 One
of a class of anti-HIV drugs designed to inhibit the enzyme protease
and thereby interfere with virus replication.
Protease inhibitors prevent proteases from splitting proteins into
peptides. Protease inhibitors prevent the cleavage of HIV precursor
proteins into active proteins, a process that normally occurs when
HIV replicates.Protease inhibitors include saquinavir (brand name: Invirase,
Fortovase) and ritonavir (brand name: Norvir) and are used primarily
in HIV/AIDS treatment. They are taken as part of a two- or
three-drug cocktail, accompanied by one or more nucleoside antiviral
drugs.
These treatments are capable of lowering the level of HIV virus in
the blood until it cannot be measured with current tools. Side
effects associated with protease inhibitors include a lipodystrophy
syndrome in which the face, arms and legs become thin due to loss of
subcutaneous fat, the skin becomes dry, weight loss occurs, and
abnormal deposits of fat occur. Some new strains of HIV are
resistant to protease inhibitors.
When HIV infects a CD4 cell in
a person's body, it copies its own genetic code into the cell's DNA.
The CD4 cell is then "programmed" to make new HIV genetic material
and HIV proteins. The proteins must be cut up by the HIV protease - a
protein-cutting enzyme - to make functional new HIV particles. PIs
block the protease enzyme and prevent the cell from producing new
viruses. It is recommended that they be used in combination with at
least two other HIV drugs to treat HIV infection.
Protease Inhibitors
(PI) drugs list :
| Brand
Name |
Generic
Name |
Manufacturer Name |
|
Aptivus |
tipranavir,
TPV |
Boehringer Ingelheim |
|
Crixivan |
indinavir,
IDV |
Merck |
|
Norvir |
ritonavir,
RTV |
Abbott Laboratories |
|
Lexiva |
Fosamprenavir Calcium, FOS-APV |
GlaxoSmithKline |
|
Invirase |
saquinavir
mesylate, SQV |
Hoffmann-La Roche |
|
Viracept |
nelfinavir
mesylate, NFV |
Agouron
Pharmaceuticals |
|
Kaletra |
lopinavir
and ritonavir, LPV/RTV |
Abbott Laboratories |
|
Agenerase |
amprenavir,
APV |
GlaxoSmithKline |
|
Prezista |
darunavir |
Tibotec, Inc. |
|
Reyataz |
atazanavir
sulfate, ATV |
Bristol-Myers Squibb |
|
