Emtricitabine: new preparation. An antiretroviral very similar to lamivudine.

(1) The current first-line treatment for HIV infection is a combination of at least two nucleoside (or nucleotide) inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase, and one non nucleoside inhibitor or at least one HIV protease inhibitor. (2) Emtricitabine is the eighth nucleoside/nucleotide inhibitor to be marketed in France. It has a similar chemical structure to lamivudine. (3) Evaluation of emtricitabine use in adults contains data from four comparative trials, two in treatment-naive patients and two in patients who were already receiving a virologically effective treatment. Emtricitabine combination therapy was no more effective than lamivudine combination therapy on either viral load or the CD4+ lymphocyte count. (4) Only non comparative trials are available in children. (5) In clinical trials, the adverse effects of emtricitabine were similar to those of lamivudine, including headache, pain, fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. (6) Viral strains resistant to emtricitabine are also resistant to lamivudine, and vice versa. (7) Emtricitabine, like other nucleoside inhibitors (lamivudine, didanosine, tenofovir), can be taken once a day by mouth. (8) In practice, emtricitabine is indistinguishable from lamivudine and does not offer any advance for patients living with HIV/AIDS.