What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Cobicistat and prednisone
Cobicistat's FDA label of February 10, 2026 names prednisone in its drug interactions section; the prednisone label PlainMeds reads does not name cobicistat. The cobicistat label: “… adrenal suppression. Alternative corticosteroids including beclomethasone, prednisone, and prednisolone should be considered, particularly for long-term use.”
Check it at the source: the cobicistat FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 10, 2026, Gilead Sciences, Inc.); the prednisone FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 22, 2025, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.).
What does the cobicistat label say about prednisone?
Cobicistat label, drug interactions… corticosteroids (all routes of administration) whose exposures are significantly increased by strong CYP3A inhibitors can increase the risk for Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal suppression. Alternative corticosteroids including beclomethasone, prednisone, and prednisolone (whose PK and/or PD are less affected by strong CYP3A inhibitors relative to other studied steroids) should be considered, particularly for long-term use.
Source: FDA drug label (Tybost), Gilead Sciences, Inc., effective February 10, 2026 (SPL set 3784c35c-e87f-410c-900b-8fd6313c6010), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the prednisone label say about cobicistat?
Prednisone's label (effective April 22, 2025) does not name cobicistat in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (PredniSONE), Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., effective April 22, 2025 (SPL set 3115aef0-fd50-4ec8-a064-3effb695f3f2), 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
| Cobicistat | Prednisone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | HIV | Osteoarthritis, Asthma, Allergies, Herpes and shingles, Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, Multiple sclerosis, Eczema (atopic dermatitis), Anemia, Organ transplant rejection |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | n/a | $0.0643 per tablet 20 mg tablet |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | 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