Rifadin Injection

Rifampicin (rif-am-pee-cin)

Consumer Medicine Information (CMI)

This leaflet answers some common questions about Rifadin.

It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you being administered Rifadin against the benefits he/she expects it will have for you.

If you have any concerns about being administered this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet with the medicine.

You may need to read it again.

Rifadin is an antibiotic that is used in combination with other medicines to treat tuberculosis, also known as TB. TB is a bacterial infection, which mainly affects the lungs but it can also spread to other organs in the body.

Rifadin is also used to treat leprosy, a skin condition that has many forms.

Rifadin is also used to prevent certain diseases occurring where you may be in contact with, or have had contact with, a person known to have the disease or is known to be able to pass it on to others. Examples of such diseases are meningitis, a serious infectious disease (an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord), affecting children and young adults, and pneumonia, conjunctivitis and meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae, a bacterium in the respiratory tract.

This medicine is available only with a doctor’s prescription.

Do not use Rifadin if:

You have an allergy to Rifadin (rifampicin) or any other rifamycin antibiotics or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include skin rash, itching, difficulty breathing or swallowing, and swelling of the face, lips, tongue and throat.

You have jaundice

(yellowing of the eyes and skin).

You are taking combination saquinavir/ritonavir medications.

You are breast-feeding or planning to breastfeed.

Rifadin passes into breast milk and there is a possibility your baby may be affected.

The packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.

The expiry date (exp) printed on the pack has passed.

If you use this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work as well.

If you are not sure whether you should start using Rifadin, talk to your doctor.

Tell your doctor if:

You have any type of liver disease.

You have any allergies to any other medicines or any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.

You have a problem with bleeding or tendency to bruise easily.

You are taking other antibiotics at the same time.

You have diabetes.

You are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.

Your doctor will discuss the possible risks and benefits of using Rifadin during pregnancy.

You are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.

Rifadin should not be used while breast-feeding.

If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you are given Rifadin.

Urine, faeces, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears and teeth may be coloured red-orange, yellow or brown by Rifadin. Soft contact lenses may be permanently stained.

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some drugs should not be taken with Rifadin. These include:

The combination of saquinavir and ritonavir, antiviral agents used to treat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.

Halothane, a general anaesthetic (a sleep inducing drug)

Daclatasvir, simeprevir, sofosbuvir and telaprevir, antiviral agents used to treat Hepatitis C

Cephazolin and other cephalosporin antibiotics used to treat infection.

Some medicines and Rifadin may interfere with each other. These include:

Atovaquone, used to treat a respiratory infection in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Ketoconazole, used for fungal infections

Enalapril, used to treat high blood pressure and heart problems

Isoniazid and p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS), used for TB (tuberculosis).

Rifadin may reduce the effectiveness of a wide variety of medicines or they may affect how well Rifadin works. These include certain medicines used for:

Decreasing the clotting of the blood

Controlling and preventing seizures

Heart disease and high blood pressure

Breast cancer treatment or prevention

Sedation

Bacterial infections

Fungal infections

Inflammatory conditions

Contraception

High blood cholesterol

Diabetes

TB and leprosy

Malaria

Rejection of transplanted organs

Thyroid deficiency states

Pain

Nocturnal cramps

Breathing difficulties

Anxiety or depression

Treatment of certain mental illnesses

Treatment of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infections.

Nausea and vomiting

Your doctor may have more information on medicines to be careful with or to avoid while receiving Rifadin.

Rifadin is diluted and given by intravenous infusion.

Rifadin must only be given by a doctor or nurse.

Your doctor will decide what dose and for how long you will receive Rifadin.

If you develop itching with swelling or skin rash or difficulty breathing, or if you turn yellow while you are receiving Rifadin do not receive any more Rifadin and tell your doctor immediately.

If you get severe diarrhoea tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse immediately. Do this even if it occurs several weeks after Rifadin has been stopped.

Diarrhoea may mean that you have a serious condition affecting your bowel. You may need urgent
medical care. Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor.

If you get a sore white mouth or tongue while being treated with or soon after stopping Rifadin, tell your doctor. Also tell your doctor if you get vaginal itching or discharge.

This may mean you have a fungal infection called thrush. Sometimes the use of Rifadin allows fungi to grow and the above symptoms to occur. Rifadin does not work against fungi.

If you become pregnant while you are receiving Rifadin tell your doctor.

If you are using oral contraceptives you should change to alternative methods of birth control while you are receiving Rifadin.

If you are about to start taking any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are receiving Rifadin.

If you have to have any blood or urine tests tell your doctor you are being given Rifadin.

Rifadin may affect the results of some blood and urine tests.

Tell all the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are being treated with Rifadin.

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if you have any problems while being treated with Rifadin, even if you do not think the problems are connected with the medicine or are not listed in this leaflet.

Like other medicines, Rifadin can cause some side effects. If they occur, most are likely to be minor and temporary. However, some may be serious and need medical attention.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:

Yellow discolouration of skin or eyes

Heartburn, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal discomfort, wind, cramps or diarrhoea

Drowsiness, fatigue, inability to concentrate, confusion, or mental problems

Poor coordination, muscle weakness, pain in the fingers or toes, or numbness

Oral thrush – white, furry, sore tongue and mouth

Vaginal thrush – sore and itchy vagina and/or discharge

Conjunctivitis or visual disturbances

Menstrual disturbances.

Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:

Severe red and/or itchy skin, blisters or pimples, bleeding, peeling or bruising of the skin

Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing

Itching, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, yellowing of the eyes or skin or dark urine

Shortness of breath and wheezing

Blood in the urine or any other urination disturbances

Severe bleeding or bruising more easily than normal

Fever, chills, headache or dizziness

Bone pain.

Some people may get other side effects while being treated with Rifadin.

Some of these side effects (for example changes in liver function) can only be found when your doctor does tests from time to time to check your progress.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you don’t understand anything in this list.

Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.

You may not experience any of them.

Urine, faeces, saliva, sputum, sweat, tears and teeth may be coloured red-orange, yellow or brown by Rifadin. Soft contact lenses may be permanently stained.

Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following side effects, particularly if they occur several weeks after stopping treatment with Rifadin:

Severe abdominal cramps or stomach cramps

Watery and severe diarrhoea, which may also be bloody

Fever, in combination with one or both of the above.

These are rare but serious side effects. You may have a serious condition affecting your bowel, which may need urgent medical attention. However, this side effect is rare.

Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor.

Store Rifadin in the pharmacy or on the ward. Keep the powder for IV infusion in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.

Use Rifadin immediately after it has been made up into a solution.

Red to brick-red powder for injection, in a vial. Supplied with a colourless 10 mL diluent ampoule.

Active Ingredient:

Rifadin 600 mg – 600 mg active per vial

Inactive Ingredients:

sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate 10 mg

sodium hydroxide q.s. to pH = 8.5

Diluent contains water for injections q.s. to 10 mL.

Rifadin is supplied in Australia by:

sanofi-aventis australia pty ltd

12-24 Talavera Road

Macquarie Park NSW 2113

 

Rifadin is supplied in New Zealand by:

sanofi-aventis new zealand limited

Level 8, 56 Cawley Street

Ellerslie

Auckland

 

Australian Registration Number:

AUST R 156919

 

This leaflet was prepared in April 2020

 

® Registered Trademark

 

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