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Drug interactions

Etanercept + Yellow fever vaccine

Severity: Contraindicated

Etanercept and Yellow fever vaccine: contraindicated interaction.

Last updated

For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.

Summary

Yellow fever vaccine is a live attenuated virus, and in patients receiving etanercept there is a risk of vaccine-associated viscerotropic or neurotropic disease. The immune response may also be inadequate.

What this interaction means in plain words

Etanercept and Yellow fever vaccine are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two.

Evidence level: Moderate

Why it happens

Immunosuppression by TNF blockade allows enhanced replication of the live attenuated vaccine virus.

What to do

Avoid vaccination while on etanercept; if travel to an endemic area is unavoidable, consider a medical exemption letter or an informed specialist-led decision.

What to ask your pharmacist

  • Is there an alternative to one of these two medicines for me?
  • If both are essential, who is monitoring me and how often?
  • Which symptoms mean I should stop and seek help straight away?

Bring a full list of your medicines, including over-the-counter products, supplements and herbal remedies, to every pharmacy visit.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I take Etanercept with Yellow fever vaccine?

MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Etanercept and Yellow fever vaccine are not normally used together. Taking them at the same time is expected to cause harm or make one of them unsafe, so a different medicine is usually chosen for one of the two. Yellow fever vaccine is a live attenuated virus, and in patients receiving etanercept there is a risk of vaccine-associated viscerotropic or neurotropic disease. The immune response may also be inadequate.

How serious is the interaction between Etanercept and Yellow fever vaccine?

MediHelp rates it contraindicated, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid vaccination while on etanercept; if travel to an endemic area is unavoidable, consider a medical exemption letter or an informed specialist-led decision.

What other medicines interact with Etanercept?

MediHelp also lists interactions of Etanercept with, for example, Bcg vaccine live, Golimumab, Measles mumps and rubella vaccine. The full list is on the Etanercept page.

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