How long does Genvoya stay in your system?
To eliminate the active antiviral agents in Genvoya (elvitegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide) from your system takes up to 70.95 hours.
Genvoya is a fixed-dose combination tablet used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection. It contains four different drugs: cobicistat, elvitegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide.
Elvitegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide are antiviral drugs, while cobicistat is included to increase blood levels of elvitegravir. Genvoya is taken once per day with food.
To work out how long a drug stays in your system researchers measure its half-life. This is the time it takes to eliminate half of the dose of a drug from your system. It is generally accepted that it takes 5.5 half-lives for a drug to be removed enough from the body that it is thought to have no clinical effect.
The half-life of the three antiviral medications in Genvoya are list in the table below.
| Drug name | Elvitegravir | Emtricitabine | Tenofovir alafenamide |
| Half-life (t1/2) | 12.9 hrs | 10 hrs | 0.51*hrs |
| 5.5 half-lives | 70.95 hrs | 55 hrs | 2.81 hrs |
*Tenofovir alafenamide is converted in the body to another active metabolite called tenofovir diphosphate, which has a half life of 150-180 hours in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
References
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Genvoya. March 2021. [Accessed August 20, 2021]. Available from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2021/207561s025lbl.pdf.
- Hallare J, Gerriets V. Half Life. [Updated 2020 Oct 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554498/.
Read next
What is Genvoya used to treat?
Genvoya is an oral prescription medicine used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in adults and children who are at least 12 years old and who weigh at least 55 pounds (25 kilograms). Continue reading
Is Genvoya used for PrEP?
No, Genyova is not approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Genvoya is used to treat (not prevent) HIV infection. It is an oral tablet taken once a day with food and is a complete HIV treatment regimen. It is not used with other HIV medicines. Continue reading
Does Genvoya make you gain weight?
Genvoya does not have weight gain listed as a side effect in the product labeling. However, a large study suggests some of the newer HIV treatments, including integrase strand inhibitors such as elvitegravir (found in Genvoya), can be linked with significant weight gain. Continue reading
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Drug information
- Genvoya Information for Consumers
- Genvoya prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Genvoya (detailed)
- Genvoya user reviews (129)
Related support groups
- Genvoya (11 questions, 18 members)
- HIV Infection (100 questions, 250 members)