Here are all the antiretroviral drugs approved in the U.S. at
the end of July 2003. We list them by drug class:
- NRTIs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) target
reverse transcriptase (an enzyme of HIV), by providing false
building blocks that the enzyme puts into new copies of the
virus it is building. Occasionally the false building blocks can
be incorporated into human DNA, causing toxicity.
- NNRTIs (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) target
the same reverse transcriptase enzyme, but do not provide false
building blocks.
- Protease inhibitors target HIV protease, an enzyme necessary
for late steps in the formation of new copies of HIV. Some
protease inhibitors may inhibit certain human proteases as well,
causing toxicity.
- Fusion inhibitors block infection early by preventing HIV from
fusing with and entering a human cell. Only one fusion inhibitor
has been approved so far, and this particular drug is expensive
to manufacture and difficult to use.
None of these drugs can be taken alone to treat an established
HIV infection. They must be used in well-designed combination
regimens.
NRTIs
Abacavir (Ziagen)
Didanosine -- ddI (Videx)
Emtricitabine -- FTC (Emtriva -- previous brand name Coviracil)
Lamivudine -- 3TC (Epivir)
Stavudine -- d4T (Zerit)
Tenofovir DF (Viread)
Zalcitabine -- ddC (Hivid)
Zidovudine -- AZT (Retrovir)
NNRTIs
Delavirdine (Rescriptor)
Efavirenz (Sustiva, brand name Stocrin in many countries)
Nevirapine (Viramune)
Protease Inhibitors
Amprenavir (Agenerase)
Atazanavir (Reyataz, formerly named Zrivada)
Indinavir (Crixivan)
Lopinavir + ritonavir (Kaletra)
Nelfinavir (Viracept)
Ritonavir (Norvir)
Saquinavir (Fortovase, earlier formulation Invirase)
Fusion Inhibitors
Enfuvirtide (Fuzeon)
Combination Medications
These brand names are combinations of two or three of the
medicines above in one pill. Combinations reduce the number of
pills patients must take each day. They can also help meet
requirements of health plans that limit the number of
"prescriptions" per month regardless of medical need.
Combivir (AZT + 3TC)
Trizivir (abacavir + AZT + 3TC)
ISSN # 1052-4207
Copyright 2003 by John S. James. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used.
This article was provided by
AIDS Treatment News.
It is a part of the publication AIDS Treatment News.
