THE 12TH ANNUAL HIV TREATMENT GUIDE
Our breakdown of the most commonly prescribed, FDAapproved medications for the treatment and prevention of HIV and its related conditions.
BY PLUS EDITORS
COMPLETE REGIMENS
Atripla
generic name: efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 600mg efavirenz, 300mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and 200mg emtricitabine. Take on an empty stomach.
Biktarvy
generic name: bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 50 mg bictegravir, 25 mg tenofovir alafenamide, and 200 mg emtricitabine. Can be taken with or without food.
Cabenuva
generic name: cabotegravir and rilpivirine maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: Monthly injection of 400 mg cabotegravir and 600 mg rilpivirine, or an every-2-month injection of 600 mg cabotegravir and 900 mg rilpivirine. (An oral lead-in period prior to your first injection is no longer required.)
Complera
generic name: emtricitabine, rilpivirine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One tablet once daily. Each tablet contains 25 mg rilpivirine, 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and 200 mg emtricitabine. Take with food.
Delstrigo
generic name: doravirine, lamivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Merck
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 100mg doravirine, 300mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and 300mg lamivudine. Take with or without food.
Dovato
generic name: dolutegravir and lamivudine
maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One tablet per day. Each tablet contains 50 mg dolutegravir (Tivicay, an II) and 300 mg lamivudine (Epivir, an NRTI).
Genvoya
generic name: elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide
maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 150 mg elvitegravir, 150 mg cobicistat, 10 mg tenofovir alafenamide fumarate, and 200 mg emtricitabine. Take with food.
Juluca
generic name: dolutegravir and rilpivirine
maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 50mg dolutegravir and 25mg rilpivirine. Must be taken with a meal.
Odefsey
generic name: emtricitabine, rilpivirine, and tenofovir alafenamide
maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 25 mg rilpivirine, 200mg emtricitabine, and 25mg tenofovir alafenamide fumarate. Take with food.
*Unless otherwise noted, all dosages are the traditional adult dose.
Stribild
generic name: elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 150 mg elvitegravir, 150 mg cobicistat, 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and 200 mg emtricitabine.Take with food.
Symfi/Symfi Lo
generic name: efavirenz, lamivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
maker: Mylan
traditional dosage: One tablet of either Symfi or Symfi Lo once a day. Each tablet of Symfi contains 600mg efavirenz, 300mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and 300mg lamivudine. Each tablet of Symfi Lo contains 400mg efavirenz, 300mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and 300mg lamivudine. Take on an empty stomach.
Symtuza
generic name: darunavir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide
maker: Janssen
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 800 mg darunavir, 150mg cobicistat, 200mg emtricitabine and 10mg tenofovir alafenamide. Take with food.
Triumeq
generic name: dolutegravir, abacavir, and lamivudine
maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 50 mg dolutegravir, 600 mg abacavir, and 300 mg lamivudine. Triumeq alone is not recommended for people with known resistance to abacavir, lamivudine, or any approved integrase inhibitors. Take with or without food.
Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Cimduo
generic name: lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Mylan
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day, used in combination with other HIV drugs. Each tablet contains 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and 300 mg lamivudine. Take with or without food.
Descovy
generic name: emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate maker: Gilead Sciences
for hiv treatment: One tablet once a day, used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs. Each tablet contains 200mg emtricitabine and 25mg tenofovir alafenamide fumarate. Take with or without food. for hiv prevention: One tablet once daily. Safer sex practices recommended for greatest preventative results. Descovy for PrEP is not currently FDA-approved for individuals assigned female at birth. Take with or without food.
Emtriva
generic name: emtricitabine maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One 200 mg capsule once daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs. There is also a 10mg/mL oral solution available (daily dosage is adjusted depending on patient’s current creatinine levels). Take with or without food.
Epivir
generic name: lamivudine maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One 300mg tablet once a day, or one 150mg tablet twice a day, used in combination with other HIV drugs. Take with or without food.
Epzicom
generic name: abacavir and lamivudine maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day, used in combination with other HIV drugs. Each table contains 600mg abacavir and 300mg lamivudine. Take with or without food.
