Medications Used as Treatment for HIV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of medications to treat HIV infections.

Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase (RT) Inhibitors
The first group of HIV medications, called nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors, interrupts an early stage of the virus making copies of itself. These medications may slow the spread of HIV in the body and delay the start of opportunistic infections. This class of medications, called nucleoside analogs, includes:

AZT (azidothymidine)
ddC (zalcitabine)
ddI (dideoxyinosine)
d4T (stavudine)
3TC (lamivudine)
Abacavir (Ziagen®)
Tenofovir (Viread®)
Emtricitabine (Emtriva®)

Healthcare providers can also prescribe non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), such as:

Delavridine (Rescriptor®)
Nevirapine (Viramune®)
Efravirenz (Sustiva®) (in combination with other antiretroviral medications)
Etravirine (Intelence®) (in combination with other antiretroviral medications).

Protease Inhibitors
The FDA also has approved a second class of medications for HIV treatment. These medications, called protease inhibitors, interrupt the virus from making copies of itself at a later step in its lifecycle. They include:

Ritonavir (Norvir®)
Saquinivir (Invirase®)
Indinavir (Crixivan®)
Amprenivir (Agenerase®)
Nelfinavir (Viracept®)
Lopinavir (Kaletra®)
Atazanavir (Reyataz®)
Fosamprenavir (Lexiva®).

Fusion Inhibitors
A third class of new HIV medications, known as fusion inhibitors, has recently been approved for the treatment of HIV. Fuzeon® (enfuvirtide or T-20), the first approved fusion inhibitor, works by interfering with the virus' ability to enter into cells by blocking the merging of the virus with the cell membranes. Fuzeon is designed for use in combination with other anti-HIV treatments. It reduces the level of HIV infection in the blood, and may be active against HIV that has become resistant to current antiviral treatment schedules.