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Emtricitabine

Three emtricitabine products sit on this shelf: Biktarvy, Tenvir-EM and Trustiva. Each pairs emtricitabine with other antiretrovirals for HIV-1 treatment, and Tenvir-EM is the one also listed for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis.

Tenvir-em

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Infection

300mg + 200mg

Tenofovir and emtricitabine tablets for HIV and pre-exposure prophylaxis. Combining two antivirals lowers the risk of resistance.

From$3.93/ tabletView

Biktarvy

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Infection

50mg + 200mg + 25mg

Bictegravir and emtricitabine tablets for HIV-1 infection. Two antiretrovirals work together to stop the virus from copying itself and spreading.

From$64.00/ tabletView

Trustiva

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Infection

300mg + 600mg + 200mg

Tenofovir disoproxil and efavirenz tablets for HIV-1. They combine two antiretrovirals to keep the virus in check.

From$6.24/ tabletView

Key points

  • The boxed warning covers severe hepatitis B exacerbation: stopping emtricitabine in someone coinfected with HIV-1 and HBV can trigger liver decompensation or liver failure, and close monitoring for at least several months after discontinuation is essential.
  • All three products on this shelf are combination tablets: Tenvir-EM pairs emtricitabine with tenofovir disoproxil, Biktarvy combines it with bictegravir and tenofovir alafenamide, and Trustiva brings together emtricitabine, tenofovir disoproxil and efavirenz.
  • Emtricitabine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), the class that reduces the amount of HIV in the blood.

How does Emtricitabine work?

Emtricitabine is a synthetic copy of one of the building blocks HIV uses to make new viral DNA. Once inside a cell, the body’s own enzymes convert it into an active form that competes with the real building block for a spot on the reverse transcriptase enzyme, the protein HIV uses to copy its genetic material.

When the enzyme grabs emtricitabine instead, the growing DNA chain stops. The virus cannot finish copying itself, which reduces the amount of HIV in the blood.

Brands and forms in this catalogue

All three products are tablets, and all three are fixed-dose combinations, but they differ in what emtricitabine is paired with. Biktarvy is the brand-name product from Gilead Sciences, combining emtricitabine with bictegravir and tenofovir alafenamide in a single tablet. Tenvir-EM, made by Cipla, pairs emtricitabine with tenofovir disoproxil only, making it the two-drug option on this shelf. Trustiva, the Hetero Healthcare brand, is a three-drug tablet of emtricitabine, tenofovir disoproxil and efavirenz.

Tenvir-EM is the only product here also listed for pre-exposure prophylaxis, while all three are antiretroviral treatments in HIV Management.

Further reading