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Lamivudine

Four lamivudine (Epivir) products sit on this shelf, from the 150 mg single tablet to Combivir and Viropil as fixed-dose combinations, treating HIV-1 infection and chronic hepatitis B.

Viropil

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Infection

50mg + 300mg + 300mg

Dolutegravir and lamivudine tablets for HIV-1 infection. It blocks two different steps in the HIV lifecycle.

From$8.88/ tabletView

Combivir

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Infection

150mg + 300mg

A lamivudine and zidovudine tablet for HIV-1 infection. Both ingredients mimic natural building blocks of viral DNA, causing the chain to stop growing.

From$1.81/ tabletView

Epivir

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Infection

150mg

Lamivudine tablets for HIV-1 infection. They are used alongside other antiretrovirals to keep the virus under control.

From$1.51/ tabletView

Epivir Hbv

Chronic Hepatitis B

100mg · 150mg

Lamivudine tablets for chronic hepatitis B. They work by preventing the virus from multiplying in liver cells.

From$1.07/ tabletView

Key points

  • Lamivudine is a nucleoside analogue antiretroviral, taken alongside other medicines to suppress HIV-1.
  • The HIV-1 tablets contain more lamivudine than the hepatitis B tablets; people with HIV-1 must not substitute one dosage form for the other.
  • Stopping lamivudine in someone also living with hepatitis B can trigger a severe flare, so any change in treatment needs medical supervision.

How does Lamivudine work?

Lamivudine is a synthetic copy of one of the building blocks the virus uses to replicate. Once inside a cell, the body converts it into its active form, lamivudine triphosphate (3TC-TP). This metabolite blocks reverse transcriptase, the enzyme HIV-1 needs to copy its genetic material. Without that copy, the virus cannot complete new generations of itself.

Lamivudine is not significantly broken down by the liver’s cytochrome P450 enzymes, which means it interacts with fewer medicines than many other antiretrovirals.

Brands and forms in this catalogue

Epivir is the brand-name version of lamivudine at 150 mg, marketed by ViiV Healthcare. Epivir Hbv is the same molecule at a lower 100 mg dose, listed for Chronic Hepatitis B rather than HIV-1. Combivir pairs lamivudine with zidovudine in one tablet. Viropil is a three-drug combination of lamivudine, dolutegravir and tenofovir disoproxil, marketed by Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

All four products are tablets. Two carry lamivudine alone; two are fixed-dose combinations. The HIV-1 indications sit within HIV Management.

Further reading