Drug Interactions With Anakinra

Certain medications may cause potentially serious drug interactions with anakinra. When "live" vaccinations or TNF inhibitors are used during treatment with anakinra, your risk of developing infections is increased. Anakinra can also make live vaccines less effective. To reduce your chances of anakinra drug interactions, make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you are taking.

 

Anakinra Drug Interactions: An Overview

Anakinra (Kineret®) can potentially interact with a few other medications, especially other mediations that affect the immune system. Some of these medicines that may lead to anakinra interactions include:
 
  • "Live" vaccinations, including:
o Chickenpox vaccine (varicella vaccine)
o FluMist (the nasal vaccine for influenza; the injected vaccine is not live)
o MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine
o Smallpox vaccine
o BCG vaccine (used in some countries for tuberculosis)
  • TNF inhibitors (also known as TNF antagonists), such as:

Anakinra Interactions Explained

The following sections explain in detail the potentially negative interactions that can occur when anakinra is combined with any of the drugs listed above.
 
Live Vaccines
Live vaccines are immunizations that contain live viruses or bacteria. If you receive a live vaccine while taking anakinra, it is possible that you might become infected with the virus or bacteria from the vaccine. Also, anakinra can make live vaccines less effective. You should not receive live vaccinations while taking anakinra.
(Drug Interactions With Anakinra Continued: Page 2)
Add this article to your Favorites     Email this article     Print
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;