Glecaprevir and Pibrentasvir

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 glecaprevir and pibrentasvir 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 glecaprevir and pibrentasvir. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after your treatment, call your doctor immediately: excessive tiredness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, loss of appetite, nausea, 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 glecaprevir and pibrentasvir.

Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking glecaprevir and pibrentasvir.

🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?

The combination of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir is used to treat certain types of chronic (long-term) hepatitis C infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus) in adults and children 3 years of age and older. It is also used to treat certain types of chronic hepatitis C infection in adults and children 3 years of age and older who have already received another medication to treat their hepatitis C infection. Glecaprevir is in a class of medications called HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors. It works by decreasing the amount of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the body. Pibrentasvir is in a class of medications called HCV NS5A inhibitors. It works by stopping the virus that causes hepatitis C to spread inside the body.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

The combination of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir comes as a tablet or pellets to take by mouth. It is usually taken with food once daily for 8 to 16 weeks. Your doctor will tell you how many tablets or packets of pellets to take for each dose. Take glecaprevir and pibrentasvir 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 glecaprevir and pibrentasvir exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Glecaprevir and pibrentasvir pellets should be taken with soft foods without chewing. To prepare a dose of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir pellets with soft food, sprinkle the entire contents of packets of pellets in a bowl or cup on a small amount of soft food such as peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, cream cheese, jam, or greek yogurt. Do not mix the pellets with liquid or foods that may slide off the spoon to prevent the medicine from dissolving too fast. Give the entire mixture within 15 minutes of sprinkling the pellets on food. If pellets stick to the bowl or cup, add a small amount of soft food and swallow the rest of the mixture. To avoid a bitter aftertaste, the pellets should not be chewed or dissolved in the food.

The average length of the portion of a doctor appointment in which the patient actually sees the doctor is up from previous years, rising by about 12 seconds per year, according to Reuters. However, 60% of physicians report dissatisfaction with the amount of time they spend with their patients, athenaInsight Many doctors now spend more time on paperwork than seeing patients, and a primary care physician who spends 5 minutes of face-to-face time with a patient will spend another 19.3 minutes, on average, working on that patient’s electronic health records (EHRs).

Continue to take glecaprevir and pibrentasvir even if you feel well. The length of your treatment depends on your condition, if you have previously taken certain HCV medications, how well you respond to the medication, and whether you experience serious side effects. Do not stop taking glecaprevir and pibrentasvir without talking to your doctor.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.