What drugs are contained in the HIV treatment Symtuza?
Symtuza is a four-drug combination used for treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. It contains:
- Darunavir (Prezista) - A protease inhibitor that stops HIV replication and helps to provide a high barrier to drug resistance, meaning it may keep on working even if the HIV virus has changed (mutated).
- Cobicistat (Tybost) - An antiviral booster that reduces the activity of enzymes in the liver that break down certain HIV medicines so they can be used more safely and effectively at lower doses.
- Emtricitabine (Emtriva) - A nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor that helps prevent HIV from multiplying in the body.
- Tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy) - A nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor that helps prevent HIV from multiplying in the body.
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Who Can Take Symtuza?
Symtuza is indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults:
- who have no prior antiretroviral treatment history or
- who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies per mL) on a stable antiretroviral regimen for at least 6 months and have no known substitutions associated with resistance to darunavir or tenofovir.
Learn more about HIV and AIDS: HIV and AIDS Information Center
References
- Symtuza [package insert]. 2024. Janssen Products LP. Accessed March 31, 2025 at https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=85a17d00-6b7c-41ea-a6b3-5ad924820dab
Read next
Does Symtuza cause weight gain?
Symtuza may cause a small amount of weight gain as a side effect. In two clinical studies over 96 weeks, patients taking Symtuza gained about 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Continue reading
Can Descovy be used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in HIV?
Yes. The FDA approved Descovy (emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in October 2019 to help reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection. Continue reading
Which medicines should not be taken with Biktarvy?
- Biktarvy is a complete regimen and use with other antiretroviral medications for the treatment of HIV-1 infection is not recommended.
- Biktarvy is associated with many drug interactions as it contains three different medicines, increasing your risk for interactions. Have your health care provider check for possible interactions with other prescription medicines, OTCs or herbal you take.
- You should not take Biktarvy with dofetilide (Tikosyn), a drug used for heart rhythm disorders or rifampin (Rifadin), a medicine for tuberculosis (TB). These drugs are contraindicated with the use of Biktarvy.
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