Truvada

What is Truvada

Truvada is a combination of two different active ingredients – Emtricitabine and Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate – which prevent the HIV virus from replicating in the body. Truvada is prescribed to two different groups of patients:

People who are HIV-negative but are at risk of infection

Truvada can help adults – who are at a high risk of getting HIV-1 – remain free of the virus. People in this group include those who have sex with high-risk partners, or couples involving one partner who is already infected and one without the virus. This is called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP.

Patients must be sure they are HIV-negative before starting this drug. A test is performed to confirm this. It is important to know that tests can sometimes fail to detect the virus in people who have been recently infected.

The symptoms of early HIV infection are similar to flu symptoms: fever, joint pain, tiredness, headache, or a sore throat. People may also experience vomiting, night sweats and enlarged lymph nodes.

Healthy people who start taking Truvada must always use safe sex practices.

People already infected with HIV/AIDS

For HIV-positive patients, Truvada is usually prescribed together with other drugs. This therapy cannot cure the viral infection but can help patients live longer and more productive lives.

Negative Side Effects

Truvada can have a number of serious negative side effects:

• Lactic Acidosis - This is a serious condition caused by large amounts of lactic acid in your blood. Symptoms include tiredness, shortness of breath, nausea, as well as poor circulation in the hands and feet. Patients also need to monitor for abnormal heartbeats.

• Liver Problems - symptoms include dark urine, loss of appetite, stomach pain and – in some cases – jaundice. Women who take Truvada are more prone to developing liver problems than men.

• Worsening of hepatitis B infection once you stop taking Truvada
• Kidney problems
• Bone problems and increased risk of fractures

The information above is a quick summary of facts about Truvada, provided by third parties. Patients should always refer to a physician for medical advice on how to administer this drug and any other specific questions they may have.

Generic Alternatives to Truvada

Truvada is a combination of two different active ingredients - Emtricitabine and Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Generic tablets which combine the two active ingredients in a single pill are available through our online international pharmacy.

Using generic alternatives has been an important factor in making HIV/AIDS medications available and affordable to people in developing countries. In South Africa, for example, a generic alternative to Truvada has been approved since 2007.

Like the brand-name drug, generic tablets should be taken once daily, always at the same time. Skipping doses is to be avoided, as this allows the virus the opportunity to develop resistance against the drug. If a patient does forget a dose, they should not take two doses within the same day. To avoid any disruption in the treatment regime, it is recommended to order new medicine supplies well in advance.

Truvada in the News

Gilead Markets HIV Drug for Prevention

Since November 2016, HIV drug Truvada is available as a prophylactic treatment. The drug, which was first marketed to people who already have HIV/AIDS, has also been deemed suitable for those who are free of the virus but are at high risk of getting infected.

Some 90,000 people in the United States used the drug for prevention in the last quarter of 2016. Usage is also growing in France, where about 2,000 people – between January and November 2016 – were prescribed Truvada for prevention.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/switching-course-gilead-markets-hiv-drug-prevention-n690271

FDA Approves Generic Truvada

Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals was given the right to produce generic Truvada for use as a component in HIV treatment or pre-exposure prophylaxis. Generic versions of the drug are already marketed in other nations. The list price for Gilead Science's Truvada is roughly $1,500 for a month's regimen (one pill per day). Generic versions of Truvada in other countries cost as little as $70 a year.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/881368#vp_1

Single Shot at Doctor’s Office May Be Future of HIV Prevention

The National Institutes of Health is entering the first-ever global clinical trial of Cabotegravir, an injectable HIV-prevention drug. The trial is currently taking place in eight countries in the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Researchers are enrolling 4,500 gay and bisexual men, along with transgender women, pulling from groups with the highest rates of new infections. Full results of the trial are expected by 2021 but could come even sooner. A related trial testing the injections on cisgender young women is slated to begin in 2017.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/single-shot-doctor-s-office-may-be-future-hiv-prevention-n700916