Prescription medication · Rifamycin Antibiotic
rifampin
Also sold as Rifadin. Rifampin treats tuberculosis (TB) and helps eliminate the bacteria that cause meningitis from your nose and throat.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 13,451
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 137
- InteractionsMany interactions
- In shortage
- FDA status
What the data shows
rifampin (Rifadin) is a prescription Rifamycin Antibiotic, reported less often than most tracked drugs (13,451 FDA reports), with 137 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
rifampin (Rifadin) is a prescription Rifamycin Antibiotic. Rifampin treats tuberculosis (TB) and helps eliminate the bacteria that cause meningitis from your nose and throat.
Rifampin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights bacteria in your body to treat infections.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Shortage Alert
rifampin is currently listed as in shortage by the FDA. Affected manufacturer: Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC. Status: Available.
View all drug shortages →Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.60/unit
Generic Available
Yes (6 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: RIFAMPIN 150 MG CAPSULE
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (3 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: -11.4% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 19, 2024 | $0.6552/EA | - | 1 |
| October 23, 2024 | $0.6749/EA | +3% | 2 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.5977/EA | -11.4% | 6 |
What it does
Rifampin treats tuberculosis (TB) and helps eliminate the bacteria that cause meningitis from your nose and throat.
Common side effects
Heartburn, Upset stomach, Loss of appetite
Key warnings
Rifampin can cause liver problems.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from rifampin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Rifampin works by stopping bacteria from growing and multiplying. It does this by blocking a key enzyme that the bacteria need to make proteins. This helps your body fight off the infection.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 13,451 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for rifampin, by number of reports
- Drug Interaction
Drug Interaction
970 reports
- Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms
Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms
727 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
628 reports
- Condition Aggravated
Condition Aggravated
550 reports
- Pyrexia
Pyrexia
541 reports
- Vomiting
Vomiting
444 reports
- Drug Resistance
Drug Resistance
437 reports
- Acute Kidney Injury
Acute Kidney Injury
396 reports
- Dyspnoea 380
Dyspnoea
380 reports
- Diarrhoea 378
Diarrhoea
378 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for rifampin each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where rifampin sits
rifampin has more FDA adverse-event reports than 46% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is rifampin; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 13,451 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
13,451
Reports Mentioning Death
1,383
10.3% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
5,402
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | DRUG INTERACTION | 970 |
| 4 | DRUG REACTION WITH EOSINOPHILIA AND SYSTEMIC SYMPTOMS | 727 |
| 5 | NAUSEA | 628 |
| 6 | CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 550 |
| 7 | PYREXIA | 541 |
| 9 | VOMITING | 444 |
| 10 | DRUG RESISTANCE | 437 |
| 11 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 396 |
| 13 | DYSPNOEA | 380 |
| 14 | DIARRHOEA | 378 |
| 15 | RASH | 378 |
| 16 | PARADOXICAL DRUG REACTION | 363 |
| 17 | COUGH | 350 |
| 18 | FATIGUE | 335 |
| 19 | DRUG-INDUCED LIVER INJURY | 325 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Rifampin can cause liver problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or stomach pain. Rifampin can also cause blood problems. Tell your doctor if you have unusual bleeding or bruising.
Known Drug Interactions
Table 1: Drug Interactions with Rifampin that Affect Concomitant Drug Concentrations Administered with rifampin 600 mg daily, unless otherwise specified Drug or Drug Class and Prevention or Management Clinical Effect AUC = area under the time-concentration curve Antiretrovirals Prevention or Management: Concomitant use is contraindicated (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ) Atazanavir Decrease AUC by 72% Darunavir Rifampin dosage used concomitantly with the drug(s) is not specified in the proposed package insert.
Mechanism: Rifampin reduces the amount of darunavir in your body, which can prevent the medicine from controlling the virus.
