Quick facts
EPZICOM combines two effective HIV medicines in one tablet that you take with or without food.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS and Medication Guide
EPZICOM contains abacavir, which is also contained in ZIAGEN® (abacavir sulfate) and TRIZIVIR® (abacavir sulfate, lamivudine, and zidovudine). Patients taking EPZICOM may have a serious allergic reaction (hypersensitivity reaction) that can cause death. Your risk of this allergic reaction is much higher if you have a gene variation called HLA-B*5701 than if you do not.
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Treating HIV
Fight HIV every step of the way
HIV may attack your healthy cells, but did you know you could turn the tables and attack HIV, too? Different HIV treatments are designed to combat different steps in the HIV life cycle – while it's working to make copies of itself in your T-cells. Getting the right combination therapy is not only valuable, it can also make HIV undetectable in your blood.
Put the right HIV treatment in your corner
Today, people with HIV can live longer than ever. Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), also known as combination therapy, has been very successful in aggressively treating HIV. HAART combines three or more anti-HIV drugs from the categories listed below:
Entry Inhibitors
These HIV treatments help stop HIV from unlocking and entering T-cells in the first place. There are 2 kinds of entry inhibitors: entry inhibitors and fusion Inhibitors.
NRTIs and NNRTIs
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), or "nucs" and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), or "non-nucs" – NRTIs are referred to as the "backbone" medicines, because they are the building blocks for most treatment plans. They prevent HIV from using the chemical reverse transcriptase to "disguise" itself once inside the T-cell. EPZICOM combines two NRTIs in one pill. NNRTIs work in a similar way to NRTIs.
Integrase Inhibitors
Integrase Inhibitors – These medicines prevent HIV from using a chemical called integrase to get inside a T-cell's command center. Without the control of the command center, HIV cannot tell the cell to start manufacturing HIV parts.
Protease Inhibitors
Protease Inhibitors (PIs) — PIs prevent the HIV parts from being assembled into finished copies of HIV. Without finished copies, HIV cannot effectively invade other T-cells.
Staying on track and in control
Developing an effective treatment plan is one of the most important things you can do to help keep HIV under control. To see how well your current treatment plan is working, your doctor will use basic blood tests to check your T-cell count and your viral load.
Once you have the right HIV treatment plan for you, it’s important to stick to it. Taking your medicine at the same time every day will help keep the right levels of medication in your bloodstream and maximize its effectiveness. Advances in HIV therapy can help to make it easier to stick to your daily treatment routine. One example of this is a medicine such as EPZICOM. By combining two effective HIV medicines in one daily tablet, taking EPZICOM means that you’ll have fewer pills to keep track of every day.
Resistance reminder
Continuing to take HIV treatments that are not working can cause changes in your HIV, which may make other drugs less effective in the future. This is called drug resistance, and it’s an important reason to keep monitoring the success of your HIV treatment plan. Make sure you’re working with your doctor to have the most effective combination therapy for you.
Explore EPZICOM.com
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Important Safety Information
EPZICOM contains abacavir, which is also contained in ZIAGEN® (abacavir sulfate) and TRIZIVIR® (abacavir sulfate, lamivudine, and zidovudine). Patients taking EPZICOM may have a serious allergic reaction (hypersensitivity reaction) that can cause death. Your risk of this allergic reaction is much higher if you have a gene variation called HLA-B*5701 than if you do not. Your doctor can determine with a blood test if you have this gene variation. If you get a symptom from 2 or more of the following groups while taking EPZICOM, call your doctor right away to determine if you should stop taking this medicine.
- Fever
- Rash
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal (stomach area) pain
- Generally ill feeling, extreme tiredness, or achiness
- Shortness of breath, cough, or sore throat
Indication
- EPZICOM, in combination with other antiretroviral agents, is indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults.
- EPZICOM is one of 3 medicines containing abacavir. Before starting EPZICOM, your healthcare provider will review your medical history in order to avoid the use of abacavir if you have experienced an allergic reaction to abacavir in the past.
- In one study, more patients had a severe hypersensitivity reaction in the abacavir once-daily group than in the abacavir twice-daily group.
- EPZICOM should not be used as part of a triple-nucleoside regimen.
- EPZICOM does not cure HIV infection/AIDS or prevent passing HIV to others.
Carefully read the Warning Card that your pharmacist gives you and carry it with you at all times.
If you stop EPZICOM because of an allergic reaction, NEVER take EPZICOM (abacavir sulfate and lamivudine) or any other abacavir-containing medicine (ZIAGEN and TRIZIVIR) again. If you take EPZICOM or any other abacavir-containing medicine again after you have had an allergic reaction, WITHIN HOURS you may get life-threatening symptoms that may include very low blood pressure or death.
If you stop EPZICOM for any other reason, even for a few days, and you are not allergic to EPZICOM, talk with your healthcare provider before taking it again. Taking EPZICOM again can cause a serious allergic or life-threatening reaction, even if you never had an allergic reaction before. If your healthcare provider tells you that you can take EPZICOM again, start taking it when you are around medical help or people who can call a healthcare provider if you need one.
A buildup of lactic acid in the blood and an enlarged liver, including fatal cases, have been reported.
Do not take EPZICOM if your liver does not function normally.
Some patients infected with both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV have worsening of hepatitis after stopping lamivudine (a component of EPZICOM). Discuss any change in treatment with your healthcare provider. If you have both HBV and HIV and stop treatment with EPZICOM, you should be closely monitored by your healthcare provider for at least several months.
Worsening of liver disease (sometimes resulting in death) has occurred in patients infected with both HIV and hepatitis C virus who are taking anti-HIV medicines and are also being treated for hepatitis C with interferon with or without ribavirin. If you are taking EPZICOM as well as interferon with or without ribavirin and you experience side effects, be sure to tell your healthcare provider.
When you start taking HIV medicines, your immune system may get stronger and could begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body, such as pneumonia, herpes virus, or tuberculosis. If you have new symptoms after starting your HIV medicines, be sure to tell your healthcare provider.
Changes in body fat may occur in some patients taking antiretroviral therapy. These changes may include an increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck ("buffalo hump"), breast, and around the trunk. Loss of fat from the legs, arms, and face may also occur. The cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known at this time.
Some HIV medicines, including those containing abacavir (ZIAGEN, EPZICOM, and TRIZIVIR), may increase your risk of heart attack. If you have heart problems, smoke, or suffer from diseases that increase your risk of heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, tell your healthcare provider.
The most common side effects seen with the drugs in EPZICOM dosed once-daily were allergic reaction, trouble sleeping, depression, headache, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, rash, fever, stomach pain, abnormal dreams, and anxiety. Most of these side effects did not cause people to stop taking EPZICOM.