Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: EMTRIVA versus FORTOVASE.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: EMTRIVA versus FORTOVASE.
EMTRIVA vs FORTOVASE
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; emtricitabine is phosphorylated to emtricitabine 5'-triphosphate which competes with deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate for incorporation into viral DNA, resulting in chain termination.
Saquinavir is a protease inhibitor that binds to the active site of HIV-1 protease, blocking the cleavage of viral polyprotein precursors into functional proteins, resulting in the production of immature, non-infectious viral particles.
Emtricitabine 200 mg orally once daily.
1200 mg orally three times daily with food.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life ~10 hours (mean 10 h, range 7-14 h) in adults; prolonged in renal impairment (up to 90 h in severe impairment)
Terminal elimination half-life is 1-2 hours in healthy subjects; prolonged to 2-5 hours in patients with hepatic impairment or when coadministered with ritonavir.
Renal excretion of unchanged drug (~86%) by glomerular filtration and active tubular secretion; fecal excretion (<1%)
Primarily hepatic metabolism via CYP3A4; 2% excreted unchanged in urine, 15% unchanged in feces; extensive biliary excretion of metabolites.
Category C
Category C
Antiretroviral, NRTI
Antiretroviral