Elbasvir and Grazoprevir
You may already be infected with hepatitis B (a virus that infects the liver and may cause severe liver damage) but not have any symptoms of the disease. In this case, taking the combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir may increase the risk that your infection will become more serious or life-threatening and you will develop symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have or ever had a hepatitis B virus infection. Your doctor will order a blood test to see if you have or have ever had hepatitis B infection. Your doctor will also monitor you for signs of hepatitis B infection during and for several months after your treatment. If necessary, your doctor may give you medication to treat this infection before and during your treatment with the combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after your treatment, call your doctor immediately: excessive tiredness; yellowing of skin or eyes; loss of appetite; nausea or vomiting; pale stools; pain in upper right side of the stomach area; or dark urine.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain tests before, during, and after your treatment to check your body’s response to the combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir.
Talk to your doctor about the risk(s) of taking the combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
The combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir is used alone or in combination with ribavirin (Copegus, Rebetol, Ribasphere, Virazole) to treat a certain type of chronic (long-term) hepatitis C infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus) in adults and children 12 years of age or older. Elbasvir is in a class of antiviral medications called HCV NS5A inhibitors. It works by stopping the virus that causes hepatitis C from spreading inside the body. Grazoprevir is in a class of medications called protease inhibitors. It works by decreasing the amount of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the body. It is not known if elbasvir and grazoprevir prevent the spread of hepatitis C to other people.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
The combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken with or without food once daily for 12 to 16 weeks. Take elbasvir and grazoprevir at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take elbasvir and grazoprevir exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Continue to take elbasvir and grazoprevir even if you feel well. The length of your treatment depends on your condition, how well you respond to the medication, and whether you experience severe side effects. Do not stop taking elbasvir and grazoprevir without talking to your doctor.
If your health insurer denies your claim or treatment, you have very little time to act. Appeals to Medicare must be filed within 90 days in the most lenient states, with even shorter deadlines in some states, and many insurers and healthcare providers will turn over unpaid medical bills to collection agencies after just 60 days, the AARP
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