Antimycobacterials: rifabutin rifampin , Strong inducer of CYP3Aand P-gp, and inducer of UGT1A1. rifapentine ↓ BIC ↓ TAF Coadministration with rifampin is contraindicated due to the effect of rifampin on the BIC component of BIKTARVY [see Contraindications (4) ] .
Mechanism: Rifampin speeds up how fast your body breaks down the HIV medicine, which makes the HIV medicine less effective. This can cause the HIV virus to become harder to treat.
Antimycobacterials: Rifampin ↓ glecaprevir ↓ pibrentasvir Coadministration is contraindicated because of potential loss of therapeutic effect [see Contraindications ( 4 ) ] .
Mechanism: Rifampin lowers the levels of the hepatitis C medicine in your body. This makes the treatment less effective and may prevent it from curing the infection.
Antimycobacterial rifampin, rifapentine ↓ nirmatrelvir/ritonavir Co-administration contraindicated due to potential loss of virologic response and possible resistance.
Mechanism: Rifampin causes the body to break down nirmatrelvir/ritonavir too quickly, which lowers the amount of medicine in your blood. This can make the treatment less effective and may lead to the virus becoming resistant.
Rifampin Clinical Impact: Rifampin significantly increases peak pitavastatin exposure and increases the risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Intervention: In patients taking rifampin, do not exceed pitavastatin tablets 2 mg once daily [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.4 )].
Mechanism: Rifampin causes the levels of pitavastatin in the blood to spike higher than they should. These high levels increase the chance of experiencing dangerous muscle injury.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can rifampin change the color of my urine or other body fluids?
Can I take rifampin with food?
What should I avoid while taking rifampin?
Can rifampin interact with other medications?
What if I develop diarrhea while taking rifampin?
Can rifampin cause any vision problems?
Are there any long-term side effects of rifampin?
What happens if I take too much rifampin?
Can I stop taking rifampin when I feel better?
Who should not take rifampin?
What are the common side effects of rifampin?
Does rifampin interact with other medications?
What drug class is rifampin?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for rifampin?
Has rifampin been recalled?
Is rifampin currently in shortage?
Active Recalls
CGMP Deviations: Firm went out of business and could no longer continue stability studies.
Akorn, Inc.
Failed impurities/degradation specifications: Finished product exceeds the 5 ppm interim limit for 1-Methyl-4-Nitrosopoperazine (MNP).
Akorn, Inc.
Related Medications in Rifamycin Antibiotic
Other drugs grouped near rifampin - same-class peers and common alternatives.
amikacin
Amikin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine.
Compare with rifampin →
amoxicillin
Amoxil
Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium is a combination medicine used to fight bacterial infections.
Compare with rifampin →
amoxicillin/clavulanate
Augmentin
Augmentin is a combination of two medicines, amoxicillin and clavulanate.
Compare with rifampin →
ampicillin/sulbactam
Unasyn
Unasyn is a combination of two antibiotics that fights bacteria in your body.
Compare with rifampin →
azithromycin
Zithromax, Z-Pack
Azithromycin is an antibiotic that fights bacteria.
Compare with rifampin →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for rifampin: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 13,451.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 10.28%.
- duloxetine Δ 0.03 pts · 65,067 reports · Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) 10.31%death share
- disulfiram Δ 0.03 pts · 1,076 reports · Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Inhibitor 10.32%death share
- labetalol Δ 0.04 pts · 12,726 reports · Alpha/Beta-Blocker 10.33%death share
- nisoldipine Δ 0.05 pts · 1,191 reports · Calcium Channel Blocker 10.33%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for rifampin
The FDA label for rifampin (sold under brand names such as Rifadin) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Rifamycin Antibiotic class. Rifampin treats tuberculosis (TB) and helps eliminate the bacteria that cause meningitis from your nose and throat. Official labeling lists 17 commonly reported side effects, including Heartburn, Upset stomach, Loss of appetite.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 13,451 voluntary reports. The database also lists 137 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated major severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.60.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 2 recall records on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC). Shortage status: FDA Drug Shortages Database.
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: October 17, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages