What are ARV Drugs?
The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life cycle.
Best ARV Drugs In South Africa
| Generic name | Dose |
|---|---|
| Nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) | |
| Abacavir (ABC) | 300 mg twice daily or 600 mg once daily |
| Emtricitabine (FTC) | 200 mg once daily |
| Lamivudine (3TC) | 150 mg twice daily or 300 mg once daily |
| Zidovudine (AZT) | 300 mg twice daily |
| Nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NtRTIs) | |
| Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) | 300 mg once dailya |
| Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) | 300 mg once daily |
| Non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) | |
| Efavirenz (EFV) | 400 mg or 600 mg once daily |
| Etravirine (ETV) | 200 mg twice daily |
| Nevirapine (NVP) | 200 mg once daily for 14 days followed by 200 mg twice daily |
| Protease inhibitors (PIs) | |
| Atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) | 300 mg/100 mg once daily |
| Darunavir + ritonavir (DRV/r) | 800 mg + 100 mg once daily or 600 mg + 100 mg twice daily |
| Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) | 400 mg/100 mg twice daily |
| 10 or 25 mg once daily | |
| Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) | |
| Dolutegravir (DTG) | Considerations for individuals receiving TB therapy in the presence of rifampicin, an adjusted dose of LPV/r (double-dose LPV 800 mg + ritonavir 200 mg twice daily or super boosted with LPV 400 mg/ + ritonavir 100 mg twice daily plus additional doses of RTV 300 mg twice daily), with close monitoring. In the presence of rifabutin, no dose adjustment is required. Rifapentine should not be used. |
| Raltegravir (RAL) | 400 mg twice daily |
| Considerations for individuals receiving TB therapyIn the presence of rifampicin, an adjusted dose of DTG (50 mg twice daily), and RAL (800 mg twice daily), with close monitoring of DTG and RAL dose should remain twice daily for additional two weeks after the last dose of rifampicin. In the presence of rifabutin or rifapentine, no dose adjustment is required. | |
What is the new ARV treatment?
The backbone of the new pill is dolutegravir, a remarkably powerful and safe ARV that inhibits HIV’s integrase enzyme and has been too expensive for most poor and middle-income countries to afford.
What type of Arvs are given in South Africa?
emtricitabine (Emtriva) lamivudine (Epivir) tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread) zidovudine (Retrovir)
Which new ARV has fewer side effects?
The introduction of the antiretroviral drug dolutegravir arguably represents the biggest advance in HIV treatment in the last decade. Dolutegravir is highly effective at suppressing HIV in the body, it has fewer side effects than the drugs it is replacing, and HIV struggles to become resistant to it. It is also cheap
How many types of ARV pills are there?
There are six main types (‘classes’) of antiretroviral drugs. Each class of drugs attacks HIV in a different way. Generally, drugs from two (or sometimes three) classes are combined to ensure a powerful attack on HIV.