The HIV medications stop the virus from replicating. Over 50 HIV medications have been approved by the FDA.

Blood, semen, breast milk, and other bodily fluids can be used to transmit HIV. White blood cells are the main fighting cells of the immune system.

The virus replicates after it invades the T cells. The cells burst open. They release many cells that are viral.

The immune system is destroyed and the body is not working well.

There’s currently no known cure for HIV. However, medications can help people living with HIV manage the condition and lead healthy lives. These drugs work by stopping HIV from replicating.

The FDA approved drugs to treat HIV, known as antiretrovirals.

There are many different drugs used to treat HIV. A healthcare professional will assess a person living with HIV and decide on the best medication for their case.

This decision will be made based on:

  • the person’s viral load
  • their T cell count
  • their strain of HIV
  • “Their case’s severity.”
  • How far the HIV has spread?
  • Other chronic health conditions are also known as comorbidities.
  • other medications that they’re taking, as to avoid interactions between their HIV drugs and their other drugs

HIV can be treated with at least two different medications. The best way to control HIV is to attack it from multiple directions.

“Taking more than one drug helps prevent resistance to the drugs being used. This means that a person’s medication may work better.”

A person may be prescribed two to four individual antiretroviral drugs, or they may be prescribed a single combination drug in what’s sometimes known as a single-tablet regimen (STR). Combination HIV drugs pack multiple medications into the same pill, tablet, or drug form.

Integrase inhibitors stop the action of integrase. Integrase is a viral enzyme that HIV uses to infect T cells by putting HIV DNA into the human DNA.

People who have recently contracted HIV are usually the first to use integrse inhibitors. They work well and have minimal side effects.

Imistein inhibitors are the drugs that are included.

  • bictegravir (not available as a stand-alone drug, but available in the combination drug Biktarvy)
  • cabotegravir is a type of medicine.
  • Tivicay is a dolutegravir.
  • elvitegravir (not available as a stand-alone drug, but available in the combination drugs Genvoya and Stribild)
  • Isentress HD is a film about raltegravir.

These drugs are part of the INSTIs category. There are more experimental categories of integrase inhibitors, but there are no FDA-approved INBIs to treat HIV.

NRTIs are sometimes referred to as “nukes.” They work by interrupting the life cycle of HIV as it tries to copy itself. These drugs also have other actions that prevent HIV from replicating in the body.

The drugs that are NRTIs are:

  • Abacavir is a drug.
  • emtricitabine is a drug.
  • lamivudine (Epivir)
  • Tenofovir alafenamide fumarate is a drug.
  • Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is a drug.
  • Zidovudine is a drug used for treating AIDS.

As a stand-alone drug, tenofovir alafenamide fumarate has received full FDA approval to treat chronic hepatitis B but only tentative FDA approval to treat HIV. A person with HIV who takes tenofovir alafenamide fumarate will likely receive it as part of a combination HIV drug, not as a stand-alone drug.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, emtricitabine, and lamivudine can be used to treat the disease.

Zidovudine was the first FDA-approved HIV drug. It is also known as azidothymidine. Zidovudine is not used in adults anymore. It is given to babies with HIV-positive parents.

Combination NRTIs

The drugs are made up of two or three NRTIs.

  • Abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine is used for treating HIV.
  • Abacavir/lamivudine is used for treatment of HIV.
  • emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (Descovy)
  • emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is used for treating HIV.
  • lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is a drug.
  • lamivudine/zidovudine is a drug used for treating HIV.

Descovy and Truvada may also be prescribed to some people without HIV as part of a preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimen.

The drugs work in the same way as NRTIs. The virus cannot replicate in the body.

NNRTIs are drugs that are not nukes.

  • Doravirine is from Piedmont.
  • The word “Sustiva” is derived from the Greek word for “efficirenz.”
  • etravirine is a type of drug.
  • nevirapine is a medication used for the treatment of insomnia.
  • rilpivirine is a drug.

The cytochrome P4503A is an important part of the body that helps break down or metabolize drugs. The levels of certain HIV drugs in the body are increased by the use of the CYP3A inhibitors.

The drugs are called CYP3A inhibitors.

  • cobicistat is a drug.
  • ritonavir is a drug used for the treatment of AIDS.

“When used alone, cobicistat doesn’t have the ability to promote anti-HIV activity, so it’s always with another antiretroviral”

When it is used alone, ri onavir can promote anti-HIV activity. It must be used in higher amounts than people can tolerate. It is a booster drug that helps to improve the performance of other drugs.

PIs work by binding to the enzyme protease. HIV needs protease to replicate in the body. When protease can’t do its job, the virus can’t complete the process that makes new copies. This lowers the number of viruses that can infect more cells.

Some PIs are approved by the FDA to treat the disease, but not the one used to treat HIV.

The drugs used to treat HIV are called PIs.

  • Atazanavir is a drug.
  • darunavir is a drug.
  • Fosamprenavir is a drug.
  • lopinavir is available with ritonavir in the combination drug Kaletra.
  • ritonavir is a drug used for the treatment of AIDS.
  • tipranavir is a drug.

Both cobicistat and ritonavir are used with PIs.

Both rionavir and a PI are a type of drug called a CYP3A inhibitor. It is often used to boost other HIV medications.

