What is Voclosporin?
In adults with SLE, voclosporin can be used in conjunction with other medications to treat kidney disease (active lupus nephritis).This medication guide does not list all possible uses of voclosporin.
Side effects of Voclosporin
Symptoms of allergic reactions may include: hives, difficulty breathing and swelling of lips, face, tongue or throat. Seek medical assistance immediately if this happens to you.
Voclosporin may cause serious side effects. If you experience:
- Pain or burning after urinating;
- Kidney problems: little or no urine, swelling of the feet or ankles, and feeling tired or breathless;
- High blood pressure—severe headache, blurred vision, or a pounding feeling in your neck and ears.
- Nervous system issues: confusion, vision changes, headaches, feeling less alertness, tremors, numbness, tingling seizure can be symptoms.
- High potassium level: nausea, tingly feelings, chest pains, irregular heartbeats, and loss of mobility; or
- Low red blood cells (anemia)--pale or unusually tired skin, feeling lightheaded or short-of-breath, cold hands and/or feet
Voclosporin side effects may include:
- Kidney problems;
- Anemia;
- High blood pressure
- Diarrhea, stomach pain, and heartburn.
- Tremors;
- Mouth sores;
- Headache, tiredness;
- Painful urination
- Hair loss.
There may be other side effects. For medical advice on side effects, call your doctor. The FDA can be contacted at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report side effects.
Similar/related drugs
Benlysta, Lupkynis, Prednisone, and Belimumab
Warnings
Inform your doctor of all the medications you are taking, as well as any new ones. Some drugs are not to be taken together, and others can cause drug interactions.
Voclosporin can increase your risk of certain cancers, such as cancer of the skin and lymphoma.Voclosporin affects your immune system. You could get more serious infections, including fatal ones.
Before you take this drug
If you have an allergy to voclosporin, then it is best not to use it.
Many drugs can cause harmful interactions. Voclosporin should not be taken with certain drugs. If you are also taking
- Cyclophosphamide;
- Nefazodone;
- An antibiotic—clarithromycin, telithromycin;
- Antifungal medicine: itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole; or
- Antiviral medicines to treat HIV and hepatitis C include boceprevir (cobicistat), dasabuvir (elvitegravir), indinavir (lopinavir/ritonavir), nelfinavir (ombitasvir), paritaprevir, saquinavir, telaprevir, and tipranavir.
Tell your doctor if you're pregnant or nursing if you take voclosporin along with another medicine.
Inform your doctor of any of the following issues:
- Heart rhythm problems
- Long-QT syndrome
- An electrolyte imbalance is a low potassium or magnesium level in the blood.
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Liver or kidney disease
Voclosporin can increase your risk of certain cancers, such as skin cancer and lymphoma. Your doctor can tell you more about your risk.
Voclosporin is alcohol-containing and should not be used during pregnancy. Untreated active lupus during pregnancy can cause complications, such as eclampsia. This is dangerously high blood pressure, which can cause medical problems for both mother and child. Treatment of kidney disease may be worth it if the risks to your baby are minimal.
Voclosporin can be used with mycophenolate molecules. Mycophenolate mofetil can cause miscarriage and birth defects. Men and women should both use effective contraception during treatment and for a short time after (women 6 weeks and men 90 days).Do not breastfeed for 7 days after the last dose of voclosporin.
How to take Voclosporin?
Read all the instructions or guides that come with your medication and follow the directions. Sometimes, your doctor will change the dose. You must take the medication exactly as prescribed.Do not open, crush, break, or chew the capsule. If you are having trouble swallowing the capsule, tell your doctor.
Voclosporin should be taken on an empty stomach at least one hour before or two hours after eating.Dosages should be taken at intervals of 12 hours. Take your doses at least 8 hours apart.Voclosporin affects your immune system. You could get more infections, including serious or deadly infections. You will be required to undergo frequent medical tests. The results of your tests may delay or stop the treatment you are receiving with voclosporin.
You will need to check your blood pressure regularly.Keep voclosporin at room temperature and away from heat, moisture, andvoclosporin may be effective or safe for a longer period of time than one year.
Details on dosage
Adult dosage for Lupus Nephritis:
Take 23.7 mg twice daily.
Comments:
The use of this drug with cyclophosphamide has not been proven to be safe or effective.
Use this drug with corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).
Determine the actual estimated glomerular filtering rate (egfr) prior to starting treatment.
The dosage of this drug should be adjusted according to the patient's egfr.
Check the blood pressure at baseline. Do not start treatment if it is greater than 165/105 mmhg or if hypertensive emergencies are present.
If the patient has not experienced therapeutic benefits by 24 weeks, then it is time to consider discontinuing treatment.
Safety and efficacy have not been proven beyond the first year.
Use: As part of a background immunosuppressive regimen in the treatment of adult patients with active Lupus Nephritis
What happens if I miss the dose?
If you miss a dose by more than four hours, you should take the medication as soon as possible. Take only one dose at a time.
What happens if I overdose?
Call 1-800-222-1222 for poison help or seek immediate medical attention.The symptoms of an overdose may include headaches, tremors or weakness, vomiting, and infections.
What should be avoided?
You should not use voclosporin while receiving a live vaccine. It is possible that the vaccine will not protect you as well or work at all. Live vaccines are available for measles (MMR), rubella, typhoid (Yellow Fever), varicella (chickenpox), zika (shingles), and influenza (nasal flu).
You could get sunburn faster if you use voclosporin. Avoid tanning beds or sunlight. When you're outdoors, wear protective clothing and use sunblock (SPF 30 or higher).Grapefruit can interact with voclosporin, causing unwanted side effects. Use grapefruit products sparingly.
Interaction with other drug
Voclosporin may cause serious heart problems. You are at greater risk if you use other medications for heart disease, HIV,depression, and mental illness.
Some drugs shouldn't be taken together with voclosporin. Inform your doctor of all the medicines you are taking and those that you have stopped using. Included are prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. This list does not include all possible interactions.
