Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED (Darunavir/Cobicistat) for HIV

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Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED (darunavir/cobicistat) are prescription medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in adults and children ages 3 years and older who weigh at least 15 kilograms.

What Members Say

MHT logo These insights are based on 124 comments about Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED from myHIVteam members. These are the experiences of a small number of people and are not meant to be medical advice.

Benefits:

Once-daily dosing can fit into a consistent daily routine.
Viral load suppression and undetectable results are often a key treatment goal.
Some regimens with Prezcobix feel tolerable with few or no noticeable side effects.

Considerations:

Diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and heartburn can affect daily comfort.
Weight gain or body fat changes can be frustrating over time.
Drug interactions require careful medication review, including supplements and herbal products.

How Prezcobix/PrezcobixPED Works and How It’s Taken

Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED contain two medicines, darunavir and cobicistat. Darunavir is an antiviral medicine that blocks an enzyme called HIV-1 protease. HIV-1 needs this enzyme to make mature virus particles. Cobicistat helps increase the amount of darunavir in the body by slowing how quickly it is broken down.

Doctors prescribe Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED with other HIV medicines to treat HIV-1 in adults and children age 3 years and older who weigh at least 15 kilograms. These medicines are for people whose HIV-1 does not have certain changes linked to resistance to darunavir.

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

Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED are taken by mouth once daily with food.

Prezcobix comes as a tablet. Children who need the 675 milligram/150 milligram tablet should first be checked to see if they can swallow it whole. If they cannot, this tablet may be split by hand into two pieces to make it easier to swallow. Both pieces should be taken right away to make sure the full dose is taken. The score line is only there to help break the tablet. It does not divide it into equal doses.

Prezcobix PED comes as a tablet for oral suspension. It must be mixed with drinking water and taken right away with food. Do not crush, chew, or swallow the Prezcobix PED tablet for oral suspension.

The form and dose depend on the person’s weight.

Typical Dosing for HIV

The recommended dose is:

Adults and children who weigh at least 40 kilograms take one tablet containing 800 milligrams of darunavir and 150 milligrams of cobicistat once daily with food.
Children who weigh at least 25 kilograms but less than 40 kilograms take one tablet containing 675 milligrams of darunavir and 150 milligrams of cobicistat once daily with food.
Children age 3 years and older who weigh at least 15 kilograms but less than 25 kilograms take one Prezcobix PED tablet for oral suspension containing 600 milligrams of darunavir and 90 milligrams of cobicistat once daily with food.

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

Top Advice From Members on Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED

These insights are based on 124 comments about Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED from myHIVteam members.

Members who use Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED often say that consistency, side effect tracking, and regular check-ins with their HIV care team matter most. Many also mention asking about drug interactions and lab monitoring, especially when they take other medications or have kidney or liver concerns.

1
Take Prezcobix on a consistent daily schedule.
“I have alarms set for 6:30 p.m. since I take Prezcobix at 6:30 p.m. every night.”
2
Check for drug interactions with every new medicine or supplement.
“I show my ID doctor everything I take, and thank God I do because something I was taking awhile back had dandelion in it and it is not good at all with my Prezcobix! Booster drugs such as Prezcobix do this, which makes these other drugs much stronger in your system.”
3
Talk to your doctor about side effects that affect daily life.
“I was on Prezcobix, but had severe diarrhea.”

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Prezcobix Side Effects

Diarrhea
Nausea
Rash
Headache
Abdominal (stomach-area) pain
Vomiting

Serious Side Effects and Warnings

Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED can cause serious side effects that may require immediate medical attention. These include:

Liver problems — Liver injury or hepatitis, which can be life-threatening, can occur.
Severe skin reactions — Serious rash, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis, can occur that may include fever and can require hospital treatment.
Kidney problems — These problems can include kidney failure; risk may be higher with certain HIV medicines such as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.
High blood sugar or diabetes — New or worsening diabetes mellitus or hyperglycemia can occur.
Immune reconstitution syndrome — Immune system changes after starting HIV treatment can bring out hidden infections or trigger autoimmune problems.
Increased bleeding in people with hemophilia — This can include bleeding into joints or under the skin.
Changes in body fat — Fat redistribution or accumulation, such as increased belly fat or a “buffalo hump,” can occur.

