Adverse effects of dolutegravir are infrequent but may include insomnia, headache, increased serum aminotransferase levels, and, rarely, rash. A hypersensitivity reaction, including rash and systemic symptoms, has been reported; the drug should be discontinued immediately if this occurs and not restarted. Dolutegravir increases serum creatinine by inhibiting tubular secretion of creatinine but has no effect on actual glomerular filtration rate.
Dolutegravir is primarily metabolized via UGT1A1 with some contribution from CYP3A. Therefore, multiple drug-drug interactions may occur (Table 49–3 and 49–4). Levels of dolutegravir may decrease when co-administered with efavirenz, etravirine, nevirapine, rifampin, or rifapentine, in some instances necessitating increased doses of dolutegravir or boosting or both. Co-administration with the metabolic inducers oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, and St. John’s wort should be avoided. Dolutegravir inhibits the renal organic cation transporter OCT2, thereby increasing plasma concentrations of drugs eliminated via OCT2 such as dofetilide and metformin. For this reason, co-administration with dofetilide is contraindicated and close monitoring, with potential for dose adjustment, is recommended for co-administration with metformin.
Elvitegravir should be taken with food, and it should be taken 2 hours before or 6 hours after cation-containing antacids or laxatives, sucralfate, oral iron supplements, oral calcium supplements, or buffered medications. Peak levels occur within 4 hours of ingestion; elvitegravir is highly protein bound (>98%).
Elvitegravir requires boosting with an additional drug, such as cobicistat (a pharmacokinetic enhancer that inhibits CYP3A4 as well as certain intestinal transport proteins) or ritonavir. Cobicistat inhibits renal tubular secretion of creatinine; therefore, fixed-dose combinations need to be adjusted for renal function.
There appear to be few adverse effects associated with elvitegravir per se but may include diarrhea, rash, and elevation in hepatic aminotransferases.
Elvitegravir is primarily metabolized by CYP3A enzymes, so drugs that induce or inhibit the action of CYP3A may affect serum levels of elvitegravir (Table 49–3 and 49–4). In addition, cobicistat and ritonavir strongly inhibit CYP3A. Elvitegravir levels may be lowered by concurrent efavirenz or nevirapine, rifampin, rifabutin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, or St. John’s wort. Concurrent use of azole antifungal drugs is contraindicated due to a potential increase in elvitegravir levels; rifabutin levels may also be increased by concurrent elvitegravir. Elvitegravir also induces CYP2D9 and may lower concentrations of substrates of this enzyme. With the fixed dose combination, concurrent alfuzosin or atazanavir, cisapride, darunavir, efavirenz, etravirine, fosamprenavir, ledipasvir, lopinavir/ ritonavir, methylprednisolone, midazolam, nevirapine, pimozide, prednisolone, rifampin, rifabutin are contraindicated.