What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Clarithromycin and pioglitazone
Clarithromycin's FDA label of April 9, 2026 names pioglitazone in its drug interactions section; the pioglitazone label PlainMeds reads does not name clarithromycin. The clarithromycin label: “With certain hypoglycemic drugs such as nateglinide, pioglitazone, repaglinide and rosiglitazone, inhibition of CYP3A enzyme by clarithromycin may be involved and could cause hypoglycemia when used concomitantly.”
Check it at the source: the clarithromycin FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 9, 2026, Solaris Pharma Corporation); the pioglitazone FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 28, 2025, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.).
What does the clarithromycin label say about pioglitazone?
Clarithromycin label, drug interactionsNateglinide Pioglitazone Repaglinide Rosiglitazone; Use With Caution; Nateglinide, Pioglitazone, Repaglinide, Rosiglitazone: [See Warnings and Precautions and Adverse Reactions ]
Clarithromycin label, warnings and precautionsWith certain hypoglycemic drugs such as nateglinide, pioglitazone, repaglinide and rosiglitazone, inhibition of CYP3A enzyme by clarithromycin may be involved and could cause hypoglycemia when used concomitantly.
Source: FDA drug label (Clarithromycin), Solaris Pharma Corporation, effective April 9, 2026 (SPL set 4d42821d-ce7a-7d64-e063-6294a90a0875), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the pioglitazone label say about clarithromycin?
Pioglitazone's label (effective March 28, 2025) does not name clarithromycin in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Actos), Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., effective March 28, 2025 (SPL set d2ddc491-88a9-4063-9150-443b4fa4330c), 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
| Clarithromycin | Pioglitazone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Bacterial infections, Acid reflux and ulcers | Type 2 diabetes |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.466 per tablet 500 mg tablet | $0.0675 per tablet 15 mg tablet |
| 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