Bottom Line on the Three New Drugs

Enfuvirtide (T-20, Fuzeon)

• Enfuvirtide is an injectable anti-HIV drug approved by the FDA for people with multi-drug resistance to other anti-HIV therapies.

• It appears safe, with the primary side effect of injection site reactions.

• Enfuvirtide appears to be active and useful for people who have failed other therapies and represents a hopeful new option for people.
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• Being an injectable therapy, it may be difficult to use and requires training for doctors and patients alike to administer the drug to maximize benefits and minimize side effects.

Atazanavir (Reyataz)

• The new protease inhibitor is designed for once daily dosing; its ease of use provides an intriguing option for part of a first line regimen. When boosted with a small amount of ritonavir it may provide an additional tool in the arsenal for third line therapy.

• There are many potential drug interactions with atazanavir, and people are encouraged to pay particular attention to these when adding this drug to their regimen.

Emtricitabine (FTC, Emtriva)

• This NRTI appears similar to 3TC (lamivudine, Epivir), but requires only once-daily dosing and resistance may be less likely to develop to FTC.

• More studies are needed to identify the true value and role of FTC.

Back to the Project Inform Perspective October 2003 contents page.