liquid, based on the child's weight. The dose should not be more than the recommended adult dose.

If you take too much abacavir, contact your local poison control center (1-800-222-1222) or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

For more information on how to take abacavir, see the FDA drug label from DailyMed. (DailyMed is a federal website that includes the most recent drug labels submitted to FDA.)

What should I do if I forget a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. But if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and just take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose. If you miss several doses of abacavir, call your health care provider before taking abacavir again.

What side effects can abacavir cause?

Abacavir can cause serious, life-threatening side effects. These include allergic reactions, lactic acidosis (buildup of acid in the blood), and liver problems. (See the WARNING above.)

Other possible side effects of abacavir include:

• Changes in the immune system (immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome).
• Changes in body fat (lipodystrophy).

Tell your health care provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of abacavir. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist for more information on possible side effects of abacavir.

How should abacavir be stored?

• Store abacavir at room temperature, 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).
• Do not freeze abacavir. Abacavir oral solution may be refrigerated.
• Safely throw away abacavir that is no longer needed or expired (out of date).
• Keep abacavir and all medicines out of reach of children.

Where can I find more information about abacavir?

More information about abacavir is available:

• The abacavir drug label, from DailyMed. The Patient Counseling Information section of the label includes information for people taking abacavir.
• Abacavir-related research studies, from the AIDSinfo database of ClinicalTrials.gov study summaries.
• A list of FDA-approved generics for anti-HIV medicines, from FDA.

Manufacturer Information

GlaxoSmithKline
888-825-5249