Rifapentine is an antibiotic that fights bacteria.

Rifapentine is used together with other medicines to treat active tuberculosis (TB) in adults and children who are at least 12 years old.

Rifapentine is also used to keep inactive (latent) TB from becoming active in adults and children who are at least 2 years old.

Rifapentine must always be used in combination with other tuberculosis medications.

Rifapentine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Follow all directions on your medicine label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

Rifapentine comes as a tablet to take by mouth. When rifapentine is used to treat active TB, it is usually taken with food twice weekly, with doses at least 3 days apart, for the first 2 months and then once weekly for 4 months. When rifapentine is used to treat latent TB infection, it should be with food taken once every week. Take rifapentine at around the same time every scheduled day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take rifapentine exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

If you are unable to swallow the tablets, you can crush them and mix the medication in a small amount of semisolid food such as pudding or applesauce. Swallow the mixture right away; do not store it for later use.

Continue to take rifapentine until you finish the prescription even if you feel better, and be careful not to miss doses. If you stop taking rifapentine too soon, your infection may not be completely treated and the bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics. If you miss doses of rifapentine, you may develop uncomfortable or serious symptoms when you begin to take the medication again.

Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medicine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.

Take with food.

To make swallowing easier, you may crush the rifapentine tablet and sprinkle the medicine into a spoonful of pudding, applesauce, or other soft food. Swallow this mixture right away. Do not save the mixture for later use.

Use this medicine for the full prescribed length of time. Your TB may get better and then come back if you do not take rifapentine as directed. Skipping doses may also increase your risk of further infection that is resistant to antibiotics. Rifapentine will not treat a viral infection such as the flu or a common cold.

Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve, or if they get worse while using rifapentine.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

You should not take rifapentine if you are allergic to rifapentine, rifabutin (Mycobutin), or rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rimactane, Rifamate).

To make sure rifapentine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

• liver disease;

• porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder that causes symptoms affecting the skin or nervous system);

• HIV or AIDS;

• if you have used rifampin or isoniazid in the past and they were not effective in treating TB; or

• if you have been exposed to someone with TB that could not be treated with rifampin or isoniazid.

FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether rifapentine will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine.

Rifapentine can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using non hormonal birth control (condom, diaphragm with spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while taking rifapentine.

It is not known whether rifapentine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine. Rifapentine may cause a red-orange discoloration of breast milk.

Do not give this medicine to a child without medical advice.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location – one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. http://www.upandaway.org

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA's Safe Disposal of Medicines website (http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p) for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.

Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or bloody, stop using rifapentine and call your doctor. Do not use anti-diarrhea medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Rifapentine may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

• diarrhea that is watery or bloody;

• liver problems--nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);

• low red blood cells (anemia)--pale skin, feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart rate, trouble concentrating; or

• low white blood cell counts--fever, swollen gums, painful mouth sores, pain when swallowing, skin sores, cold or flu symptoms, cough, trouble breathing.

Rifapentine can cause changes in the color of your skin or body fluids. You may notice a red-orange appearance of your skin, tears, sweat, saliva, urine, or stools. Your teeth, tongue, or the inside of your mouth may also appear red-orange. This discoloration can permanently stain contact lenses or dentures.

Common side effects of rifapentine may include:

• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite;

• flu symptoms;

• headache, joint pain;

• itching or rash;

• eye redness; or

• abnormal liver function tests.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Many drugs can interact with rifapentine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain lab tests to check your body's response to rifapentine.

Before having any laboratory test, tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are taking rifapentine.

Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.