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What the FDA labels say about taking them together

Budesonide and nelfinavir

Budesonide's FDA label of October 11, 2019 names nelfinavir in its drug interactions section; the nelfinavir label PlainMeds reads does not name budesonide. The budesonide label: “Interactions with Strong Cytochrome P450 3A4 Inhibitors Caution should be exercised when considering the coadministration of PULMICORT RESPULES with ketoconazole, and other known strong CYP3A4 inhibitors because adverse …”

Check it at the source: the budesonide FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 11, 2019, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP); the nelfinavir FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 11, 2025, AGOURON).

What does the budesonide label say about nelfinavir?

Budesonide label, drug interactions

Caution should be exercised when considering the coadministration of PULMICORT RESPULES with long-term ketoconazole and other known strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, atazanavir, clarithromycin, indinavir, itraconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, saquinavir, telithromycin) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.12), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

Budesonide label, warnings and precautions

Interactions with Strong Cytochrome P450 3A4 Inhibitors Caution should be exercised when considering the coadministration of PULMICORT RESPULES with ketoconazole, and other known strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, atazanavir, clarithromycin, indinavir, itraconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, saquinavir, telithromycin) because adverse effects related to increased systemic exposure to budesonide may occur [see Drug Interactions (7.1), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

Source: FDA drug label (PULMICORT RESPULES), AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, effective October 11, 2019 (SPL set 33cd9834-76df-4f26-3fa2-aab6b9eee8f2), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What does the nelfinavir label say about budesonide?

Nelfinavir's label (effective December 11, 2025) does not name budesonide in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.

Source: FDA drug label (VIRACEPT), AGOURON, effective December 11, 2025 (SPL set e72c2bc6-9462-4a2e-8e1d-b97592376cbd), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.

Both medicines on the record

30Budesonide generic labelers
0Nelfinavir generic labelers
BudesonideNelfinavir
Labeled forAsthma, Allergies, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitisHIV
Boxed warningNoNo
Pharmacy cost (NADAC)$0.498 per capsule 3 mg capsulen/a
Shortage nowNo current entryNo current entry

Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)

What next?