Before Using

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of interferon alfa-2b injection in children 1 to 17 years of age with hepatitis B or children 3 to 16 years of age with hepatitis C.

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of interferon alfa-2b injection in children with lymphoma, malignant melanoma, genital warts, hairy cell leukemia, and Kaposi sarcoma. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of interferon alfa-2b injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related liver, kidney, bone marrow, or heart problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving interferon alfa-2b injection.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Fezolinetant

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Bendamustine
  • Clozapine
  • Pirfenidone
  • Triclabendazole

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Ribavirin

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Autoimmune disorders (eg, psoriasis, Raynaud disease, rhabdomyolysis, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or vasculitis) or
  • Blood clotting problems (eg, pulmonary embolism, thrombophlebitis) or
  • Bone marrow problems or
  • Bowel problems (eg, colitis) or
  • Depression or mental illness, history of or
  • Diabetes or
  • Diabetic retinopathy (diabetic eye problem) or
  • Eye or vision problems (eg, retinopathy, optic neuritis) or
  • Heart attack, history of or
  • Heart or blood vessel disease, history of or
  • Heart rhythm problems (eg, arrhythmia) or
  • Hypertensive retinopathy (eye problem caused by high blood pressure) or
  • Hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides in the blood) or
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure) or
  • Liver disease (including cirrhosis), severe or
  • Lung disease or other breathing problems (eg, COPD), history of or
  • Stroke, history of or
  • Thyroid problems—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.
  • Autoimmune hepatitis (liver inflammation) or
  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or
  • Kidney disease, severe or
  • Liver or other organ transplant or
  • Sickle cell anemia (red blood cell disorder) or
  • Thalassemia major (genetic blood disorder) or
  • Weakened immune system—Should not be used in patients with these conditions.
  • Kidney disease—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body.

Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2024

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