Drug interactions
Tocilizumab + Yellow fever vaccine
Severity: Contraindicated
Tocilizumab 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 live attenuated and can cause viscerotropic or neurotropic disease in immunosuppressed patients. Tocilizumab raises this risk and may reduce the vaccine response.
What this interaction means in plain words
Tocilizumab 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.
Why it happens
IL-6 receptor blockade impairs control of live attenuated virus replication.
What to do
Avoid yellow fever vaccination during tocilizumab therapy. If travel to an endemic area is unavoidable, seek specialist advice or issue a medical exemption letter.
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?
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Other interactions of Tocilizumab
- Bcg vaccine live + Tocilizumab Contraindicated
- Measles mumps and rubella vaccine live + Tocilizumab Contraindicated
- Measles mumps rubella and varicella vaccine live + Tocilizumab Contraindicated
- Measles vaccine + Tocilizumab Contraindicated
- Rubella vaccine + Tocilizumab Contraindicated
- Smallpox vaccine live + Tocilizumab Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Tocilizumab with Yellow fever vaccine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as contraindicated. Tocilizumab 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 live attenuated and can cause viscerotropic or neurotropic disease in immunosuppressed patients. Tocilizumab raises this risk and may reduce the vaccine response.
How serious is the interaction between Tocilizumab 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 yellow fever vaccination during tocilizumab therapy. If travel to an endemic area is unavoidable, seek specialist advice or issue a medical exemption letter.
What other medicines interact with Tocilizumab?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Tocilizumab with, for example, Bcg vaccine live, Measles mumps and rubella vaccine live, Measles mumps rubella and varicella vaccine live. The full list is on the Tocilizumab page.
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