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Doravirine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Doravirine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand. 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

Available as
Tablet
Sold as
Pifeltro
Prescription?
Prescription only
Generic available?
Not in our catalog

How doravirine is dosed

From the FDA label for Pifeltro (application NDA210806). Other doravirine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Recommended dosage: One tablet taken orally once daily with or without food in adults and pediatric patients weighing at least 35 kg. ( 2.1 ) Dosage adjustment with rifabutin: One tablet taken twice daily (approximately 12 hours apart). ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosage The recommended dosage regimen of PIFELTRO in adults and pediatric patients weighing at least 35 kg is one 100 mg tablet taken orally once daily with or without food [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . 2.2 Dosage Adjustment with Rifabutin If PIFELTRO is co-administered with rifabutin, increase PIFELTRO dosage to one tablet twice daily (approximately 12 hours apart) for the duration of rifabutin co-administration [see Drug Interactions (7.1) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

Doravirine side effects

The following adverse reactions are discussed in other sections of the labeling: Skin and Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Immune Reconstitution Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Most common adverse reactions (incidence greater than or equal to 5%, all grades) are nausea, dizziness, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and abnormal dreams. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC at 1-877-888-4231 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials 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 practice. Adverse Reactions in Adults with No Antiretroviral Treatment History The safety assessment of PIFELTRO used in combination with other antiretroviral agents is based on Week 96 data from two Phase 3, randomized, international, multicenter, double-blind, active-controlled trials (DRIVE-FORWARD (Protocol 018) and DRIVE-AHEAD (Protocol 021)). In DRIVE-FORWARD, 766 adult participants received either PIFELTRO 100 mg (n=383) or darunavir 800 mg + ritonavir 100 mg (DRV+r) (n=383) once daily, each in combination with emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate…

Who shouldn’t take doravirine

PIFELTRO is contraindicated when co-administered with drugs that are strong cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A enzyme inducers as significant decreases in doravirine plasma concentrations may occur, which may decrease the effectiveness of PIFELTRO [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) , Drug Interactions (7.1) , and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . These drugs include, but are not limited to, the following: the anticonvulsants carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide the antimycobacterials rifampin, rifapentine the cytotoxic agent mitotane St. John's wort ( Hypericum perforatum) PIFELTRO is contraindicated when co-administered with drugs that are strong cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A enzyme inducers as significant decreases in doravirine plasma concentrations may occur, which may decrease the effectiveness of PIFELTRO. ( 4 )

Doravirine drug interactions

Consult the full prescribing information prior to and during treatment for important potential drug-drug interactions. ( 4 , 5.2 , 7 ) 7.1 Effect of Other Drugs on PIFELTRO Co-administration of PIFELTRO with a CYP3A inducer decreases doravirine plasma concentrations, which may reduce PIFELTRO efficacy [see Contraindications (4) , Warnings and Precautions (5.2) , and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . Co-administration of PIFELTRO and drugs that are inhibitors of CYP3A may result in increased plasma concentrations of doravirine. Table 6 shows significant drug interactions with PIFELTRO. Table 6: Drug Interactions with PIFELTRO This table is not all inclusive. Concomitant Drug Class: Drug Name Effect on Concentration Clinical Comment ↑ = increase, ↓ = decrease All other drug-drug interactions shown are anticipated based on the known metabolic and elimination pathways. Androgen Receptors enzalutamide ↓ doravirine Co-administration is contraindicated with enzalutamide. At least a 4-week cessation period is recommended prior to initiation of PIFELTRO. Anticonvulsants carbamazepine oxcarbazepine phenobarbital phenytoin ↓ doravirine Co-administration is contraindicated with these anticonvulsants. At least a 4-week cessation period is recommended prior to initiation of PIFELTRO. Antimycobacterials rifampin The interaction between PIFELTRO and the concomitant drug was evaluated in a clinical study. rifapentine ↓ doravirine Co-administration is contraindicated with rifampin or rifapentine . At least a 4-week cessation period is recommended prior to initiation of PIFELTRO. rifabutin ↓ doravirine Increase PIFELTRO dosage to one tablet twice daily when co-administered with rifabutin [see Dosage and Administration (2.2) ] . Cytotoxic Agents mitotane ↓ doravirine Co-administration is contraindicated with mitotane. At least a 4-week cessation period is recommended prior to initiation of PIFELTRO. HIV Antiviral Agents efavirenz etravirine nevirapine ↓ doravirine Use with efavirenz, etravirine, or nevirapine is not recommended. Herbal Products St. John's wort ↓ doravirine Co-administration is contraindicated with St. John's wort. At least a 4-week cessation period is recommended prior to initiation of PIFELTRO. No clinically significant changes in concentration were observed for doravirine when co-administered with the following agents: dolutegravir, TDF, lamivudine, elbasvir and grazoprevir, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, ritonavir, ketoconazole, aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide/simethicone containing antacid, pantoprazole, and methadone [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. 7.2 Effect of PIFELTRO on Other Drugs No clinically significant changes in concentration were observed for the following agents when co-administered with doravirine: dolutegravir, lamivudine, TDF, elbasvir and grazoprevir, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, atorvastatin, an oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel, metformin, methadone, and midazolam [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .

Every doravirine product we track (1)

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

Only one: Pifeltro.

What doravirine pills look like

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

Doravirine pill imprints
ImprintStrengthColourShape
logo;700100 mgwhiteoval
logo;700100 mgwhiteoval

Combination products containing doravirine

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.

Doravirine and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

No information is available on the clinical use of doravirine during breastfeeding. However, amounts in breastmilk appear to be low and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. No information is available on the excretion of islatravir, which is present in Idvynso, into breastmilk. Achieving and maintaining viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy decreases breastfeeding transmission risk to less than 1%, but not zero. Individuals with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy with a sustained undetectable viral load and who choose to breastfeed should be supported in this decision. If a viral load is not suppressed, banked pasteurized donor milk or formula is recommended.

Full LactMed record for doravirine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised May 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about doravirine

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 295 reports naming doravirine, and the FDA flagged 91% 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:

  • virologic failure32 reports
  • drug resistance30 reports
  • pathogen resistance21 reports
  • blood hiv rna increased18 reports
  • nausea16 reports
  • cd4 lymphocytes decreased14 reports
  • immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome14 reports
  • viral mutation identified13 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean doravirine 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 July 25, 2026.

Related calculators

Frequently asked questions

What is doravirine?

PIFELTRO is a film-coated tablet containing doravirine for oral administration. Doravirine is an HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). Each tablet contains 100 mg of doravirine as the active ingredient. The tablets include the following inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, hypromellose acetate succinate, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, and microcrystalline cellulose. The tablets are film coated with a coating material containing the following inactive ingredients: hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, titanium dioxide, and triacetin. The coated tablets are polished with carnauba wax.

Can you take doravirine 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 doravirine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What forms does doravirine come in?

Across the brands we track, doravirine 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 doravirine?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled doravirine product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

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

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 doravirine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.