The FDA has approved a new drug in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Viread (tenofovir) is the first drug in the class of HIV drugs known as nucleotide

Two new weapons in the war against HIV

The FDA has recently approved two new drugs that will be used to treat HIV and AIDS. Reyataz (atazanavir) and Emtriva (emtricitabine) will be in pharmacies later this month, giving two new options to patients living with HIV and AIDS. Let's take a look at these two new weapons in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Reyataz (atazanavir)
Once called BMS-232632, this is Bristol Meyer Squibb's entry into the Protease Inhibitor class. The exciting thing about this new PI is that it is the first once a day PI. Supplied in 200mg capsules, Atazanavir will be taken as two capsules once per day. While the drug is not any more potent than other PI's it does seem that the triglyceride and cholesterol problems associated with other PI's such as Kaletra are not a concern in Atazanavir. The new PI is not without it's side effects however. Most notably is the fact that it seems to block the elimination of bilirubin from the blood. Bilirubin is a waste product that is usually removed from the blood by the liver. As the amount of bilirubin rises in the blood, the skin and other mucous membranes will take on a yellow appearance known as jaundice. The jaundice seemed to go away when the drug was stopped and only 1% of trial cases had to stop therapy because of the increase in bilirubin. For more information on Reyataz, take a look at this comprehensive fact sheet.

Emtriva (emtricitabine)
Gilead has received approval for its new nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) Emtriva. FTC as it is also referred to is going to be dosed as a 200mg capsule once per day. The chemical structure of Emtriva is similar to that of the existing HIV drug, Epivir and because of this probably won't be effective in people already showing resistance to Epivir. In studies conducted prior to its approval, the most common side effects seems to be rash, headache and nausea. Keep in mind that this drug is only approved for those patients over the age of 18. One possible result of the introduction of this drug is plans to combine it into one pill with Gilead's other drug Viread. The result would be a once a day 1 pill per day alternative to Combivir. In fact, plans are to conduct studies that would compare the regimens of Viread, Emtriva, and Sustiva vs. a Combivir, Sustiva regimen. For more information on Emtriva, take a look at this comprehensive fact sheet.