Edurant/Edurant Ped (Rilpivirine) for HIV

Edurant and Edurant Ped (rilpivirine) is a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in adults and children 2 years and older who weigh at least 14 kilograms.

How Edurant and Edurant Ped Works and How It's Taken

Edurant and Edurant Ped contain rilpivirine. Rilpivirine is a type of HIV medicine called a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). It blocks reverse transcriptase, an enzyme HIV-1 needs to make more copies of itself.

Doctors prescribe Edurant or Edurant Ped with other HIV-1 medicines for adults and children 2 years of age and older who:

Weigh at least 14 kilograms
Have not taken HIV-1 medicines before
Have no more than 100,000 copies of HIV-1 RNA per milliliter of blood when treatment begins

HIV-1 is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Edurant may also be taken with oral Vocabria for short-term HIV-1 treatment. This use is for eligible adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 35 kilograms. They must have HIV-1 RNA below 50 copies per milliliter while taking a stable HIV-1 treatment plan. They must also have no history of treatment failure and no known or suspected resistance to rilpivirine or cabotegravir.

Edurant and Edurant Ped are taken once daily with a meal.

Children who weigh 14 kilograms to less than 25 kilograms take Edurant Ped tablets for oral suspension. The tablets must be dispersed in drinking water. Do not crush, chew, or swallow the tablets whole.

Typical Dosing for HIV

For adults and children who weigh at least 25 kilograms, the recommended dose is one 25 milligram Edurant tablet once daily with a meal.

For children 2 years of age and older who weigh less than 25 kilograms, the dose is based on body weight:

14 kilograms to less than 20 kilograms — Five 2.5-milligram Edurant Ped tablets once daily (total dose of 12.5 milligrams)
20 kilograms to less than 25 kilograms — Six 2.5-milligram Edurant Ped tablets once daily (total dose of 15 milligrams)
At least 25 kilograms — One 25-milligram Edurant tablet once daily

Edurant and Edurant Ped are different forms of the medicine. They cannot be switched milligram for milligram. Do not switch between them unless your healthcare provider tells you to.

When Edurant is taken with rifabutin, the Edurant dose should be increased to 50 milligrams once a day with a meal. This means taking two 25-milligram Edurant tablets.

After rifabutin is stopped, the Edurant dose should be reduced to 25 milligrams once a day with a meal. These instructions apply to Edurant tablets, not Edurant Ped.

For people who were already taking Edurant before pregnancy and whose HIV-1 RNA is below 50 copies per milliliter, the recommended dose for those who weigh at least 25 kilograms is one 25-milligram Edurant tablet once daily with a meal.

HIV-1 RNA should be checked closely during pregnancy because the amount of rilpivirine in the body may be lower.

Take H2-receptor antagonists, which include medicines such as famotidine, cimetidine, nizatidine, and ranitidine, at least 12 hours before or at least four hours after Edurant or Edurant Ped.

Take antacids that contain aluminum, calcium carbonate, or magnesium hydroxide at least two hours before or at least four hours after Edurant or Edurant Ped.

This information is based on the prescribing information, but your healthcare provider may tailor your treatment plan. Always follow their guidance.

Edurant Side Effects

In clinical studies of Edurant and Edurant Ped, the most common side effects occurred in about 3 percent to 19 percent of people. The percentages were different depending on the person's age, the study, the specific side effect, and how serious it was. These include:

Depressive disorders (depression or low mood)
Headache
Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
Rash

Serious Side Effects and Warnings

Edurant can cause serious side effects that may require immediate medical attention. These include:

Severe skin and hypersensitivity reactions — Serious rash or allergic-type reactions like fever, blisters, swelling of the face, sores in the mouth, eye redness, or liver problems can occur, including drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, or DRESS.
Liver problems — Hepatotoxicity may be more likely in people with hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
Depression or mood changes — These mood changes can include suicidal thoughts or suicide attempt.
Immune reconstitution syndrome — After starting HIV treatment, immune system changes can occur that can trigger symptoms of infection or autoimmune problems.

Get medical help right away if you think you are having a serious reaction. If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or by using the online chat.

How To Save on Edurant and Edurant Ped

Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Edurant/Edurant Ped, offers the J&J withMe Savings Program. Eligible people with commercial insurance may pay as little as $0 per prescription fill.

The J&J withMe Savings Program also offers reimbursement if your pharmacy cannot process the savings card and an online account to help you manage your program benefits.

To learn more, visit the J&J withMe Savings Program website or call 866-836-0114.

What To Know Before Taking Edurant and Edurant Ped

Tell your doctor if you have any allergies to rilpivirine or any ingredients in Edurant or Edurant Ped.

Before taking Edurant or Edurant Ped, tell your healthcare provider if you:

Have ever had a severe skin rash or allergic reaction to a medicine containing rilpivirine
Have or have had liver problems, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C
Have kidney problems
Have ever had a mental health problem
Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Tell your doctor about all medicines you take, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Do not take Edurant or Edurant Ped with:

Carbamazepine
Oxcarbazepine
Phenobarbital
Phenytoin
Rifampin
Rifapentine
Dexamethasone for more than a single-dose treatment
St. John's wort
Proton pump inhibitors, such as esomeprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole, or rabeprazole

Refill Edurant or Edurant Ped before you run out. Do not stop taking it without first talking with your healthcare provider. Missing doses or stopping treatment may increase the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. It may also make the virus harder to treat.

For missed doses, if you remember within 12 hours of your usual dose time, take the missed dose with a meal as soon as possible.

If more than 12 hours have passed, skip the missed dose. Take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take two doses at the same time.

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding while taking Edurant, talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits.

A pregnancy exposure registry monitors pregnancy outcomes in people exposed to Edurant. Healthcare providers can register pregnancies by visiting the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry or calling 800-258-4263.

Talk with your healthcare provider about breastfeeding during treatment with Edurant or Edurant Ped. Possible risks include:

Passing HIV-1 to a baby who does not have HIV-1
Making HIV-1 harder to treat in a baby who has HIV-1
Causing side effects in a breastfed baby

Community FAQs

These answers are fact-checked by our editorial staff.

How effective are Edurant and Edurant Ped for HIV?

In adult studies, how well Edurant worked depended partly on the amount of HIV-1 in the blood before treatment began.

Among adults whose starting HIV-1 RNA was greater than 100,000 copies per milliliter, 70 percent of those taking Edurant had HIV-1 RNA below 50 copies per milliliter at 96 weeks.

In a phase 2b adult study, 76 percent of people taking 25 milligrams of Edurant had HIV-1 RNA below 50 copies per milliliter at 96 weeks. At 240 weeks, 60 percent had HIV-1 RNA below 50 copies per milliliter.

In children 12 to younger than 18 years whose starting HIV-1 RNA was 100,000 copies per milliliter or less, 79 percent had HIV-1 RNA below 50 copies per milliliter at 48 weeks.

How long do Edurant and Edurant Ped take to work for HIV?

Clinical studies measured HIV-1 RNA at times such as 48, 96, and 240 weeks. It does not state exactly how soon Edurant or Edurant Ped will work for an individual person.

Healthcare providers use blood tests, including HIV-1 RNA tests, to check how well treatment is working.

Can Edurant be used with other medicines for HIV?

Yes. Edurant and Edurant Ped are taken once daily with a meal and must be used with other HIV-1 medicines.

They should not be taken with other medicines in the same class, called NNRTIs.

Some medicines must not be taken with Edurant or Edurant Ped because they can lower the amount of rilpivirine in the body. This may make the treatment less effective and could make HIV-1 harder to treat. These medicines include rifampin, carbamazepine, St. John's wort, and proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole.