Emtricitabine (commonly called FTC, systematic name 2',3'-dideoxy-5-fluoro-3'-thiacytidine), with trade name Emtriva (formerly Coviracil), is a nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) for the prevention and treatment of HIV infection in adults and children. In 2019, it was the 494th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 3thousand prescriptions. It is an analog of the nucleoside cytidine.
Emtricitabine makes up one fourth of the Quad pill (brand names: Stribild and Genvoya). It is also marketed in a fixed-dose combination with tenofovir disoproxil (Viread) under the brand name Truvada, and with tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy) under the brand name Descovy. In fixed-dose combinations with tenofovir or with efavirenz and tenofovir it is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. A fixed-dose triple combination of emtricitabine, tenofovir, and efavirenz (Sustiva, marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 12, 2006, under the brand name Atripla.
Medical uses
HIV infection
Emtricitabine is indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the prevention and treatment of HIV-1 infection.
HBV infection
Emtricitabine exhibits clinical activity against the hepatitis B virus (HBV), but is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HBV infection. Triangle Pharmaceuticals was acquired in 2003 by Gilead Sciences, which completed development and now markets the product with the brand name Emtriva.
It was approved by the FDA July 2, 2003. It is very similar to lamivudine (3TC) and cross-resistance between the two is near-universal.
References
</references>