Cholic acid

FDA label, Mirum Pharmaceuticals Inc., oral, effective 2026-01-26. Full label on DailyMed

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Quoted from the FDA label. Product labels differ by manufacturer and change over time; confirm against the label for the product you are using.

Bile Acid

Dosing in kidney impairment

This label has no separate kidney-impairment dosing section. Check warnings and clinical pharmacology in the full label.

Preparation and administration

Administration Instructions

Take CHOLBAM with food.

Take CHOLBAM at least 1 hour before or 4 to 6 hours (or at as great an interval as possible) after a bile acid binding resin or aluminum-based antacid.

Do not crush or chew the capsules.

For patients unable to swallow the capsules, open the capsules and mix the contents with infant formula or expressed breast milk (for younger children), or soft food such as mashed potatoes or apple puree (for older children and adults) in order to mask any unpleasant taste: 1. Hold the capsule over the prepared liquid/food, gently twist open, and allow the contents to fall into the liquid/food. 2.

Mix the entire capsule contents with one or two tablespoons (15 mL to 30 mL) of infant formula, expressed breast milk, or soft food such as mashed potatoes or apple puree. 3. Stir for 30 seconds. 4. The capsule contents will remain as fine granules in the milk or food and will not dissolve. 5. Administer the mixture immediately.

Drug interactions

Check cholic acid against a medication list
Label text (3 paragraphs)

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS • Bile Salt Efflux Pump (BSEP) Inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporine): Avoid concomitant use; if concomitant use is necessary, monitor serum transaminases and bilirubin ( 7.1 ) • Bile Acid Resins and Aluminum-Based Antacids: Take CHOLBAM at least 1 hour before or 4 to 6 hours (or at as great an interval as possible) after a bile acid binding resin or aluminum-based antacids. ( 2.3 , 7.1 ) 7.1. Effects of Other Drugs on CHOLBAM Drug interactions with CHOLBAM mainly relate to agents capable of interrupting the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. Inhibitors of Bile Acid Transporters Avoid concomitant use of inhibitors of the bile salt efflux pump (BSEP) such as cyclosporine.

Concomitant medications that inhibit canalicular membrane bile acid transporters such as the BSEP may exacerbate accumulation of conjugated bile salts in the liver and result in clinical symptoms. If concomitant use is deemed necessary, monitoring of serum transaminases and bilirubin is recommended. Bile Acid Binding Resins Bile acid binding resins such as cholestyramine, colestipol, or colesevelam adsorb and reduce bile acid absorption and may reduce the efficacy of CHOLBAM. Take CHOLBAM at least 1 hour before or 4 to 6 hours (or at as great an interval as possible) after a bile acid binding resin [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.3 )] .

Aluminum-Based Antacids Aluminum-based antacids have been shown to adsorb bile acids in vitro and can reduce the availability of CHOLBAM. Take CHOLBAM at least 1 hour before or 4 to 6 hours (or at as great an interval as possible) after an aluminum-based antacid [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.3 )] .

Contraindications

None. None ( 4 )

Safety data

Reported adverse events (FAERS)

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Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System via openFDA

Liver injury (LiverTox)

D[HD]

Likelihood score D[HD]: Possible cause of liver injury but only when given in high doses.

Cholic acid is a naturally occurring bile acid that is used to treat patients with genetic deficiencies in the synthesis of bile acids. When given in high doses, cholic acid replacement therapy has been linked to minor elevations in serum aminotransferase levels, but it has not been linked to instances of clinically apparent acute liver injury with jaundice.

ABCDEA: well known cause; E: unlikely cause. [HD]: high doses only.

Source: LiverTox: Cholic Acid (NIDDK, public domain)Chapter updated Nov 7, 2016

Pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy

8.1 Pregnancy Pregnancy Surveillance Program There is a pregnancy surveillance program that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to CHOLBAM during pregnancy. Women who become pregnant during CHOLBAM treatment are encouraged to enroll. Patients or their health care provider should call Mirum Medical Information 1-855-676-4968. Risk Summary No studies in pregnant women or animal reproduction studies have been conducted with CHOLBAM. Limited published case reports discuss pregnancies in women taking cholic acid for 3β-HSD deficiency resulting in healthy infants.

These reports may not adequately inform the presence or absence of drug-associated risk with the use of CHOLBAM during pregnancy. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. However, the background risk in the U.S. general population of major birth defects is 2-4% and of miscarriage is 15-20% of clinically recognized pregnancies.

For breastfeeding, also see LactMed (National Library of Medicine), which summarizes milk levels and infant effects.

Supply and cost

Drug shortage status

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Recalls (last 24 months)

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Therapeutic equivalence (Orange Book)

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