Vibativ

1 What is Vibativ?

Brand: Vibativ

Generic: Telavancin

Vibativ injection is used alone or together with other medicines to treat serious bacterial skin infections, and hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP).

Vibativ belongs to the group of medicines known as antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. However, this medicine will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections.

This medicine is to be given only by or under the direct supervision of your doctor. This product is available in the following dosage forms:

  • Powder for Solution

2 What to Know Before Using

Before using Vibativ, you must know all about the risks and complications associated with it. This is a decision you and your doctor will make.

For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric Population: Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of telavancin injection in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric Population: Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of telavancin injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving telavancin injection.

Pregnancy: All Trimesters: Category C: Animal studies have shown an adverse effect and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women OR no animal studies have been conducted and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women.

Breastfeeding: There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions: Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose or other precautions may be necessary. 

When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Amifampridine
  • Bepridil
  • Cisapride
  • Dronedarone
  • Heparin
  • Levomethadyl
  • Mesoridazine
  • Pimozide
  • Piperaquine
  • Saquinavir
  • Sparfloxacin
  • Terfenadine
  • Thioridazine
  • Ziprasidone

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Alfuzosin
  • Amitriptyline
  • Amoxapine
  • Anagrelide
  • Apomorphine
  • Aripiprazole
  • Arsenic Trioxide
  • Asenapine
  • Astemizole
  • Buserelin
  • Chlorpromazine
  • Ciprofloxacin
  • Clarithromycin
  • Clomipramine
  • Clozapine
  • Crizotinib
  • Dabrafenib
  • Degarelix
  • Delamanid
  • Desipramine
  • Deslorelin
  • Disopyramide
  • Dofetilide
  • Dolasetron
  • Domperidone
  • Donepezil
  • Droperidol
  • Erythromycin
  • Escitalopram
  • Fingolimod
  • Flecainide
  • Fluconazole
  • Fluoxetine
  • Gatifloxacin
  • Gemifloxacin
  • Gonadorelin
  • Goserelin
  • Granisetron
  • Halofantrine
  • Haloperidol
  • Histrelin
  • Hydroxychloroquine
  • Ibutilide
  • Iloperidone
  • Imipramine
  • Ivabradine
  • Ketoconazole
  • Lapatinib
  • Leuprolide
  • Levofloxacin
  • Lopinavir
  • Lumefantrine
  • Mefloquine
  • Methadone
  • Metronidazole
  • Mifepristone
  • Moxifloxacin
  • Nafarelin
  • Nilotinib
  • Norfloxacin
  • Nortriptyline
  • Octreotide
  • Ondansetron
  • Paliperidone
  • Panobinostat
  • Pasireotide
  • Pazopanib
  • Perflutren Lipid Microsphere
  • Posaconazole
  • Procainamide
  • Prochlorperazine
  • Promethazine
  • Protriptyline
  • Quetiapine
  • Quinidine
  • Quinine
  • Salmeterol
  • Sevoflurane
  • Sodium Phosphate
  • Sodium Phosphate, Dibasic
  • Sodium Phosphate, Monobasic
  • Solifenacin
  • Sorafenib
  • Sotalol
  • Sunitinib
  • Tacrolimus
  • Telithromycin
  • Tetrabenazine
  • Toremifene
  • Trifluoperazine
  • Trimipramine
  • Triptorelin
  • Vandetanib
  • Vemurafenib
  • Vinflunine
  • Voriconazole

Other Interactions: Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems: The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine.

Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Congestive heart failure 
  • Diabetes 
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)—Use of this medicine may lead to kidney problems
  • Heart rhythm problems (eg, QT prolongation), or a family history of—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse
  • Kidney disease—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body

3 Proper Usage

Proper usage of Vibativ requires strict adherence to your doctor’s orders. A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine.

This medicine is given through a needle placed in one of your veins. This medicine comes with a Medication Guide.

Read and follow the instructions in the guide carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.

4 Precautions to Take

Before using Vibativ, there are some precautions you must take. It is very important that your doctor checks your progress while you are receiving this medicine to make sure that it is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.

You must have a negative pregnancy test before you will be given this medicine. If you miss a period while you are using this medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Do not use this medicine if you are also receiving unfractionated heparin sodium injection. Using these medicines together may cause serious unwanted effects.

Check with your doctor right away if you have blood in the urine, a change in the frequency of urination or amount of urine, difficulty with breathing, drowsiness, increased thirst, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, or swelling of the feet or lower legs. These may be symptoms of a serious kidney problem.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. 

Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have a rash, itching, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth after you get the injection.

This medicine may cause a rare but serious type of infusion reaction called the "Red-man Syndrome." Tell your doctor right away if you start to have itching, hives, chills or fever, a fast heartbeat, nausea or vomiting, a rash or redness of the face, base of the neck, upper body, back, and arms.

Telavancin injection may cause diarrhea, and in some cases, it can be severe. It may occur 2 months or more after you stop using this medicine. Do not take any medicine to treat diarrhea without first checking with your doctor. 

Diarrhea medicines may make the diarrhea worse or make it last longer. If you have any questions about this or if mild diarrhea continues or gets worse, check with your doctor.

Contact your doctor right away if you have any changes to your heart rhythm. You might feel dizzy or faint, or you might have a fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat. Make sure your doctor knows if you or anyone in your family has ever had a heart rhythm problem such as QT prolongation.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are using this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

5 Potential Side Effects

As with many medications, there are several potential side effects associated with Vibativ. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common:

  • blood in the urine
  • change in the frequency of urination or amount of urine
  • the difficulty with breathing
  • drowsiness
  • increased thirst
  • loss of appetite
  • nausea or vomiting
  • swelling of the feet or lower legs
  • weakness

Incidence not known:

  • abdominal or stomach tenderness
  • chills or fever
  • cough
  • the difficulty with swallowing
  • dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness, especially when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
  • fast heartbeat
  • hives or itching of the skin
  • nausea or vomiting
  • pain, redness, or soreness at the injection site
  • puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
  • rash or redness of the face, base of the neck, upper body, back, and arms
  • severe abdominal or stomach cramps and pain
  • tightness in the chest
  • unusual tiredness or weakness
  • watery and severe diarrhea, which may also be bloody

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. 

Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common:

  • bad, unusual or unpleasant (after) taste
  • change in taste
  • diarrhea
  • foamy urine

Less common:

  • decreased appetite
  • dry, red, hot, or irritated skin
  • feeling unusually cold
  • shivering

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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