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Voriconazole 50mg & 200mg Film-Coated Tablets
Voriconazole 50 mg, 200 mg Film-Coated Tablets
Voriconazole
1. What Voriconazole is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Voriconazole
3. How to take Voriconazole
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Voriconazole
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Voriconazole tablets contain the active substance voriconazole. Voriconazole is an antifungal medicine. It works by killing or stopping the growth of the fungi that cause infections.
It is used for the treatment of patients (adults and children over the age of 2) with:
Voriconazole is intended for patients with worsening, possibly life-threatening, fungal infections.
Prevention of fungal infections in high risk bone marrow transplant recipients.
This product should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.
If you are allergic to voriconazole or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
It is very important that you inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have taken any other medicines, even those that are obtained without a prescription, or herbal medicines.
The medicines in the following list must not be taken during your course of Voriconazole treatment:
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Voriconazole if:
You should avoid any sunlight and sun exposure while being treated. It is important to cover sun exposed areas of skin and use sunscreen with high sun protection factor (SPF), as an increased sensitivity of skin to the sun’s UV rays can occur. This may be further increased by other medicines that sensitise the skin to sunlight, like methotrexate. These precautions are also applicable to children.
While being treated with Voriconazole:
Tell your doctor immediately if you develop
If you develop skin disorders as described above, your doctor may refer you to a dermatologist, who after consultation may decide that it is important for you to be seen on a regular basis. There is a small chance that skin cancer could develop with long-term use of voriconazole.
If you develop signs of ‘adrenal insufficiency’ where the adrenal glands do not produce adequate amounts of certain steroid hormones such as cortisol which may lead to symptoms such as: chronic, or long lasting fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, please tell your doctor.
If you develop signs of ‘Cushing’s syndrome’ where the body produces too much of the hormone cortisol which may lead to symptoms such as: weight gain, fatty hump between the shoulders, a rounded face, darkening of the skin on the stomach, thighs breasts, and arms, thinning skin, bruising easily, high blood sugar, excessive hair growth, excessive sweating, please tell your doctor.
Your doctor should monitor the function of your liver and kidney by doing blood tests.
Voriconazole should not be given to children younger than 2 years of age.
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including those that are obtained without a prescription.
Some medicines, when taken at the same time as voriconazole, may affect the way voriconazole works or voriconazole may affect the way they work.
Tell your doctor if you are taking the following medicine, as treatment with Voriconazole at the same time should be avoided if possible:
Tell your doctor if you are taking either of the following medicines, as treatment with Voriconazole at the same time should be avoided if possible, and a dose adjustment of voriconazole may be required:
Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines, as a dose adjustment or monitoring may be required to check that the medicines and/ or Voriconazole are still having the desired effect:
Voriconazole must not be taken during pregnancy, unless indicated by your doctor. Effective contraception must be used in women of childbearing potential. Contact your doctor immediately if you become pregnant while taking Voriconazole.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Voriconazole may cause blurring of vision or uncomfortable sensitivity to light. While affected, do not drive or operate any tools or machines. Contact your doctor if you experience this.
If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per film-coated tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Your doctor will determine your dose depending on your weight and the type of infection you have.
The recommended dose for adults (including elderly patients) is as follows:
Dose for the first 24 hours (Loading Dose) for Patients 40 kg and above is 400 mg every 12 hours for the first 24 hours
Dose for the first 24 hours (Loading Dose) for Patients less than 40 kg is 200 mg every 12 hours for the first 24 hours
Dose after the first 24 hours (Maintenance Dose) for Patients 40 kg and above is 200 mg twice a day
Dose after the first 24 hours (Maintenance Dose) for Patients less than 40 kg is 100 mg twice a day
Depending on your response to treatment, your doctor may increase the daily dose to 300 mg twice a day.
The doctor may decide to decrease the dose if you have mild to moderate cirrhosis.
The recommended dose for children and teenagers is as follows:
Dose for the first 24 hours (Loading Dose) for Children aged 2 to less than 12 years and teenagers aged 12 to 14 years weighing less than 50 kg will be started as an infusion.
Dose for the first 24 hours (Loading Dose) for Teenagers aged 12 to 14 years weighing 50 kg or more; and all teenagers older than 14 is 400 mg every 12 hours for the first 24 hours.
Dose after the first 24 hours (Maintenance Dose) for Children aged 2 to less than 12 years and teenagers aged 12 to 14 years weighing less than 50 kg is 9 mg/kg twice a day (a maximum dose of 350 mg twice daily).
Dose after the first 24 hours (Maintenance Dose) for Teenagers aged 12 to 14 years weighing 50 kg or more; and all teenagers older than 14 is 200 mg twice a day.
Depending on your response to treatment, your doctor may increase or decrease the daily dose.
Take your tablet at least one hour before, or one hour after a meal. Swallow the tablet whole with some water.
If you or your child are taking Voriconazole for prevention of fungal infections, your doctor may stop giving Voriconazole if you or your child develop treatment related side effects.
If you take more tablets than prescribed (or if someone else takes your tablets) you must seek medical advice or go to the nearest hospital casualty department immediately. Take your box of Voriconazole tablets with you. You may experience abnormal intolerance to light as a result of taking more Voriconazole than you should.
It is important to take your Voriconazole tablets regularly at the same time each day. If you forget to take one dose, take your next dose when it is due. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
It has been shown that taking all doses at the appropriate times may greatly increase the effectiveness of your medicine. Therefore unless your doctor instructs you to stop treatment, it is important to keep taking Voriconazole correctly, as described above.
Continue taking Voriconazole until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop treatment early because your infection may not be cured. Patients with a weakened immune system or those with difficult infections may require long-term treatment to prevent the infection from returning.
When Voriconazole treatment is stopped by your doctor you should not experience any effects.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
If any side effects occur, most are likely to be minor and temporary. However, some may be serious and need medical attention.
Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people
Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people
Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people
Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1000 people
Side effects with frequency not known:
Other significant side effects whose frequency is not known, but should be reported to your doctor immediately:
As voriconazole has been known to affect the liver and the kidney, your doctor should monitor the function of your liver and kidney by doing blood tests. Please advise your doctor if you have any stomach pains or if your stools have a different consistency.
There have been reports of skin cancer in patients treated with voriconazole for long periods of time.
Sunburn or severe skin reaction following exposure to light or sun was experienced more frequently in children. If you or your child develops skin disorders, your doctor may refer you to a dermatologist, who after consultation may decide that it is important for you or your child to be seen on a regular basis. Elevated liver enzymes were also observed more frequently in children.
If any of these side effects persist or are troublesome, please tell your doctor.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme, website www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister/label and the carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
Voriconazole 50 mg film-coated tablets are white to off-white round biconvex film-coated tablets with “V” on one side and “50” on other side.
Voriconazole 200 mg film-coated tablets are white to off-white modified capsule shaped, biconvex film-coated tablets with “V” on one side and “200” on other side.
PVC / Aluminum or PVC / PVdC / Aluminum blister in cartons of 2, 10, 14, 20, 28, 30, 50, 56, 100 or 200 film-coated tablets.
HDPE tablet containers containing 30, 100 or 200 (2x 100) film-coated tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
This leaflet was last revised in 02/2024