Review of tenofovir-emtricitabine

Highly active antiretroviral therapy has significantly reduced HIV-related morbidity and mortality. Increasingly, fixed-dose antiretroviral combinations with equal or greater potency than traditional antiretrovirals, along with fewer side effects, reduced toxicity, and simplified dosing convenience are being utilized. Tenofovir-emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) represents one of the more recent fixed-dose combinations. In combination with either a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, TDF-FTC is a preferred choice in recent treatment guidelines on the basis of demonstrated potency in randomized clinical trials, one-pill-a-day dosing convenience, and relatively low toxicity. In addition, the drug is active against hepatitis B virus. Caution must be exercised in patients with renal insufficiency, or when the drug is used with certain other drugs. This manuscript reviews the use of TDF-FTC in the treatment of HIV.