Prevencor 10 mg film-coated tablets

Package leaflet: Information for the user

Introduction

Package leaflet: information for the user

PREVENCOR 10 mg film-coated tablets

atorvastatin

Read the entire leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine, because it contains important information for you.

• Keep this leaflet, as you may need to read it again.
• If you have any questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you only, and you should not give it to other people, even if they have the same symptoms as you, because it may harm them.
• If you experience any adverse effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if they are adverse effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

Contents of the leaflet

1. What Prevencor is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before taking Prevencor
3. How to take Prevencor
4. Possible adverse effects
5. How to store Prevencor
6. Contents of the pack and other information

1. What Prevencor is and what it is used for

Prevencor belongs to a group of medicines known as statins, which are lipid-regulating (fat-regulating) medicines.

Prevencor is used to reduce lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood when a low-fat diet and lifestyle changes alone have failed. If you are at high risk of heart disease, Prevencor may also be used to reduce this risk, even if your cholesterol levels are normal. A standard low-cholesterol diet should be followed during treatment.

2. What you need to know before taking Prevencor

Do not take Prevencor

• if you are allergic to atorvastatin or to any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
• if you have or have had any liver disease.
• if you have or have had unexplained abnormal results in liver function blood tests.
• if you are a woman of childbearing age and are not using adequate contraceptive measures.
• if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
• if you are breastfeeding.
• if you are taking the combination of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse before starting to take Prevencor

• if you have severe respiratory insufficiency.
• if you are taking or have taken within the last 7 days an oral or injectable medicine called fusidic acid (a medicine used to treat bacterial infections). The combination of fusidic acid and Prevencor may cause serious muscle problems (rhabdomyolysis).
• if you have previously had a stroke with bleeding into the brain, or have small fluid-filled pockets in the brain due to previous strokes.
• if you have kidney problems.
• if you have an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
• if you have repeated or unexplained muscle pain, or personal or family history of muscle disorders.
• if you have previously experienced muscle problems during treatment with other lipid-lowering medicines (e.g., with another statin or fibrates).
• if you regularly drink large amounts of alcohol.
• if you have a history of liver problems.
• if you are over 70 years old.
• if you have or have had myasthenia (a disease causing generalized muscle weakness that, in some cases, affects the muscles used for breathing) or ocular myasthenia (a disease causing weakness of the eye muscles), as statins may sometimes worsen the condition or trigger the onset of myasthenia (see section 4).

In any of these cases, your doctor may decide whether you need blood tests before and possibly during treatment with Prevencor to assess your risk of muscle-related adverse effects. It is known that the risk of muscle-related adverse effects (e.g., rhabdomyolysis) increases when certain medicines are taken concomitantly (see section 2 “ Use of Prevencor with other medicines”).

Also inform your doctor or pharmacist if you experience persistent muscle weakness. Additional tests and treatments may be needed to diagnose and manage this condition.

While taking this medicine, your doctor will monitor you for diabetes or risk of developing diabetes. This risk is higher if you have high levels of sugar and fats in the blood, are overweight, or have high blood pressure.

Other medicines and Prevencor

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might need to take any other medicines. Some medicines may interfere with the proper function of Prevencor, or the effects of these medicines may be altered by Prevencor. Such interactions may reduce the effect of one or both medicines. Alternatively, this combination may increase the risk or severity of adverse effects, including serious muscle damage known as rhabdomyolysis, described in section 4:

• Medicines used to modify the function of your immune system, for example, cyclosporine.

• Certain antibiotics or antifungal medicines, for example, erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole, rifampicin, fusidic acid.

• Other lipid-regulating medicines, for example, gemfibrozil, other fibrates, colestipol.

• Certain calcium channel blockers used to treat angina or high blood pressure, for example, amlodipine, diltiazem; medicines to regulate your heart rhythm, for example, digoxin, verapamil, amiodarone.

• Letermovir, a medicine that helps prevent cytomegalovirus-related diseases.

• Medicines used in the treatment of AIDS, for example, ritonavir, lopinavir, atazanavir, indinavir, darunavir, tipranavir combined with ritonavir, etc.

• Some medicines used for the treatment of hepatitis C, such as telaprevir, boceprevir, and the combinations elbasvir/grazoprevir, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir.

• Other medicines known to interact with Prevencor include ezetimibe (cholesterol-lowering), warfarin (blood thinner), oral contraceptives, stiripentol (an anticonvulsant for epilepsy), cimetidine (used for heartburn and peptic ulcer), phenazone (a painkiller), colchicine (used to treat gout), and antacids (indigestion remedies containing aluminium or magnesium).

• Over-the-counter medicines: St. John’s wort.

