Emitracitabine

Emtricitabine a fluoro-derivative of lamivudine,inhibits both HIV and HBV reverse transcriptase. In a small clinical trial, it was shown to be at least as effective as lamivudine in the treatment of HIV-infected individuals. Emtricitabine is orally active, with a mean bioavailability of 93 percent. Plasma half-life is about 10 hours, whereas it has a long intracellular half-life of 39 hours. Emtricitabine is eliminated essentially unchanged in urine. It does not affect cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isozymes and has no signifi cant interactions with other drugs. Headache, diarrhea, nausea, and rash are its most common adverse effects. Emtricitabine causes hyperpigmentation of the soles and palms, and it has been associated with lactic acidosis, fatty liver, and hepatomegaly. Withdrawal of emtricitabine in HBV-infected patients may result in worsening of the hepatitis.renal elimination l in the oral solution, the drug is contraindicated in pregnancy and young children and in patients with hepatic or renal dysfunction. Common adverse effects of the drug include asthenia, GI distress, headache