Temixys
generic name: lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Celltrion
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day, used in combination with other HIV drugs. Each tablet contains 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and 300 mg lamivudine. Take with or without food.
Truvada
generic name: emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Gilead Sciences
for hiv treatment: One tablet once daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs. Each tablet contains 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and 200 mg emtricitabine.Lower dose versions also available. Take with or without food.
for hiv prevention: One tablet once daily. Safer sex practices recommended for greatest preventative results. Take with or without food.
Viread
generic name: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: One 300 mg tablet once daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs. Lower dose versions also available. Take with or without food.
Ziagen
generic name: abacavir maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One 300mg tablet daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs.Lower dose versions available. Take with or without food.
NNRTIS
Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Edurant
generic name: rilpivirine maker: Janssen
traditional dosage: One 25mg tablet once a day, used in combination with other HIV drugs. It is also a component in single-tablet regimens Complera, Odefsey, and Juluca. Take with food.
Intelence
generic name: etravirine maker: Janssen
dosage: One 200 mg tablet (or two 100 mg tablets) twice daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs. It is approved for treatmentexperienced patients who have HIV strains that are resistant to other NNRTIs and/or other HIV drugs, but not for those starting treatment for the first time. Take with food.
Pifeltro
generic name: doravirine maker: Merck
traditional dosage: One 100mg tablet once a day, used in combination with other HIV drugs. For adults taking the antibiotic rifabutin, the dose is one 100mg tablet every 12 hours. Take with or without food.
Sustiva
generic name: efavirenz
maker: Bristol-Myers Squibb
traditional dosage: One 600mg tablet once a day, or three 200mg capsules daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs. It is also a component in the single-tablet regimen Atripla. Take on an empty stomach.
ENTRY INHIBITORS
Rukobia
generic name: fostemsavir maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One 600 mg tablet taken twice daily, used in combination with other HIV drugs. It targets a particular point of the viral lifecycle and may be an option for indiviuals who have become resistant to other HIV drugs. Take with or without food.
Selzentry
generic name: maraviroc maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One 150mg, 300mg, or 600mg tablet twice a day, depending on other medications used. Approved for treatment-experienced people with HIV strains that are resistant to multiple antiretroviral drugs and for people with drug-sensitive HIV strains. Take with or without food.
Trogarzo
generic name: ibalizumab maker: Theratechnologies
traditional dosage: Administered as an injection, with an initial loading dose of 2,000 mg followed by a maintenance dose of 800 mg every two weeks. Trogarzo was developed specifically for people living with HIV whose virus is resistant to currently approved antiretrovirals. Used in combination with other HIV drugs.
PROTEASE INHIBITORS
Evotaz
generic name: atazanavir and cobicistat
maker: Bristol-Myers Squibb
traditional dosage: One tablet once daily, used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs. Each tablet contains 300 mg Reyataz (atazanavir) and 150 mg Tybost (cobicistat). Take with food.
Kaletra
generic name: lopinavir and ritonavir maker: AbbVie
traditional dosage: Two tablets twice a day, or four tablets once a day, depending on drug resistance. Each tablet contains 200 mg lopinvir and 50 mg Norvir (ritonavir). Used in combination with other HIV drugs. Also available as an oral solution. Take with or without food.
Prezcobix
generic name: darunavir and cobicistat maker: Janssen
traditional dosage: One tablet once a day. Each tablet contains 800 mg Prezista (darunavir) and 150 mg Tybost (cobicistat). Used in combination with other HIV drugs. Take with food.
Prezista
generic name: darunavir maker: Janssen
traditional dosage: One 800 mg tablet (or two 400 mg tablets) plus one 100 mg Norvir tablet once a day, or one 600 mg tablet plus one 100 mg Norvir tablet twice a day, depending on evidence of drug resistance. Used in combination with other HIV drugs. Take with food.
Reyataz
generic name: atazanavir
maker: Bristol-Myers Squibb
traditional dosage: Two 200 mg capsules once a day, or one 300 mg capsule plus one 100 mg Norvir tablet once a day. Used in combination with other HIV drugs. Take with food.
INTEGRASE INHIBITORS
Isentress
generic name: raltegravir
maker: Merck
traditional dosage: Two 600 mg tablets once a day for those who are new to treatment or whose HIV has been suppressed on an initial regimen. One 400 mg tablet twice a day for treatment-experienced people who have HIV strains that are resistant to multiple antiretroviral drugs. Take with or without food.
Tivicay
generic name: dolutegravir
maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One 50 mg tablet once a day for those starting antiretroviral therapy for the first time, or for those who have not used an integrase inhibitor before. One 50 mg tablet twice a day for treatmentexperienced individuals who have HIV that is resistant to other integrase inhibitors. Take with or without food.
Vocabria
generic name: cabotegravir
maker: ViiV Healthcare
traditional dosage: One 30mg tablet with one 25mg Endurant (rilpivirine) tablet, once daily. Typically prescribed as an oral lead-in regimen one month prior to switching to Cabenuva injections. Take with food.
PK BOOSTERS
Norvir
generic name: cobicistat maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: Six 100 mg tablets twice a day, however the full dose of Norvir is rarely used. Though approved as a protease inhibitor, it’s typically subscribed at lower doses to boost the levels of other antiretrovirals in the blood. Used in combination with other HIV drugs.
Tybost
generic name: cobicistat maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: 150 mg once a day, in combination with other HIV drugs. Tybost is used to boost the blood levels of select HIV medications to make them more effective. Take with food.
CAPSID INHIBITOR
Sunlenca
generic name: lenacapavir maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: Sunlenca is a long-acting injectable HIV medication taken every six months for heavily treatment-experienced adults with multidrug-resistant HIV. Used in combination with other HIV drugs.
PREP INJECTABLE
Apretude
generic name: cabotegravir maker: Gilead Sciences
traditional dosage: Apretude is currently the only long-term injectable available to prevent the transmission of HIV. It’s given as a monthly injection for the first 2 months, then every two months thereafter.
UNDERSTANDING HIV DRUG CLASSES AND HOW THEY WORK...
COMPLETE REGIMENS
Drugs in this category are typically single-pill regimens that combine multiple anti-HIV medications (often from mbore than drug class) and are usually taken just once a day. They do not need to be taken with other HIV medications. There is now a long-acting injectable available, Cabenuva, which can be adminstered monthly or every two months.
NUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE INHIBITORS
(also called NRTIs or “nukes”)
Drugs in this class block reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that HIV needs in order to reproduce. HIV uses reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA into DNA; blocking this process prevents HIV from replicating. They are always taken with at least one other HIV med.
NONNUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE INHIBITORS
(also called NNRTIs or “non-nukes”)
Drugs in this class also block reverse transcriptase just as NRTIs do, but in a different way. They are always taken with at least one other HIV medication.
ENTRY INHIBITORS
These drugs help block HIV from binding, fusing, and entering T cells. They are always taken with other HIV medication.
PROTEASE INHIBITORS
Drugs in this class block the activation of protease, an enzyme HIV needs to develop. Blocking protease prevents immature forms of HIV from becoming a mature virus capable of infecting other T cells. They are always taken with other HIV medication.
INTEGRASE STRAND TRANSFER INHIBITORS (also called INSTIs)
Drugs in this class block integrase, an enzyme HIV needs in order to reproduce. HIV uses integrase to insert its viral DNA into the DNA of T cells. Blocking this integration process prevents HIV from replicating. They are always taken with other HIV medication.
PHARMACOKINETIC ENHANCERS (also known as PK boosters)
These drugs help boost the effectiveness of antiretroviral medication. When the two are taken together, the pharmacokinetic enhancer slows the breakdown of the other drug, which allows the drug to remain in the body longer at a higher concentration. They are always taken with other HIV medication.
CAPSID INHIBITORS
Meds in this class help inhibit the proteins that protect HIV’s genetic material. Gilead Sciences’ injectable Sunlenca (lenacapavir) is currently the only approved capsid inhibitor-based HIV treatment option. Taken in combination with other antiretrovirals, lenacapavir is prescribed for adults with multi-drug resistant HIV.
