Category: Antiretroviral drugs

First approved in 1987, the drug azidothymidine (AZT), now known as zidovudine, was the first medication to be made available for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, offering a glimmer of hope during a critical period of the epidemic. Its effectiveness hinges on its ability to inhibit a specific viral enzyme: HIV reverse transcriptase.

Stavudine, an antiretroviral medication once commonly used for HIV/AIDS, is widely known by at least two other names: its brand name, Zerit, and its chemical shorthand, d4T. It was approved in the US in 1994 and became available as a generic medicine.

Triple-combination therapy is a cornerstone of modern HIV treatment, with medications like Reydin pills representing a significant advancement in managing the virus. This film-coated tablet combines three potent antiretroviral drugs to effectively suppress the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in adults.

In recent clinical trials, lenacapavir demonstrated a 96% lower incidence of HIV infection compared to background incidence for prevention. This incredible efficacy stems from the fact that lenacapavir is a first-in-class, long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, offering a groundbreaking new approach to managing and preventing HIV.