There is a drug called plinacira that is not a stand-alone drug. It is only available in the drug called Kaletra.

It is possible to give tipranavir alone, but it must be given with ritonavir.

If a PI is available as a stand-alone drug, it should always be combined with other HIV medications to create a complete regimen.

In certain situations, Atazanavir and fosamprenavir can be given with ritonavir. They can be used without a drug.

cobicistat can be used with atazanavir and darunavir.

Rarely used PIs

The following HIV PI is more harmful than the other one.

  • nelfinavir is a drug.

ritonavir and cobicistat are not given to nelfinavir.

Another class of HIV medication is fusion inhibitors.

The host T cell is needed to make copies of HIV. The fusion inhibitors block the virus from entering a T cell.

Other drugs are more effective and better tolerated than fusion inhibitors in the United States.

Only one fusion drug is currently available.

  • enfuvirtide is a drug.

Researchers are studying ways to prevent the spread of HIV. Some immune-based treatments have shown some success in clinical trials.

The FDA approved the first immune-based therapy to treat HIV in the year.

  • Iblizumab-uiyk is a drug.

It belongs to a class of drugs known as post-attachment inhibitors. It prevents HIV from entering certain immune cells. This medication must be used with other antiretrovirals as part of an optimized background therapy, or optimized background regimen.

Attachment inhibitors are a new class of HIV drug. They work by preventing the viralProtein from attaching to the healthy T cells.

Only one attachment drug is currently available.

  • Fostemsavir is a drug used for treating Rukobia.

The FDA approved Fostemsavir is a drug used for treating Rukobia. in July 2020, making it one of the newest HIV drugs on the market. Rukobia is used in combination with other HIV drugs and is intended for “treatment-experienced” people who have already tried several HIV drugs.

Chemokine coreceptor antagonists block HIV from entering cells. The United States rarely uses the medication because it requires special testing and other drugs are more effective.

There is only one CCR5 antagonist currently available.

  • maraviroc is a drug.

Entry inhibitors include fusion inhibitors, post-attachment inhibitors, attachment inhibitors, and CCR5 antagonists.

Entry inhibitors block the virus from entering healthy T cells. These drugs are not used as first-line treatments for HIV.

The drugs are classified as entry inhibitors.

  • enfuvirtide is a drug.
  • Fostemsavir is a drug used for treating Rukobia.
  • Iblizumab-uiyk is a drug.
  • maraviroc is a drug.

Drug combinations combine multiple drugs into one drug. This type of regimen is used to treat people who have never taken HIV medications before.

The following combination drugs only include NRTIs:

  • Abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine is used for treating HIV.
  • Abacavir/lamivudine is used for treatment of HIV.
  • emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (Descovy)
  • emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is used for treating HIV.
  • lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is a drug.
  • lamivudine/zidovudine is a drug used for treating HIV.

It’s much more common for combination drugs to be made up of medications from different drug classes than from the same drug class. These are known as multiclass combination drugs or single-tablet regimens (STRs).

Multiclass combination drugs or single-tablet regimens (STRs)

The following combination drugs only include a PI and a CYPA3A inhibitor:

  • Atazanavir/cobicistat is a drug.
  • darunavir/cobicistat is a drug.
  • lopinavir/ritonavir is used for treating a variety of diseases.

The booster drug is the CYPA3A.

The following combination drugs include both NRTIs and NNRTIs:

  • Doravirine/lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is a drug.
  • Efficacy of disoproxil fumarate is determined by the amount of efavirenz/lamivudine/tenofovir in the body.
  • Symfi lo has a drug called lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.
  • Efficacy of disoproxil fumarate is determined by the amount of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir in the body.
  • rilpivirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir are all used.
  • emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is used for treating AIDS.

Symfi and Symfi lo are the same drugs. Symfi lo has a smaller dose of the drug.

The following combination drugs include NRTIs, an INSTI, and the CYP3A inhibitor cobicistat:

  • elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Stribild)
  • elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (Genvoya)

The following combination drugs include at least one NRTI and an INSTI:

  • abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine (Triumeq, Triumeq PD)
  • bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (Biktarvy)
  • dolutegravir/lamivudine (Dovato)

The manufacturer of Biktarvy also refers to it as being “built on Descovy,” or as bictegravir plus Descovy.

The following combination drugs include an NNRTI and an INSTI:

  • cabotegravir/rilpivirine (Cabenuva)
  • Dolutegravir/rilpivirine is a drug.

The following combination drug includes NRTIs, a PI, and the CYP3A inhibitor cobicistat:

  • darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate is used.

HIV drugs can cause temporary side effects. These effects can be general.

The drugs may cause side effects for a while. If the side effects last longer than a few weeks, you should talk to a healthcare professional. They may suggest ways to reduce the side effects or prescribe a different drug.

HIV drugs can cause serious side effects. The effects depend on the type of HIV drugs used. A healthcare professional can give more information.

There’s no cure for HIV yet, but prescription medications can help slow the progression of the virus. Drugs can also improve HIV symptoms and make living with the condition more comfortable.

The medication list shows the types of drugs that are available to treat HIV. Talk to a healthcare professional about all of these options. They can help with the treatment plan.

This article is in Spanish.