Lamivudine

Lamivudine structure

Information about Lamivudine

Lamivudine is a nucleoside analogue and reverse transcriptase inhibitor used in the therapy of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Liver safety of Lamivudine

Lamivudine is a very rare cause of clinically apparent drug induced liver injury, but is associated with flares of underlying hepatitis B during therapy or with abrupt withdrawal.

Mechanism of action of Lamivudine

Lamivudine (la miv' ue deen) is an L-enantiomer and substituted analogue of cytidine (2’,3’-dideoxy-3’-3-thiacytidine: 3TC) and is active against both HIV and HBV in vitro and in vivo. Lamivudine is phosphorylated intracellularly to the triphosphate which competes with the naturally occurring cytidine triphosphate for incorporation into the growing HIV or HBV DNA chain by the viral polymerase, thereby inhibiting polymerase (or reverse transcriptase) activity and causing chain termination.

Lamivudine is indicated for the treatment of HBV infection as a single agent and for HIV infection in combination with other HIV medications.

Dosage and administration for Lamivudine

For HIV infection, lamivudine is available as 150 and 300 mg tablets and as oral solutions under the trade name Epivir. Lamivudine is also available in fixed combination with zidovudine as Combivir; with abacavir as Epzicom; and with zidovudine and abacavir as Trizivir. The recommended dose of lamivudine for HIV infection in adults is 150 mg twice daily or 300 mg once daily. For HBV infection the recommended dose of lamivudine in adults is 100 mg orally once daily, the drug being available in this dose under the trade name Epivir-HBV.

FDA approval information for Lamivudine

Lamivudine was approved by the FDA for HIV infection in 1995 and for HBV infection in 1998, and is currently used in many HAART regimens and usually as monotherapy for hepatitis B. Side effects of lamivudine are uncommon.

Antiviral agents

Drugs for HIV Infection, in the Subclass Antiretroviral Agents

• Fusion Inhibitors (HIV)
  • Enfuvirtide, Maraviroc

• Integrase Inhibitors (HIV)
  • Dolutegravir, Elvitegravir, Raltegravir

• Monoclonal Antibodies
  • Ibalizumab

• Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (HIV)
  • Delavirdine, Efavirenz, Etravirine, Nevirapine, Rilpivirine

• Nucleoside Analogues (HIV)
  • Abacavir, Didanosine, Emtricitabine, Lamivudine, Stavudine, Tenofovir, Zidovudine

• Protease Inhibitors (HIV)
  • Amprenavir, Atazanavir, Darunavir, Fosamprenavir, Indinavir, Lopinavir, Nelfinavir,Ritonavir, Saquinavir, Tipranavir

Drugs for Hepatitis B

• • Alpha Interferon, Adefovir, Emtricitabine, Entecavir, Lamivudine, Telbivudine, Tenofovir

Drugs for Hepatitis C

• Interferon Based Therapies
  • Alpha Interferon and Peginterferon, Ribavirin

HCV NS5A Inhibitors

• Daclatasvir, Elbasvir, Ledipasvir, Ombitasvir, Pibrentasvir, Velpatasvir

HCV NS5B (Polymerase) Inhibitors

• Dasabuvir, Sofosbuvir

HCV Protease Inhibitors

• Asunaprevir, Boceprevir, Glecaprevir, Grazoprevir, Paritaprevir, Simeprevir, Telaprevir, Voxilaprevir

Combination Therapies

• Epclusa, Harvoni, Mavyret, Technive, Viekira Pak, Vosevi, Zepatier

Drugs for Herpes Virus Infections (HSV, CMV, others)

• Acyclovir, Cidofovir, Famciclovir, Foscarnet, Ganciclovir, Valacyclovir, Valganciclovir

Drugs for Influenza

• Amantadine, Oseltamivir, Peramivir, Rimantadine, Zanamivir

• Dailymed label info on Lamivudine
• FDA Lamivudine