Drug information

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Other Names
Mycobutin, RFB
Drug Class
Antimycobacterial (Rifamycins)
 
What is rifabutin?What is rifabutin?

What is rifabutin?

Rifabutin is an antibacterial prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in people with advanced HIV infection.

Disseminated MAC infection can be an opportunistic infection (OI) of HIV. An OI is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems—such as people HIV—than in people with healthy immune systems. To learn more about OIs, read the HIVinfo What is an Opportunistic Infection? fact sheet.

How is rifabutin used in people with HIV?How is rifabutin used in people with HIV?

How is rifabutin used in people with HIV?

The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV include recommendations on the uses of rifabutin in people with HIV to: 

Treat:

Prevent:
  • Disseminated MAC infection from occurring the first time and from recurring

The recommended uses may not always be consistent with FDA-approved uses of rifabutin. See the Adult and Pediatric Opportunistic Infection Guidelines for complete information on recommended uses of rifabutin in adults and children with HIV. Rifabutin may have other recommended uses not listed above.

What should I tell my health care provider before taking rifabutin?

 Before taking rifabutin, tell your health care provider:

  • If you are allergic to rifabutin, rifampin, rifapentine, or any other medicines.
  • About any medical conditions you have or have had, including liver or kidney problems.
  • About anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing or remembering to take pills.
  • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of taking rifabutin during pregnancy. The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV may include other recommendations on the use of rifabutin during pregnancy. Please refer to these guidelines for additional information.
  • If you are breast/chestfeeding or plan to breast/chestfeed. For people with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. People with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk.
  • About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Rifabutin may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how rifabutin works. Ask your health care provider if there are interactions between rifabutin and the other medicines you take.

Ask your health care provider about possible side effects from rifabutin. Your health care provider will tell you what to do if you have side effects.

How should I take rifabutin?How should I take rifabutin?

How should I take rifabutin?

Take rifabutin according to your health care provider’s instructions. Your health care provider will tell you how much rifabutin to take and when to take it. Before you start rifabutin and each time you get a refill, read any printed information that comes with your medicine.

How should rifabutin be stored?How should rifabutin be stored?

How should rifabutin be stored?

  • Store rifabutin capsules at 77°F (25°C).
  • Keep rifabutin in the container that it came in and keep the container tightly closed.
  • Do not use rifabutin if the original seal over the container opening is broken or missing.
  • Throw away rifabutin that is no longer needed or expired (out of date). Follow FDA guidelines on how to safely dispose of unused medicine.
  • Keep rifabutin and all medicines out of reach of children.
Where can I find more information about rifabutin?Where can I find more information about rifabutin?

Where can I find more information about rifabutin?

 

Last Reviewed: May 19, 2023