Red Yeast Rice - Actemra (Tocilizumab) Interaction

Interaction Details

Tocilizumab is classified as belonging to the following category: Hepatotoxic Drugs

Theoretically, concomitant use might increase the risk of liver damage.
Red yeast rice contains varying levels of the drug lovastatin. Lovastatin can cause liver damage in some people. Some clinical research suggests that supplements containing red yeast rice might increase liver enzyme levels in some, but not all, participants. Cases of acute hepatitis have been associated with red yeast rice. Combining it with hepatotoxic drugs might further increase this risk.

Interaction Rating

Likelihood of Occurrence

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists

References

• Roselle H, Ekatan A, Tzeng J, et al. Symptomatic hepatitis associated with the use of herbal red yeast rice. Ann Intern Med 2008;149:516-7.
• Huang, J., Frohlich, J., and Ignaszewski, A. P. The impact of dietary changes and dietary supplements on lipid profile. Can J Cardiol 2011;27(4):488-505.
• Grieco, A., Miele, L., Pompili, M., Biolato, M., Vecchio, F. M., Grattagliano, I., and Gasbarrini, G. Acute hepatitis caused by a natural lipid-lowering product: when "alternative" medicine is no "alternative" at all. J Hepatol 2009;50(6):1273-1277.
• Lin, C. C., Li, T. C., and Lai, M. M. Efficacy and safety of Monascus purpureus Went rice in subjects with hyperlipidemia. Eur J Endocrinol 2005;153(5):679-686.
• Prescribing Information. Mevacor (lovastatin). Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck & Co., Inc., February 2012.

Tocilizumab Overview

• Tocilizumab injection is used alone or in combination with other medications to relieve the symptoms of certain types of arthritis and other conditions including:

  • rheumatoid arthritis (a condition in which the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in adults who have not been helped by other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs),

  • giant cell arteritis (a condition that causes swelling of blood vessels, especially in the scalp and head) in adults,

  • systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD; also known as scleroderma-associated ILD: a lung disease that involves scarring of the lungs) in adults,

  • polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA; a type of childhood arthritis that affects five or more joints during the first six months of the condition, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in children 2 years of age or older.

  • systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA; a condition in children that causes inflammation in different areas of the body, causing fever, joint pain and swelling, loss of function, and delays in growth and development) in children 2 years of age or older,

  • cytokine release syndrome (a severe and possibly life-threatening reaction) in adults and children 2 years of age or older after receiving certain immunotherapy infusions.

• Tocilizumab injection is in a class of medications called interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitors. It works by blocking the activity of interleukin-6, a substance in the body that causes inflammation.

Red Yeast Rice - More Interactions

Red Yeast Rice interacts with 447 drugs

Interaction Rating Key

These severity listings are for informational use only. Never start, stop or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.