What drugs are contained in the HIV treatment Symtuza?
Symtuza is a four-drug combination used for treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. It contains:
- Darunavir (Prezista) - A protease inhibitor that stops HIV replication and helps to provide a high barrier to drug resistance, meaning it may keep on working even if the HIV virus has changed (mutated).
- Cobicistat (Tybost) - An antiviral booster that reduces the activity of enzymes in the liver that break down certain HIV medicines so they can be used more safely and effectively at lower doses.
- Emtricitabine (Emtriva) - A nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor that helps prevent HIV from multiplying in the body.
- Tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy) - A nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor that helps prevent HIV from multiplying in the body.
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Who Can Take Symtuza?
Symtuza is indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults:
- who have no prior antiretroviral treatment history or
- who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies per mL) on a stable antiretroviral regimen for at least 6 months and have no known substitutions associated with resistance to darunavir or tenofovir.
Learn more about HIV and AIDS: HIV and AIDS Information Center
References
- Symtuza [package insert]. 2024. Janssen Products LP. Accessed March 31, 2025 at https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=85a17d00-6b7c-41ea-a6b3-5ad924820dab
Read next
HIV Antiviral Drugs - What are the common side effects?
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, some of the more common side effects for many antiretroviral (ARV) drugs include: Headache, Nausea, Vomiting, Dry mouth, Diarrhea, Fatigue, Dizziness, Pain, Rash, Trouble sleeping...
Continue reading
Does Symtuza cause weight gain?
Symtuza may cause a small amount of weight gain as a side effect. In two clinical studies over 96 weeks, patients taking Symtuza gained about 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Continue reading
Can Descovy be used for PrEP in HIV?
Yes. The FDA approved Descovy (emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in October 2019 to help reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection. Continue reading
See also:
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