Ritonavir should be administered by physicians who are experienced in the treatment of HIV infection.
Ritonavir film-coated tablets are administered orally and should be ingested with food (see section 5.2).
Norvir film-coated tablets should be swallowed whole and not chewed, broken or crushed.
Ritonavir dosed as a pharmacokinetic enhancer
When ritonavir is used as a pharmacokinetic enhancer with other protease inhibitors the Summary of Product Characterisitcs for the particular protesed inhibitor must be consulted.
The following HIV-1 protease inhibitors have been approved for use with ritonavir as a pharmacokinetic enhancer at the noted doses.
Adult use:
Amprenavir 600 mg twice daily with ritonavir 100 mg twice daily
Atazanavir 300 mg once daily with ritonavir 100 mg once daily
Fosamprenavir 700 mg twice daily with ritonavir 100 mg twice daily
Lopinavir co-formulated with ritonavir(lopinavir/ritonavir 400 mg/100 mg or 800 mg/200 mg
Saquinavir 1000 mg twice daily with ritonavir 100 mg twice daily
Tipranavir 500 mg twice daily with ritonavir 200 mg twice daily
Darunavir 600 mg twice daily with ritonavir 100 mg twice daily in antiretroviral treatment (ART) experienced patients
Darunavir 800mg once daily with ritonavir 100 mg once daily in ART-naïve patients
Paediatric use: Ritonavir is recommended for children 2 years of age and older. For further dosage recommendations, refer to the product information of other Protease Inhibitors approved for co-administration with ritonavir. Norvir is not recommended in children below 2 years of age due to lack of data on safety and efficacy.
Renal impairment: As ritonavir is primarily metabolised by the liver, ritonavir may be appropriate for use with caution as a pharmacokinetic enhancer in patients with renal insufficiency depending on the specific protease inhibitor with which it is co-administered. However, since the renal clearance of ritonavir is negligible, the decrease in the total body clearance is not expected in patients with renal impairment. For specific dosing information in patients with renal impairment, refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) of the co-administered protease inhibitor.
Hepatic impairment: Ritonavir should not be given as a pharmacokinetic enhancer to patients with decompensated liver disease, (see section 4.3). In the absence of pharmacokinetic studies in patients with stable severe hepatic impairment (Child Pugh Grade C) without decompensation, caution should be exercised when ritonavir is used as a pharmacokinetic enhancer as increased levels of the co-administered PI may occur. Specific recommendations for use of ritonavir as a pharmacokinetic enhancer in patients with hepatic impairment are dependent on the protease inhibitor with which it is co-administered. The SPC of the co-administered PI should be reviewed for specific dosing information in this patient population.
Ritonavir dosed as an antiretroviral agent
Adult use: The recommended dose of Norvir film-coated tablets is 600 mg (6 tablets) twice daily (total of 1200 mg per day) by mouth.
Gradually increasing the dose of ritonavir when initiating therapy may help to improve tolerance. Treatment should be initiated at 300 mg (3 tablets) twice daily for a period of three days and increased by 100 mg (1 tablet) twice daily increments up to 600 mg twice daily over a period of no longer than 14 days. Patients should not remain on 300 mg twice daily for more than 3 days.
Paediatric use (2 years of age and above): the recommended dosage of Norvir in children is 350 mg/m² by mouth twice daily and should not exceed 600 mg twice daily. Norvir should be started at 250 mg/m² and increased at 2 to 3 day intervals by 50 mg/m² twice daily (please refer to the Norvir 80 mg/ml oral solution Summary of Product Characteristics).
For older children it may be feasible to substitute tablets for the maintenance dose of the oral solution.
Dosage conversion from oral solution to tablets for children
Oral solution dose
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Tablet dose
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175 mg (2.2 ml) twice daily
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200 mg in the morning and 200 mg in the evening
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350 mg (4.4 ml) twice daily
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400 mg in the morning and 300 mg in the evening
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437.5 mg (5.5 ml) twice daily
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500 mg in the morning and 400 mg in the evening
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525 mg (6.6 ml) twice daily
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500 mg in the morning and 500 mg in the evening
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Norvir is not recommended in children below 2 years of age due to lack of data on safety and efficacy.
Renal impairment: Currently, there are no data specific to this patient population and therefore specific dosage recommendations cannot be made. The renal clearance of ritonavir is negligible, therefore, a decrease in the total body clearance is not expected in patients with renal impairment. Because ritonavir is highly protein bound it is unlikely that it will be significantly removed by haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
Hepatic impairment: Ritonavir is principally metabolised and eliminated by the liver. Pharmacokinetic data indicate that no dose adjustment is necessary in patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment (see section 5.2). Ritonavir should not be given to patients with severe hepatic impairment (see section 4.3).
Elderly: Pharmacokinetic data indicated that no dose adjustment is necessary for elderly patients (see section 5.2).
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