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Anti-HIV drug classes and names
There are currently 18 drugs licensed and used for the treatment of HIV, and these drugs are divided into one of four classes depending on how they attack HIV.
Listed below are the classes of drug and the individual drugs within each class. Anti-HIV drugs tend to have more than one name. Listed first is the name the drug is normally called by in this country, then in brackets the generic name for the drug is listed, and finally the drug company’s patented tradename for the drug.
Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI, or Nukes for short)
Drugs in this class include AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir),ddI (didanosine, Videx), 3TC (lamivudine, Epivir), d4T (stavudine, Zerit), abacavir (Ziagen), and FTC (emtricitabine, Emtriva). There is also a nucleotide analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor called tenofovir (Viread).
AZT and 3TC is available in a combined pill called Combivir and AZT, 3TC and abacavir is available in a combined pill called Trizivir.
There is also a single pill combining AZT and abacavir, called Kivexa.
A single pill combining FTC and the nucleotide analogue tenofovir called Truvada is a also available.
Non- nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI, or non-Nukes for short)
Drugs in this class are efavirenz (Sustiva) and nevirapine (Viramune).
Protease inhibitors (PIs)
Drugs in this class are lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), indinavir (Crixivan), ritonavir (Norvir), nelfinavir (Viracept), saquinavir hard gel capsules (Invirase), atazanavir (Reyataz), amprenavir (Agenerase), fosamprenavir (Telzir), tipranavir (Aptivus).
Fusion inhibitor
There is only one drug available in this class, T20 (enfuvirtide, Fuzeon).
Finding out more
You can find out a lot more about these drugs including by visiting www.aidsmap.com, or by reading the NAM booklet Anti-HIV drugs, which is available free of charge from HIV clinics, or can be downloaded from aidsmap.com.