What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Cabozantinib and rifabutin
Cabozantinib's FDA label (Cometriq) of October 18, 2025 names rifabutin in its drug interactions section; the rifabutin label PlainMeds reads does not name cabozantinib. The cabozantinib label: “Avoid chronic co-administration of strong CYP3A4 inducers with COMETRIQ or increase the dosage of COMETRIQ if concomitant use with strong CYP3A4 inducers cannot be avoided.”
Check it at the source: the cabozantinib FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 19, 2025, Exelixis, Inc.); the rifabutin FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 1, 2026, REMEDYREPACK INC.).
What does the cabozantinib label say about rifabutin?
Cometriq label (Exelixis, Inc., October 18, 2025), drug interactionsAvoid chronic co-administration of strong CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampin, rifabutin, rifapentine, phenobarbital, St. John’s Wort) with COMETRIQ or increase the dosage of COMETRIQ if concomitant use with strong CYP3A4 inducers cannot be avoided [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.2 ), Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Source: FDA drug label (Cometriq, NDA203756), Exelixis, Inc., effective October 18, 2025 (SPL set 1a0c3bea-c87b-4d25-bb44-5f0174da6b34), via openFDA
Source: FDA drug label (CABOMETYX), Exelixis, Inc., effective October 19, 2025 (SPL set 3850cce2-6137-42e5-a792-d318c4a4b3b5), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the rifabutin label say about cabozantinib?
Rifabutin's label (effective September 1, 2026) does not name cabozantinib in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Rifabutin), NDA050689 (Pfizer), as published by REMEDYREPACK INC., effective September 1, 2026 (SPL set 25a60937-cbbe-4a50-994f-2ce15203f589), 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
| Cabozantinib | Rifabutin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | n/a | n/a |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | n/a | $8.14 per capsule 150 mg capsule |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No 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?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once