Pioglitazone and Clarithromycin Interaction

Drug interaction information between Pioglitazone and Clarithromycin.

Pioglitazone and Clarithromycin have a documented major interaction in FDA labeling.

FDA drug labeling documents a major-severity interaction between Pioglitazone and Clarithromycin. This page displays the available source-record category and label text. The category is not an individual risk estimate or medication-combination direction.

Drug A

Pioglitazone

Thiazolidinedione

Drug B

Clarithromycin

Macrolide Antibiotic

How They Interact

Clarithromycin can interfere with how your body handles certain diabetes drugs, which may increase the risk of your blood sugar falling too low.

FDA Label Information

Gastroprokinetic Agents: Cisapride Contraindicated Cisapride: [See Contraindications ( 4.2 )] Lipid-lowering agents: Lomitapide Lovastatin Simvastatin Contraindicated Lomitapide, Lovastatin, Simvastatin: Clarithromycin may increase the exposure of these drugs by inhibition of CYP3A metabolism, thereby increasing the risk of toxicities from these drugs [see Contraindications ( 4.5 ) and Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Atorvastatin, Pravastatin, Fluvastatin: [See Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Atorvastatin Pravastatin Use With Caution Fluvastatin No Dose Adjustment Hypoglycemic Agents:...

Frequently Asked Questions

What SPL severity band is on file for Pioglitazone + Clarithromycin?

Compiled FDA labeling labels this pair major. That is a source-record field, not an individual medication-combination decision.

Which drug in this pair has the larger labeled-interaction portfolio?

Clarithromycin has 81 labeled pairs on file vs Pioglitazone's 10. In the major band specifically: Pioglitazone has 1; Clarithromycin has 16 (also Quetiapine, Fluconazole, Cyclosporine, Lurasidone).

What mechanism field is on file for Pioglitazone and Clarithromycin?

Clarithromycin can interfere with how your body handles certain diabetes drugs, which may increase the risk of your blood sugar falling too low.

Clarithromycin carries more major-labeled pairs than Pioglitazone

SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is major · classes on file: Pioglitazone (Thiazolidinedione); Clarithromycin (Macrolide Antibiotic).

Clarithromycin has 16 major-labeled pairs vs Pioglitazone's 1.

Pioglitazone

1 major · 0 moderate · 9 minor · 10 total

Pioglitazone has no other major-band peer in this dataset besides Clarithromycin.

Clarithromycin

16 major · 35 moderate · 30 minor · 81 total

Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This registry does not provide individual medication-combination directions.