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Abiraterone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Abiraterone is a cytochrome p450 17a1 inhibitor sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for castration-resistant prostatic neoplasms. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class
Cytochrome P450 17a1 Inhibitor
Treats
Castration-Resistant Prostatic Neoplasms
Available as
Tablet
Sold as
3 products — Abiraterone Acetate, Yonsa and Zytiga
Prescription?
Prescription only
Generic available?
Yes
What the pharmacy pays
about $26 for a 30-count supply — not your price

How abiraterone is dosed

From the FDA label for Abiraterone Acetate (application ANDA208339). Other abiraterone products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: • Abiraterone acetate tablets 1,000 mg orally once daily with prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily. ( 2.1 ) Metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer: • Abiraterone acetate tablets 1,000 mg orally once daily with prednisone 5 mg orally once daily. ( 2.2 ) Patients receiving abiraterone acetate tablets should also receive a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog concurrently or should have had bilateral orchiectomy. Abiraterone acetate tablets must be taken as a single dose once daily on an empty stomach. Do not eat food 2 hours before and 1 hour after taking Abiraterone acetate tablets. The tablets must be swallowed whole with water. Do not crush or chew tablets. ( 2.3 ) Dose Modification: • For patients with baseline moderate hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class B), reduce the abiraterone acetate tablets starting dose to 250 mg once daily. ( 2.4 ) • For patients who develop hepatotoxicity during treatment, hold abiraterone acetate tablets until recovery. Retreatment may be initiated at a reduced dose. Abiraterone acetate tablets should be discontinued if patients develop severe hepatotoxicity. ( 2.4 ) 2.1 Recommended Dose for Metastatic CRPC The recommended dose of abiraterone acetate tablets is 1,000 mg (four 250 mg tablets) orally once daily with prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily. 2.2 Recommended Dose for…

Abiraterone side effects

The following are discussed in more detail in other sections of the labeling: • Hypokalemia, Fluid Retention, and Cardiovascular Adverse Reactions due to Mineralocorticoid Excess [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . • Adrenocortical Insufficiency [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] . • Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ]. • Increased Fractures and Mortality in Combination with Radium Ra 223 Dichloride [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] . The most common adverse reactions (≥10%) are fatigue, arthralgia, hypertension, nausea, edema, hypokalemia, hot flush, diarrhea, vomiting, upper respiratory infection, cough, and headache. ( 6.1 ) The most common laboratory abnormalities (>20%) are anemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase, hypertriglyceridemia, lymphopenia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, and hypokalemia. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. at 1-877-233-2001 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trial Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. Two randomized placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trials (COU-AA-301 and COU-AA-302)…

Who shouldn’t take abiraterone

None. • None ( 4 )

Abiraterone drug interactions

CYP3A4 Inducers: Avoid concomitant strong CYP3A4 inducers during abiraterone acetate treatment. If a strong CYP3A4 inducer must be co-administered, increase the abiraterone acetate dosing frequency. ( 2.5 , 7.1 ) • CYP2D6 Substrates: Avoid co-administration of abiraterone acetate with CYP2D6 substrates that have a narrow therapeutic index. If an alternative treatment cannot be used, exercise caution and consider a dose reduction of the concomitant CYP2D6 substrate. ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Drugs that Inhibit or Induce CYP3A4 Enzymes Based on in vitro data, abiraterone acetate is a substrate of CYP3A4. In a dedicated drug interaction trial, co-administration of rifampin, a strong CYP3A4 inducer, decreased exposure of abiraterone by 55%. Avoid concomitant strong CYP3A4 inducers during abiraterone acetate treatment. If a strong CYP3A4 inducer must be co-administered, increase the abiraterone acetate dosing frequency [see Dosage and Administration (2.5) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . In a dedicated drug interaction trial, co-administration of ketoconazole, a strong inhibitor of CYP3A4, had no clinically meaningful effect on the pharmacokinetics of abiraterone [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . 7.2 Effects of Abiraterone on Drug Metabolizing Enzymes Abiraterone acetate is an inhibitor of the hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP2D6 and CYP2C8. In a CYP2D6 drug-drug interaction trial, the C max and AUC of dextromethorphan (CYP2D6 substrate) were increased 2.8- and 2.9-fold, respectively, when dextromethorphan was given with abiraterone acetate 1,000 mg daily and prednisone 5 mg twice daily. Avoid co-administration of abiraterone acetate with substrates of CYP2D6 with a narrow therapeutic index (e.g., thioridazine). If alternative treatments cannot be used, consider a dose reduction of the concomitant CYP2D6 substrate drug [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . In a CYP2C8 drug-drug interaction trial in healthy subjects, the AUC of pioglitazone (CYP2C8 substrate) was increased by 46% when pioglitazone was given together with a single dose of 1,000 mg abiraterone acetate. Therefore, patients should be monitored closely for signs of toxicity related to a CYP2C8 substrate with a narrow therapeutic index if used concomitantly with abiraterone acetate [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) and Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] .

Every abiraterone product we track (3)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Abiraterone products
#DrugRatingPharmacy pays
172/100$26View →
2Not yet rated$26View →
3Not yet rated$26View →

What abiraterone pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Abiraterone pill imprints
ImprintStrengthColourShape
125;FP125 mgwhiteoval
G;135250 mgwhiteoval
G;121500 mgbrownoval
35250 mgwhiteoval
M;AB500500 mgwhiteoval
M;AB250250 mgwhiteoval
A250;APO250 mgwhiteoval

Combination products containing abiraterone

A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.

How long abiraterone keeps

No abiraterone label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.

Does abiraterone expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

What people report to the FDA about abiraterone

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 6,767 reports naming abiraterone, and the FDA flagged 84% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

  • fatigue479 reports
  • asthenia280 reports
  • hot flush270 reports
  • anaemia251 reports
  • hypokalaemia233 reports
  • diarrhoea222 reports
  • pneumonia220 reports
  • prostatic specific antigen increased216 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean abiraterone caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

What is abiraterone?

Abiraterone Acetate is a cytochrome p450 17a1 inhibitor used to treat Castration-Resistant Prostatic Neoplasms.

What kind of drug is abiraterone?

The FDA classifies abiraterone as a cytochrome p450 17a1 inhibitor. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.

Can you take abiraterone with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run abiraterone against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What brand names is abiraterone sold under?

We track 3 abiraterone-containing products in the U.S.: Abiraterone Acetate, Yonsa and Zytiga. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does abiraterone come in?

Across the brands we track, abiraterone is currently marketed as tablet, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic abiraterone?

Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic abiraterone product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.

Cite this page
APA
pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Abiraterone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/abiraterone
MLA
“Abiraterone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/abiraterone.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for abiraterone on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.