Drug Database: Atazanavir / Cobicistat

What is Evotaz?What is Evotaz?

What is Evotaz?

Evotaz is a prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HIV infection in adults and children who weigh at least 77 lb (35 kg). Evotaz is always used in combination with other HIV medicines.

Evotaz contains two different medicines: atazanavir and cobicistat.

For more information on the use of Evotaz in people with HIV, please refer to the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.

HIV medicines cannot cure HIV/AIDS, but taking HIV medicines every day helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. If you are taking HIV medicines, do not cut down on, skip, or stop taking them unless your health care provider tells you to.

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

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

Before taking Evotaz, tell your health care provider:

• If you are allergic to any of the HIV medicines in Evotaz (atazanavir or cobicistat) or any other medicines.
• If you have heart problems.
• If you have liver problems, including hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) and hepatitis C virus infection (HCV).
• If you have kidney problems, including if you are receiving dialysis.
• If you have diabetes.
• If you have hemophilia.
• If you have any other medical conditions.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Some pregnant women taking Evotaz with certain other HIV medicines have developed a serious condition where lactic acid builds up in the blood (lactic acidosis). Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of taking Evotaz during pregnancy. For more information on the use of Evotaz during pregnancy, please refer to the Recommendations for the Use of Antiretroviral Drugs During Pregnancy and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States.
• 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. Although most medicines are safe to use while breast/chestfeeding, some medicines should be avoided. Always let your health care provider know about all the medicines and supplements you are using before you start breast/chestfeeding.
• If you are using hormone-based birth control (such as injections, vaginal rings, implants, a contraceptive patch, or birth control pills). Evotaz may make these forms of birth control less effective. Your health care provider can help you decide how to adjust your birth control while you are taking Evotaz. For more information about using birth control and HIV medicines at the same time, view the HIVinfo HIV and Birth Control infographic.
• About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products (particularly St. John's wort) you are taking or plan to take. Evotaz may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how Evotaz works. Taking Evotaz together with certain medicines or products may cause serious, life-threatening side effects.

How should I take Evotaz?How should I take Evotaz?

How should I take Evotaz?

Evotaz comes in tablet form. Each tablet contains:

• 300 mg atazanavir
• 150 mg cobicistat

Take Evotaz according to your health care provider’s instructions. Do not miss a dose of Evotaz, and do not change your dose or stop taking Evotaz without first talking with your health care provider.

Take Evotaz by mouth with food.

If you take antacids or buffered medicines (such as buffered aspirin), they should be taken at least 2 hours before or after you take Evotaz.

If you take proton-pump inhibitors or H2 blockers (medicines for reducing stomach acid), check with your health care provider to find out if you can take these medicines with Evotaz. Certain people should NOT take proton pump inhibitors or H2 blockers during treatment with Evotaz. If your health care provider tells you to continue taking proton-pump inhibitors or H2 blockers, carefully follow instructions on how to take them with Evotaz.

Always take Evotaz in combination with other HIV medicines.

If you have taken too much Evotaz, contact your health care provider or local poison control center (1-800-222-1222 or online) right away, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

For more information on how to take Evotaz, see the FDA drug label.

What should I do if I forget a dose?What should I do if I forget a dose?

What should I do if I forget a dose?

If you miss a dose of Evotaz, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. But if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and just take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.

What side effects can Evotaz cause?What side effects can Evotaz cause?

What side effects can Evotaz cause?

Evotaz may cause side effects. Some side effects of Evotaz can be serious as noted above. Many side effects from HIV medicines, such as nausea or occasional dizziness, are manageable. See the HIVinfo fact sheet on HIV Medicines and Side Effects for more information.

Other possible side effects of Evotaz include:

• Mild rash.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• Kidney stones. Contact your health care provider if you have pain in your lower back or lower stomach/abdominal area, blood in your urine, or pain when urinating.
• Gallbladder problems. Contact your health care provider right away if you develop symptoms of gallbladder problems (pain in your right or middle upper stomach/abdominal area, fever, nausea and vomiting, or jaundice).
• Diabetes and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
• Changes in body fat (lipodystrophy syndrome).
• Increased bleeding problems in people with hemophilia.
• Changes in your immune system (called immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome or IRIS). IRIS is a condition that sometimes occurs when the immune system begins to recover after treatment with an HIV medicine. As the immune system gets stronger, it may have an increased response to a previously hidden infection.

Tell your health care provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of Evotaz. To learn more about possible side effects of Evotaz, read the drug label or package insert or talk to your health care provider or pharmacist.

You can report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088) or online.

How should Evotaz be stored?How should Evotaz be stored?

How should Evotaz be stored?

• Store Evotaz at room temperature, 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).
• Keep Evotaz in the container that it came in and keep the container tightly closed. If the container has a small packet of drying agent (called a desiccant), do not remove it. The desiccant protects the medicine from moisture.
• Do not use Evotaz if the original seal over the container opening is broken or missing.
• Throw away Evotaz that is no longer needed or expired (out of date). Follow FDA guidelines on how to safely dispose of unused medicine.
• Keep Evotaz and all medicines out of reach of children.

Where can I find more information about Evotaz?Where can I find more information about Evotaz?

Where can I find more information about Evotaz?

• For more information on the use of Evotaz in people with HIV, please refer to the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.
• This Patient Version drug summary is based on the following FDA label(s): Tablet. The Patient Information section of the label includes information for people taking Evotaz.
• The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for atazanavir and cobicistat available from MedlinePlus.
• Evotaz-related research studies, from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests.)
• A list of FDA-approved HIV medicines, from HIVinfo.