Atripla
|
Atripla
|
|
| Combination of | |
| Tenofovir | Nucleotide analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor |
| Emtricitabine | Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor |
| Efavirenz | Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | ? |
| ATC code | J05 |
| PubChem | ? |
| Therapeutic considerations | |
| Pregnancy cat. |
D(US) |
| Legal status | |
| Routes | Oral |
Atripla is a fixed dose combination drug for the treatment of HIV infection. It combines Gilead Sciences's tenofovir and emtricitabine (already available in the anti-HIV combination Truvada) with Bristol-Myers Squibb's efavirenz into a fixed-dose pill. Combining the three drugs into a single, once-daily pill reduces pill burden and simplifies dosing schedules, and therefore has the potential to increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
Atripla is the first multi-class antiretroviral drug available in the United States and represents the first collaboration between two U.S. pharmaceutical companies to combine their patented anti-HIV drugs into one product. The drug costs over $2,000 USD for a one-month supply for Americans. As of 2007, in India it costs $1,344 USD per year and in Africa $528 USD. It was approved by the U.S. FDA on July 12, 2006.
Atripla is a fixed dose combination of 600 mg Efavirenz, 300 mg Tenofovir, and 200 mg Emtricitabine. In adults, it is taken once daily on an empty stomach. Dosing at bedtime is recommended to improve tolerability of nervous system symptoms. Atripla is not recommended for patients under 18 years of age.
Atripla is a pink, capsule-shaped tablet with "123" impressed on one side.
In North America and Europe, Atripla is marketed jointly by Gilead Sciences and Bristol-Myers Squibb, but in much of the developing world, marketing and distribution is handled by Merck & Co.[1] In India, Cipla has released its own copy of Atripla, called Viraday.
|
|
Common side effects of Atripla are tiredness, dizziness, stomach and intestinal upset, and skin discoloration. More severe side effects are hallucinations and sleeplessness.[2]
According to the official Atripla website, medications that should not be taken with Atripla are "Hismanal (astemizole), Vascor (bepridil), Propulsid (cisapride), Versed (midazolam), Orap (pimozide), Halcion (triazolam), or ergot derivatives (for example, Wigraine and Cafergot)." Discuss any other HIV or hepatitis medications you are taking with your doctor to avoid complications. Additionally, St. John’s wort is known to reduce the effectiveness of Atripla, resulting in increased viral load and possible resistance to Atripla.[2]
Atripla was approved as a once daily tablet to treat HIV in 2006. The main advantage of the new drug Atripla was that could be taken once daily and reduces the overall stress in an antiretroviral regime.[3] There is currently no generic version of Atripla available in the United States, but countries like Brazil and India do produce generic versions for their countries. The main advantage for these countries in producing a generic Atripla (Viraday) is they can sell it domestically at a radically lower cost than the price of the United States version.
- Atripla.com managed by Gilead Sciences and Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Atripla article on The Body, an HIV reference site