• If you need to take oral fusidic acid to treat a bacterial infection, you must temporarily stop taking this medicine. Your doctor will advise you when it is safe to restart treatment with Prevencor. Taking Prevencor together with fusidic acid may rarely cause muscle weakness, tenderness, or pain (rhabdomyolysis). For more information on rhabdomyolysis, see section 4.

• Daptomycin (a medicine used to treat complicated skin and skin structure infections and bloodstream infections caused by bacteria).

Taking Prevencor with food, drinks, and alcohol

See section 3 for instructions on how to take Prevencor. Please note the following:

Grapefruit juice

Do not drink more than one or two small glasses of grapefruit juice per day, as large quantities of grapefruit juice may alter the effects of Prevencor.

Alcohol

Avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol while taking this medicine. See details in section 2 “Warnings and precautions”.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility

Do not take Prevencor if you are pregnant, think you might be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant.

Do not take Prevencor if you are of childbearing age unless you are using adequate contraceptive measures.

Do not take Prevencor if you are breastfeeding.

The safety of Prevencor during pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established.

Consult your doctor or pharmacist before using any medicine.

Driving and using machines

This medicine usually does not affect your ability to drive or operate machinery. However, do not drive if this medicine affects your ability to do so. Do not operate tools or machinery if this medicine affects your ability to use them safely.

Prevencor contains lactose

If your doctor has informed you that you have an intolerance to certain sugars, consult with him before taking this medicine.

Prevencor contains sodium

This medicine contains less than 23 mg of sodium (1 mmol) per tablet, which is essentially “sodium-free”.

Prevencor contains benzoic acid

This medicine contains 0.00004 mg of benzoic acid in each tablet.

3. How to take Prevencor

Before starting treatment, your doctor will place you on a low-cholesterol diet, which you must continue to follow during treatment with Prevencor.

The usual starting dose of Prevencor is 10 mg once daily in adults and children aged 10 years and older. Your doctor may increase this dose if necessary to reach the dose you require. Your doctor will adjust the dose at intervals of 4 weeks or more. The maximum dose of Prevencor is 80 mg once daily.

Prevencor tablets should be swallowed whole with a glass of water and may be taken at any time of day, with or without food. However, try to take your tablet at the same time each day.

Always follow exactly the instructions provided by your doctor or pharmacist for taking this medicine. If in doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.

Your doctor will decide the duration of treatment with Prevencor.

Ask your doctor if you think that the effect of Prevencor is too strong or too weak.

If you take more Prevencor than you should

If you accidentally take too many Prevencor tablets (more than your usual daily dose), consult your doctor or the nearest hospital, or call the Toxicology Information Service at telephone number 91 562 04 20, stating the medication and amount taken. Bring any remaining tablets, the carton, and the full pack so that hospital staff can easily identify the medication you have taken.

If you forget to take Prevencor

If you forget to take a dose, take the next dose at the scheduled time. Do not take a double dose to make up for missed doses.

If you stop taking Prevencor

If you have any further questions about using this medicine or wish to stop treatment, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible adverse effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause adverse effects, although not everyone experiences them.

If you notice any of the following adverse effects or serious symptoms, stop taking these tablets immediately and contact your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency department straight away.

Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people

• Severe allergic reaction causing swelling of the face, tongue, and throat, which may cause severe difficulty breathing.

• Serious illness with severe skin peeling and inflammation; skin blisters, in the mouth, genitals, and eyes, and fever. Skin rash with pink-red spots, especially on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, which may develop into blisters.

• Muscle weakness, tenderness, pain, or rupture, or brownish-red discoloration of the urine, especially if accompanied by malaise or high fever—this may be due to abnormal muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis). Abnormal muscle breakdown does not always resolve, even after stopping atorvastatin, and can be fatal and cause kidney problems.

Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people

• If you experience problems with unexpected or unusual bleeding or bruising, this may indicate a liver problem. You should consult your doctor as soon as possible.
• Lupus-like syndrome (including rash, joint disorders, and effects on blood cells).