Get medical help right away if you think you are having a serious reaction.

How To Save on Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED

Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Prezcobix/Prezcobix 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 Prezcobix/Prezcobix PED

Before you start Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED, your healthcare provider will check your kidney function. If you have taken HIV medicines before, a genetic test of the virus is recommended to check for resistance.

If you will also take tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, your healthcare provider will check your urine for glucose and protein before treatment.

Before taking Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED, tell your doctor if you:

Have liver problems, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or cirrhosis
Have kidney problems
Are allergic to sulfa medicines
Have diabetes
Have hemophilia

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

Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED can interact with many medicines. Some interactions can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. Others can make Prezcobix, Prezcobix PED, or another medicine work less well. Your healthcare provider may need to change a dose, monitor you more closely, or avoid certain medicines.

Do not take Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED with:

Alfuzosin
Carbamazepine, phenobarbital, or phenytoin
Rifampin
Lurasidone or pimozide
Dronedarone, ivabradine, or ranolazine
Dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, or methylergonovine
St. John’s wort
Elbasvir/grazoprevir
Lomitapide, lovastatin, or simvastatin
Naloxegol
Sildenafil when it is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension
Midazolam taken by mouth or triazolam

Do not take colchicine with Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED if you have kidney or liver problems.

Do not stop taking Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED or let your supply run out without speaking with your healthcare provider. The amount of virus in your blood may increase, and the virus may become harder to treat.

Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED are not recommended during pregnancy because the levels of darunavir and cobicistat in the body can be much lower during pregnancy. Do not start either medicine during pregnancy.

If you become pregnant while taking Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED, tell your healthcare provider. A different HIV treatment is recommended.

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

If you use birth control that contains estrogen, talk with your healthcare provider about using an additional or alternative form of birth control that does not contain hormones.

Breastfeeding is not recommended while taking Prezcobix or Prezcobix PED. The risks include:

HIV-1 may pass to a baby who does not have HIV-1.
HIV-1 may become harder to treat if the baby has HIV-1.
The baby may have serious side effects similar to those seen in adults.

Community FAQs

These answers are fact-checked by our editorial staff.

How effective are Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED for HIV?

In a pediatric study of darunavir and cobicistat used with other HIV medicines, HIV-1 levels stayed below 50 copies per milliliter through week 48 in:

86 percent of participants age 12 to younger than 18 years
100 percent of participants age 6 to younger than 12 years
91 percent of participants age 3 years and older who weighed at least 15 kilograms but less than 25 kilograms

In adults, the effectiveness of Prezcobix is supported by clinical studies of darunavir used with ritonavir.

Prezcobix and Prezcobix PED are used with other HIV medicines in adults and children age 3 years and older who weigh at least 15 kilograms and whose HIV-1 does not have certain changes linked to resistance to darunavir.

Can Prezcobix interact with other medicines used by people with HIV?

Yes. Prezcobix can change the levels of some medicines in the body, and some medicines can also change the levels of Prezcobix. Certain drug combinations should not be used together.

Prezcobix is not recommended with other HIV medicines that need boosting, such as another protease inhibitor or elvitegravir.

Some HIV medicines do not have clinically significant interactions with Prezcobix. These include rilpivirine, dolutegravir, raltegravir, abacavir, emtricitabine, emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine, stavudine, and zidovudine.

What tests or monitoring are needed with Prezcobix for HIV?

Before starting Prezcobix, people who have taken HIV medicines before are recommended to have HIV genotypic testing for drug resistance. Kidney function and liver tests should also be checked before treatment.

If Prezcobix is taken with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, urine glucose and urine protein should be checked before treatment and monitored during treatment along with kidney function. Serum phosphorus should also be checked in people who have kidney problems or are at risk for them.

Liver function should be monitored during treatment. People with chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, or high liver enzyme levels before treatment may need more frequent liver tests, especially during the first several months.

If serum creatinine rises by more than 0.4 milligrams per deciliter from baseline and the increase is confirmed, kidney safety should be monitored closely.

People with a known sulfa allergy should be monitored after starting treatment. Healthcare providers should also review other medicines before and during treatment because Prezcobix can interact with many drugs.