lefamulin (oral/injection)

Skip to main navigation

Skip to footer

For Medicare For Providers For Brokers For Employers

Español

For Individuals & Families:

For Individuals & Families

Shop for Plans

Medical

Dental

Other Supplemental

Explore coverage through work

How to Buy Health Insurance

Types of Dental Insurance

Open Enrollment vs. Special Enrollment

See all topics

Shop for Medicare plans

Member Guide

Find a Doctor

Home

Knowledge Center

Wellness Library

lefamulin (oral/injection)

Pronunciation: le FAM ue lin

Brand: Xenleta

What is the most important information I should know about lefamulin?

Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any you start or stop using. Many drugs can interact, and some drugs should not be used together.

What is lefamulin?

Lefamulin is used to treat certain types of pneumonia in adults.

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

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before using lefamulin?

You should not use lefamulin if you are allergic to it.

Many drugs can interact and cause dangerous effects. Some drugs should not be used together with lefamulin. Your doctor may change your treatment plan if you also use certain other medicines for infections, asthma, heart problems, high blood pressure, depression, mental illness, cancer, malaria, or HIV.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

a heart rhythm disorder (especially if you take medication to treat it);
long QT syndrome;
liver disease; or
kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis).

You may need to have a negative pregnancy test before starting this treatment.

Lefamulin may harm an unborn baby. Use effective birth control to prevent pregnancy while you are using this medicine and for at least 2 days after your last dose. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant.

You should not breastfeed within 2 days after using lefamulin. If you use a breast pump during this time, throw out any milk you collect. Do not feed it to your baby.

How should I take lefamulin?

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

Lefamulin oral is taken by mouth.

Take lefamulin oral on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal.

Take lefamulin oral with a full glass (6 to 8 ounces) of water. Swallow the tablet whole and do not crush, chew, or break it.

Lefamulin injection is given as an infusion into a vein. A healthcare provider will give your first dose and may teach you how to properly use the medication by yourself.

Read and carefully follow any Instructions for Use provided with your medicine. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you don't understand all instructions.

Lefamulin injection must be mixed with a liquid (diluent) before using it. When using injections by yourself, be sure you understand how to properly mix and store the medicine.

Prepare an injection only when you are ready to give it. Do not use if the medicine has changed colors or has particles in it. Call your pharmacist for new medicine.

Lefamulin injection must be given slowly, and the infusion can take about 60 minutes to complete.

You will need frequent blood tests to check your liver function.

Use this medicine for the full prescribed length of time, even if your symptoms quickly improve. Skipping doses can increase your risk of infection that is resistant to medication. Lefamulin will not treat a viral infection such as the flu or a common cold.

Store the tablets at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Store lefamulin injection in the refrigerator, do not freeze. Store the diluent bags at room temperature.

Each vial (bottle) is for one use only. Throw it away after one use, even if there is still medicine left inside.

After mixing lefamulin injection with the diluent, you may store the mixture for up to 24 hours at room temperature, or up to 48 hours in a refrigerator.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Use the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if your next dose is due in less than 8 hours. Do not use two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

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

What should I avoid while taking lefamulin?

Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or bloody, call your doctor before using anti-diarrhea medicine.

Do not share this medicine with another person, even if they have the same symptoms you have.

What are the possible side effects of lefamulin?

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

Call your doctor at once if you have:

severe stomach pain, diarrhea that is watery or bloody (even if it occurs months after your last dose); or
low potassium level --leg cramps, constipation, irregular heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, increased thirst or urination, numbness or tingling, muscle weakness or limp feeling.

Common side effects may include:

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
sleep problems (insomnia);
low potassium;
headache;
abnormal liver function tests; or
pain, bruising, swelling, or irritation where the medicine was injected.

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.

What other drugs will affect lefamulin?

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.

Lefamulin can cause a serious heart problem. Your risk may be higher if you also use certain other medicines for infections, asthma, heart problems, high blood pressure, depression, mental illness, cancer, malaria, or HIV.

Many drugs can affect lefamulin. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about lefamulin.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2023 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 1.01. Revision date: 11/8/2019.

Your use of the content provided in this service indicates that you have read, understood and agree to the End-User License Agreement, which can be accessed by End-User License Agreement, which can be accessed by clicking on this link.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.

<cipublic-spinner variant="large"><span>Loading…</span></cipublic-spinner>

Page Footer

I want to...

Get an ID card

File a claim

View my claims and EOBs

Check coverage under my plan

See prescription drug list

Find an in-network doctor, dentist, or facility

Find a form

Find 1095-B tax form information

View the Cigna Glossary

Contact Cigna

Audiences

Individuals and Families

Medicare

Employers

Brokers

Providers

Secure Member Sites

myCigna member portal

Health Care Provider portal

Cigna for Employers

Client Resource Portal

Cigna for Brokers

The Cigna Group Information

About The Cigna Group

Company Profile

Careers

Newsroom

Investors

Suppliers

The Cigna Group

Third Party Administrators

International

Evernorth

Privacy

Legal

Product Disclosures

Cigna Company Names

Customer Rights

Accessibility

Non-Discrimination Notice

Language Assistance [PDF]

Report Fraud

Sitemap

Cookie Settings

Disclaimer

Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Georgia, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of South Carolina, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Accidental Injury, Critical Illness, and Hospital Care plans or insurance policies are distributed exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, are administered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, and are insured by either (i) Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (Bloomfield, CT); (ii) Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”) (Philadelphia, PA); or (iii) New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY (“NYLGICNY”) (New York, NY), formerly known as Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. LINA and NYLGICNY are not affiliates of Cigna.

All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna website. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Details

Shop for Plans

Shop for your own coverage

Plans through your employer

Learn

Looking for Medicare coverage?

lefamulin (oral/injection)

What is the most important information I should know about lefamulin?

What is lefamulin?

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before using lefamulin?

How should I take lefamulin?

What happens if I miss a dose?

What happens if I overdose?

What should I avoid while taking lefamulin?

What are the possible side effects of lefamulin?

What other drugs will affect lefamulin?

Where can I get more information?

Page Footer

I want to...

Audiences

Secure Member Sites

The Cigna Group Information

Disclaimer