Learn About VIREAD

What is VIREAD?

VIREAD (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) is a prescription medicine used to treat chronic hepatitis B in adults. VIREAD will not cure the hepatitis B virus. VIREAD may help lower the amount of the hepatitis B virus in the body by lowering the ability of the virus to multiply.1 VIREAD may improve the condition of your liver. The long-term effects of taking VIREAD for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection are not known.

VIREAD does not reduce the risk of passing the hepatitis B virus to others through sexual contact or blood contamination. Continue to practice safe sex and do not use or share dirty needles. Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes or razor blades. A hepatitis B vaccination (a series of three shots) is available to protect people at risk of becoming infected with the hepatitis B virus.

How does VIREAD work?

VIREAD works by interfering with the normal working of an enzyme that is essential for the hepatitis B virus to reproduce itself. VIREAD may help lower the amount of the hepatitis B virus in your body by lowering the ability of the virus to multiply.1

VIREAD dosing

The usual dose of VIREAD is one 300-mg tablet once a day. If you have kidney problems, your doctor may recommend that you take VIREAD less often.1 In the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, the optimal duration of treatment is unknown.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. VIREAD may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how VIREAD works.

For more information, please see How to take VIREAD.

IMPORTANT RISK INFORMATION

VIREAD can cause serious side effects, including:

  • Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis): Lactic acidosis can happen in some people who take VIREAD or similar (nucleoside analog) medicines. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following symptoms which could be signs of lactic acidosis: feeling very weak or tired, have unusual muscle pain, have trouble breathing, have stomach pain with nausea/vomiting, feel cold, especially in your arms and legs, feel dizzy or lightheaded, have a fast or irregular heartbeat.
  • Severe liver problems: Severe liver problems can happen in people who take VIREAD or similar medicines. In some cases these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and you may develop fat in your liver (steatosis) when you take VIREAD. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of liver problems: Your skin or the white part of your eyes turn yellow (jaundice), dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored bowel movements, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, stomach pain.
    • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking VIREAD or a similar medicine for a long time
  • Worsening of your Hepatitis B infection: Your hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may become worse (flare up) if you take VIREAD and then stop it. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way then before. Do not let your VIREAD run out. Do not stop taking VIREAD without first talking to your healthcare provider. If you stop taking VIREAD, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do regular blood tests to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking VIREAD.

For additional risk information for VIREAD, including boxed WARNINGS, please click here. Also, please see FDA-Approved Patient Labeling and Full Prescribing Information.

Reference:

  1. VIREAD (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) Prescribing Information. Foster City, CA: Gilead Sciences, Inc.; October 2010.