SURE SHOTS
The advent of long-acting injectables for treatment and prevention is giving new freedom to people living with HIV — and their sexual partners.
BY DESIRÉE GUERRERO
CABENUVA
For HIV Treatment
In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first ever long-acting injectable for the treatment of HIV. Cabenuva, from ViiV Healthcare, has been a gamechanger for many living with HIV, especially those struggling with taking daily pills. Depending on your personal treatment plan, Cabenuva can be given in monthly doses or every two months. If you are able to do the every-two-month option, you’ll need to get a monthly shot for the first two months only. Cabenuva is a combination of cabotegravir and rilpivirine, so it’s not recommended for those who’ve had a history of treatment failure, resistance, or an allergic reaction to either ingredient. Cabenuva is also not recommended for those with a history of liver problems. Your health care provider can test the health of your liver before getting on Cabenuva if you are unsure.
SUNLECA
For HIV Drug Resistence
Another injectable for HIV treatment, Sunlenca (lenacapavir) from Gilead Sciences, was approved in December of 2022 to help those dealing with multi-drug resistance. Unlike Cabenuva, which is a complete HIV treatment regimen, Sunlenca is an injectable given twice a year in addition to other antiretroviral medications. It was created for adults whose HIV is not adequately controlled by their current treatment regimen.
APRETUDE
For HIV Prevention
Apretude (cabotegravir extendedrelease injectable suspension, or CAB LA) is the most recent form of PrEP approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is revoluntionary in that it is an injectable, which makes it a much more attractive option to those at risk of contracting HIV. For many, stopping by the clinic every couple of months for a shot in the booty may be a lot more convenient than trying to remember a daily pill. Unlike the pill forms of PrEP (see page 23), Apretude is not also used to treat HIV but is solely used for HIV prevention.
BE PREPARED
These days, it’s easier than ever to prevent the spread of HIV. PrEP can be taken as a daily pill, or as an injection every two months.
Apretude
Apretude (cabotegravir extendedrelease injectable suspension, or CAB LA) is the most recent form of PrEP approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is game-changing in that it is an injectable, which makes it a much more attractive option to those at risk of contracting HIV. For many, stopping by the clinic every couple of months for an injection may be a lot more convenient than trying to remember to take a daily pill. Unlike the pill forms of PrEP, Apretude is not also used to treat HIV. who’s it for? HIV-negative adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds (35 kg) for the prevention of HIV.
dosage info: One long-acting
intramuscular gluteal (butt muscle) 600 mg injection (3 mL) is given monthly for the first two months, and then one injection every two months thereafter. There are no food restrictions, and an oral lead-in period is no longer required.
Descovy for PrEP
In October of 2019, a second pill form of PrEP was approved by the FDA called Descovy for PrEP (emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide). It is just as effective as its predecessor, Truvada. There are some differences though, so you should talk to your doctor about which might work better for you. For example, Descovy is safer for people with bone density or kidney issues, and the pill is much smaller — however, it may slightly raise
LDL cholesterol levels. Also, unlike Truvada and Apretude, Descovy is not currently approved for those assigned female at birth due to a lack of research in its effectiveness. who’s it for? HIV-negative adults and adolescents assigned male at birth weighing at least 77 pounds (35 kg) for the prevention of HIV.
dosage info: One tablet once daily, with or without food. The tablet contains 200 mg emtricitabine and 25 mg tenofovir alafenamide. Take a missed dose as soon as possible, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Don’t double up on your next dose.
Truvada for PrEP
Truvada, our great PrEP pioneer, is now celebrating its 12th year of FDAapproval. It was the first medicine available in the U.S. for use to prevent HIV transmission after it was shown in studies to be highly effective when taken daily. Truvada consists of the drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumerate. who’s it for? HIV-negative adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds (35 kg). People with bone density or kidney issues should avoid and consider another PrEP option. dosage info: One tablet daily with food. The tablet contains 200 mg emtricitabine and 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Take a missed dose as soon as possible, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Don’t double up on your next dose. Take with or without food. dg
For more information about PrEP and how to get a prescription, visit PlannedParenthood.org, HIV.gov, or CDC.gov/hiv/basics/prep