POZ Community Forums

Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: james3000 on September 18, 2012, 03:19:23 pm

Title: combination Pills
Post by: james3000 on September 18, 2012, 03:19:23 pm

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knows why all the combination pills have Emtricitabine in them ?

Thanks.

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: mikeyb39 on September 19, 2012, 09:02:35 am

Well basically none of them are completely new, they just are able to combine whats already out into one pill.  most of these once day pills can be taken indepentally with the exception of Compleara.  I think the only thing 'new' in the Quad' pill is a new Intergrase Inhibitor, which looks almost exactly like Isentress.

I'd like to see something new and 'different' that can help with less medication and side-effects.

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: eric48 on September 19, 2012, 05:15:49 pm

Quote from: james3000 on September 18, 2012, 03:19:23 pm

why all the combination pills have Emtricitabine in them

First, this is not entirely true. Emtricitabine (aka FTC) is used in most combo.

one alternative (less) commonly used is 3TC.

One could argue, though, that FTC and 3TC are considered chemically and virologically very close, if not 'similar'

Then it becomes true that FTC OR its cousin 3TC is used in almost all combos.

This is becuase there are 'good', proven NRTIs. and most regimen iclude NRTI as a backbone.

NRTIs sparing regimen are quite few and usually PIs

New classes (integrase inhibitors or CCR5 blockers) have been successfully only when used with NRTIs

which is why, here:
http://www.thebodypro.com/content/67445/spartan-two-drug-nrti-sparing-strategies-continue.html

asks himself :

Do the NRTIs provide some key antiviral component mechanistically?

I am not too much into exotic combo but, as far as I know, the first PIs sparring AND NRTIs sparring combo was tried here, very recently here :

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22941896

choosing the PI route or the NRTI route is set by the resistance test and doctor/patient preference and profile. Except for the above mentionned one, it is either one route or the other.

And if the route includes NRTIs, statiscally a vast majority of users will take either FTC or its very close cousin 3TC.

As why FTC is more used in 3-drug combinaison single dosing pills, I think it comes down to patent ownership and big Pharma business strategies

Hope this helps

Eric

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: james3000 on September 20, 2012, 02:51:40 pm

Thanks for both your replies

I am drug resistant to Emtricitabine and am taking double amount of pills. One pill twice daily would be great. I was hoping they would do one 3tc in it.

Thanks

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: newt on September 20, 2012, 07:51:03 pm

FTC (emtricitabine) and 3TC are basically sister drugs. If you are resistant to one you wil be resistant to the other. Taking a double dose  of FTC won't help.

However, if you have the common M184V mutation that gives 100% resistance to FTC and 3TC and are taking tenofovir it doesn't matter. M184V virus is extra-susceptible to tenofovir, and this usually overcomes the M184V resistance.

- matt

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: james3000 on September 21, 2012, 08:42:49 pm

Sorry I was not very clear ,I am taking one pill of 3tc a day maybe I should switch to something else as the ID dr said I was drug resistant to Ftc they said that's why I am not on the 1 pill a day option

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: newt on September 24, 2012, 06:27:32 pm

3TC and FTC more or less share the same resistance profile. What else are you on? - matt

Title: Re: combination Pills
Post by: james3000 on September 25, 2012, 07:45:54 am

Hi Matt,

I am on

3tc 1 a day
isentress    4 pills a day  taken 2 in morning and 2 in evening
intellence    4 pills a day take 2 in morning 2 in evening
norvir 2 pills a day 1 in morning and evening
Prezista 2 pills a day taken in morning and evening

Thanks James