Key takeaways

  • While Carvykti isn’t known to interact with other drugs, it may interact with live vaccines. So it’s best to avoid live vaccines before and after treatment until your doctor confirms your immune system has recovered.
  • Carvykti could cause false-positive results on certain HIV tests. Consult with your healthcare professional about alternative testing options to avoid inaccurate results.
  • Certain health conditions, such as active infections or nervous system problems, may increase the risk of interactions with Carvykti. So it’s important to discuss your health history with your doctor.

Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) has potential interactions with some vaccines and lab tests. However, the drug is not known to interact with other medications or supplements.

Carvykti is used in certain adults to treat multiple myeloma. It’s used when the cancer is either relapsed (has come back after successful treatment) or refractory (has not improved with treatment).

An interaction can occur because one substance causes another to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.

Keep reading to learn about Carvykti’s possible interactions.

Carvykti isn’t known to interact with other drugs. The manufacturer does not list any interactions with other drugs in the prescribing information for the medication.

However, interactions with other medications could be recognized in the future. For example, new interactions could be reported by people who’ve received Carvykti since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Before you receive Carvykti, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions.

To learn whether this medication interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Carvykti?” section.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Carvykti is not known to interact with alcohol. If you have questions about consuming alcohol around the time of your treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Carvykti may have other interactions, which could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests.

Here are additional interactions that may occur with Carvykti. Note that this is not a full list of all other possible interactions with this medication.

Does Carvykti interact with supplements?

Before you receive Carvykti, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Carvykti and herbs

There are currently no reports of Carvykti interacting with herbs. However, this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs won’t be recognized in the future. For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before consuming these products if you are due to receive Carvykti.

Carvykti and vitamins

There are currently no reports of Carvykti interacting with vitamins. That said, this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future. So it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products when starting treatment with Carvykti.

Does Carvykti interact with food?

There are currently no reports of Carvykti interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods around the time of your Carvykti treatment, talk with your doctor.

Does Carvykti interact with vaccines?

Carvykti may interact with live vaccines, which contain weakened versions of the bacteria or virus they’re meant to protect against. Examples include those for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), rotavirus, and chickenpox.

It isn’t known for certain what effects Carvykti may have on live vaccines. To be safe, it’s recommended that you avoid getting a live vaccine in the 6 weeks before you receive this medication. You’ll continue avoiding live vaccines until your doctor determines your immune system has recovered after receiving Carvykti.

If you need a vaccine, talk with your doctor about when it’s likely safe to receive it.

Does Carvykti interact with lab tests?

Carvykti may affect the results of certain tests that check for HIV. The medication could cause a false-positive result on some tests. This means they may show a positive result for HIV when the virus isn’t actually present.

If you have questions about having this or another lab test around the time of your Carvykti treatment, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test. They can recommend a test that’s less likely to be affected by this medication.

Does Carvykti interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Carvykti interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). However, as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with Carvykti.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Carvykti. Before receiving this medication, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether this treatment is right for you.

Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Carvykti include:

  • Infection: Before receiving Carvykti, tell your doctor if you have an active infection. They may delay your treatment until the infection has cleared. Also, inform your doctor if you’ve ever had cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV. Carvykti may cause these viruses to become active again.
  • Problems with your nervous system: Tell your doctor if you’ve ever had problems with your nervous system, such as seizures, memory loss, or stroke. Carvykti may worsen these conditions.
  • Heart, lung, kidney, or liver problems: Before receiving Carvykti, tell your doctor if you have any heart, lung, kidney, or liver problems. The medication may cause side effects that could worsen these conditions.
  • Inflammatory conditions: Tell your doctor if you have an inflammatory condition such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. These conditions may increase your risk of serious side effects.
  • Pregnancy: It’s unknown whether it’s safe to receive Carvykti during pregnancy. As a precaution, your doctor may advise you not to receive the drug during this time. If you’re pregnant or may become pregnant, talk with your doctor before receiving Carvykti.
  • Breastfeeding: It’s unknown whether it’s safe to receive Carvykti while breastfeeding. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to do so, talk with your doctor about your options.
  • Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Carvykti or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe it for you. You can discuss other treatments that may be better options.

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Carvykti. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:

  • whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
  • the medications, vitamins, supplements, and herbs you take
  • what to do if you start taking a new drug during your Carvykti treatment

It’s also important to understand Carvykti’s label and other paperwork that may come with it. Colored stickers that describe interactions may appear on the label. The paperwork, sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide, may have other details about interactions.

If you did not get any paperwork with Carvykti, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you. If you have difficulty reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.