Other possible adverse effects with Prevencor

Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people

• Nasal inflammation, sore throat, nosebleeds
• Allergic reactions
• Increased blood sugar levels (if you are diabetic, monitor your blood sugar levels closely), increased blood creatine kinase
• Headache
• Nausea, constipation, gas, indigestion, diarrhea
• Joint pain, muscle pain, and back pain
• Blood test results that may indicate abnormal liver function

Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people

• Anorexia (loss of appetite), weight gain, decreased blood sugar levels (if you are diabetic, continue to monitor your blood sugar levels carefully)
• Nightmares, insomnia
• Dizziness, numbness or tingling in fingers or toes, reduced sensitivity to pain or touch, changes in taste sensation, memory loss
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in the ears and/or head
• Vomiting, belching, upper and lower abdominal pain, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas causing stomach pain)
• Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
• Rash, skin rash and itching, hives, hair loss
• Neck pain, muscle fatigue
• Fatigue, feeling unwell, weakness, chest pain, swelling, especially in the ankles (edema), increased body temperature
• Positive urine tests for white blood cells

Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people

• Vision disturbances
• Unexpected bleeding or bruising
• Cholestasis (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
• Tendon injury
• Skin rash or mouth ulcers (drug-induced lichenoid reaction)
• Purple-colored skin lesions (signs of blood vessel inflammation, vasculitis)

Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people

• Allergic reaction—symptoms may include sudden wheezing, chest pain or tightness, swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, difficulty breathing, collapse
• Hearing loss
• Gynecomastia (enlargement of the breasts in men)

Frequency not known: cannot be estimated from available data:

• Persistent muscle weakness
• Myasthenia gravis (a disease causing generalized muscle weakness, which in some cases affects the muscles used for breathing)
• Ocular myasthenia (a disease causing weakness of the eye muscles)

Consult your doctor if you experience worsening weakness in the arms or legs after periods of activity, double vision or drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing, or difficulty breathing.

Possible side effects reported with some statins (medicines of the same type):

• Sexual difficulties
• Depression
• Respiratory problems such as persistent cough and/or difficulty breathing or fever
• Diabetes. This is more likely if you have high levels of blood sugar and fats, are overweight, and have high blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you while you are taking this medicine.

Reporting of adverse effects

If you experience any adverse effect, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible adverse effect not listed in this leaflet. You can also report them directly via the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Human Medicines: https://www.notificaram.es. By reporting adverse effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. Storage of Prevencor

Keep this medicine out of sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date stated on the blister and outer packaging following "EXP". The expiry date refers to the last day of the month indicated.

This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.

Medicines must not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Dispose of unused medicines and their packaging at a SIGRE point at your pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines and packaging you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.

6. Package contents and additional information

Composition of Prevencor

• The active substance is atorvastatin.

Each film-coated tablet contains 10 mg of atorvastatin (as atorvastatin calcium trihydrate).

• The other components (excipients) are:

calcium carbonate, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, sodium croscarmellose, polysorbate 80, hydroxypropylcellulose and magnesium stearate.

The coating of Prevencor contains hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 8000, titanium dioxide (E 171), talc, simethicone emulsion containing simethicone, emulsifying stearates (polysorbate 65, macrogol 400 stearate, glycerol monostearate 40-55), thickeners (methylcellulose, xanthan gum), benzoic acid (E 210), sorbic acid and sulfuric acid.

Appearance of the product and contents of the pack

The film-coated tablets of Prevencor 10 mg are white, round-shaped and have a diameter of 5.6 mm. They are marked with "10" on one side and "ATV" on the other side.

Blister packs consist of a front layer made of polyamide/aluminium foil/polyvinyl chloride film and a back layer made of aluminium foil/thermally sealed vinyl coating.

The bottle is made of HDPE, contains a desiccant, and features a child-resistant "press and turn" closure.

Prevencor 10 mg is available in cartons with blister packs containing 4, 7, 10, 14, 20, 28, 30, 50, 56, 60, 84, 90, 98 and 100 film-coated tablets, and in clinical packs containing 50, 84, 100, 200 (10 x 20) or 500 film-coated tablets, and bottles containing 90 film-coated tablets.

Only certain pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing Authorization Holder and Manufacturer

Marketing Authorization Holder

Viatris Healthcare Limited
Damastown Industrial Park
Mulhuddart, Dublin 15
Dublin
Ireland

Manufacturer

MEDIS INTERNATIONAL a.s., výrobní závod Bolatice
Prumyslová 961/16
747 23 Bolatice
Czech Republic

or

Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH
Mooswaldallee 1
79108 Freiburg im Breisgau
Germany

or

Menarini Manufacturing Logistics and Services, s.r.l.
Via Campo di Pile
67100 L'Aquila
Italy

or

Menarini-Von Heyden GmbH
Leipziger Strasse 7-13
01097 Dresden
Germany

or

Mylan Hungary Kft.
Mylan utca 1
Komárom, 2900
Hungary

Further information on this medicinal product is available from the local representative of the Marketing Authorization Holder:

Viatris Pharmaceuticals, S.L.U.
C/ General Aranaz, 86
28027 Madrid
Spain

Date of the most recent revision of this leaflet: October 2024

Detailed information on this medicinal product is available on the website of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) http://www.aemps.gob.es/