A safety evaluation of ivacaftor for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

This article reviews ivacaftor safety. Areas covered: Safety findings in ivacaftor clinical trials, and reported subsequently, were accessed by a PubMed search using key words "VX-770" or "ivacaftor". Additional information was accessed via Google Search. Transaminitis was noted in ivacaftor and combination lumacaftor-ivacaftor trials. Ivacaftor was associated with cataracts in juvenile rat pups in pre-clinical studies; non-congenital cataracts have been found in children taking ivacaftor. Ivacaftor is a CYP3A substrate; CYP3A inhibitors and inducers should be avoided during its administration. Ivacaftor and its M1 metabolite may inhibit CYP3A and P-gp; therefore, ivacaftor may increase systemic exposure to drugs which are substrates of CYP3A and/or P-gp, increasing the potential for adverse events. Expert opinion: Ivacaftor therapy may be associated with ocular and hepatic side effects; specific recommendations for monitoring are available. Potential drug interactions should be evaluated in patients taking ivacaftor. High clinical efficacy suggests that the risk benefit ratio of ivacaftor favors therapy. PMID: 26968005 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Opinion on Drug Safety - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Expert Opin Drug Saf Source Type: research