Lopinavir
Lopinavir Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.
Emtricitabine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) indicated for the treatment of HIV infection in adults or combined with tenofovir alafenamide for the prevention of HIV-1 infection in high risk adolescents and adults. Emtricitabine is a cytidine analogue. The drug works by inhibiting HIV reverse transcriptase, preventing transcription of HIV RNA to DNA.
Emtricitabine was granted FDA approval on 2 July 2003.
Emtricitabine is a cytidine analog that competes with the natural substrate of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase to be incorporated into newly formed DNA, terminating its transcription. It is administered once daily so it has a long duration of action. Patients should be counselled regarding the risk of lactic acidosis and hepatomegaly with steatosis.
Lopinavir is an antiretroviral protease inhibitor used in combination with other antiretrovirals in the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Lopinavir is marketed and administered exclusively in combination with ritonavir - this combination, first marketed by Abbott under the brand name Kaletra in 2000, is necessary due to lopinavir's poor oral bioavailability and extensive biotransformation. Ritonavir is a potent inhibitor of the enzymes responsible for lopinavir metabolism, and its co-administration "boosts" lopinavir exposure and improves antiviral activity. Like many other protease inhibitors (e.g. saquinavir, nelfinavir), lopinavir is a peptidomimetic molecule - it contains a hydroxyethylene scaffold that mimics the peptide linkage typically targeted by the HIV-1 protease enzyme but which itself cannot be cleaved, thus preventing the activity of the HIV-1 protease.
Lopinavir is currently under investigation in combination with ritonavir for the treatment of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2.
Lopinavir inhibits the activity of an enzyme critical for the HIV viral lifecycle. It has a moderate duration of action necessitating once or twice daily dosing. Lopinavir, like other protease inhibitors, has a propensity for participating in drug interactions - use caution when administering lopinavir to patients maintained on other pharmaceutical agents as pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions are common. Fatal hepatotoxicity and pancreatitis have been noted in patients undergoing therapy with lopinavir and patients with an increased baseline risk of these events should be monitored closely throughout therapy.
Ritonavir is an HIV protease inhibitor that interferes with the reproductive cycle of HIV. Although it was initially developed as an independent antiviral agent, it has been shown to possess advantageous properties in combination regimens with low-dose ritonavir and other protease inhibitors. It is now more commonly used as a booster of other protease inhibitors and is available in both liquid formulation and as capsules.
While ritonavir is not an active antiviral agent against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, it is added in combination therapies indicated for treatment of HCV infections as a booster. Ritonavir is a potent CYP3A inhibitor that increases peak and trough plasma drug concentrations of other protease inhibitors such as Paritaprevir and overall drug exposure. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines recommend ritonavir-boosted combination therapies as a first-line therapy for HCV Genotype 1a/b and 4 treatment-naïve patients with or without cirrhosis.
Ritonavir is found in a fixed-dose combination product with Ombitasvir, Dasabuvir, and Paritaprevir as the FDA-approved product Viekira Pak. First approved in December 2014, Viekira Pak is indicated for the treatment of HCV genotype 1b without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis, and when combined with Ribavirin for the treatment of HCV genotype 1a without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis.
Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate, an acyclic nucleotide analogue of adenosine monophosphate, is a pro-drug of Tenofovir. It shows activity against hepatitis B virus polymerase and HIV reverse transcriptase after phosphorylation to the active diphosphate form. Tenofovir diphosphate inhibits viral polymerase (reverse transcriptase) by directly competing with the natural substrate deoxyribonucleotide and by causing DNA chain termination after its incorporation into viral DNA.
Tenofovir has been shown to be highly effective in patients that have never had an antiretroviral therapy and it seemed to have lower toxicity than other antivirals such as stavudine. In phase 3 clinical trials, tenofovir presented a similar efficacy than efavirenz in treatment-naive HIV patients. In hepatitis B infected patients, after one year of tenofovir treatment, the viral DNA levels were undetectable.
| Trade Name | Lopinavir |
| Generic | Emtricitabine + lopinavir + ritonavir + tenofovir |
| Weight | + |
| Type | Oral kit |
| Therapeutic Class | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Available Country | United States |
| Last Updated: | September 19, 2023 at 7:00 am |
Uses
Emtricitabine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used for the treatment and prophylaxis of HIV.
Emtricitabine is indicated in combination with other medications for the treatment of HIV-1 infections; treatment of HIV-1 infections in pediatric patients 25-35kg, treatment of HIV-1 infections in adult patients ≥35kg, for pre exposure prophylaxis of HIV-1 in adolescent and adult patients excluding those who have receptive vaginal sex; treatment of HIV-1 infections in pediatric and adult patients ≥17kg, pre exposure prophylaxis in adolescents and adults ≥35kg; treatment of HIV-1 in patients ≥12 years and ≥35kg; treatment of HIV-1 in patients weighing ≥35kg; treatment of HIV-1 in patients weighing ≥25kg; and treatment of HIV-1 in patients weighing ≥40kg.
Lopinavir is an HIV-1 protease inhibitor used in combination with ritonavir to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
The combination product lopinavir/ritonavir, marketed under the brand name Kaletra, is indicated in combination with other antiretrovirals for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and pediatric patients ≥14 days old.
Ritonavir is an HIV protease inhibitor used in combination with other antivirals in the treatment of HIV infection.
Indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.
This is used for the treatment of:
- Chronic hepatitis B virus infection in adults
- HIV infected adults in combination with other anti retroviral agents
Lopinavir is also used to associated treatment for these conditions: HIV Transmission, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1), Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) InfectionHuman Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) InfectionHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections
How Lopinavir works
Emtricitabine is a cytidine analog which, when phosphorylated to emtricitabine 5'-triphosphate, competes with deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. As HIV-1 reverse transcriptase incorporates emtricitabine into forming DNA strands, new nucleotides are unable to be incorporated, leading to viral DNA chain termination. Inhibition of reverse transcriptase prevents transcription of viral RNA into DNA, therefore the virus is unable to incorporate its DNA into host DNA and replicate using host cell machinery. This reduces viral load.
The HIV lifecycle is comprised of 3 distinct stages: assembly, involving creation and packaging of essential viral components; budding, wherein the viral particle crosses the host cell plasma membrane and forms a lipid envelope; and maturation, wherein the viral particle alters its structure and becomes infectious. At the center of this lifecycle is the Gag polyprotein which, along with the products of its proteolysis, coordinate these stages and function as the major structural proteins of the virus. The HIV-1 protease enzyme, a dimeric aspartic protease, is the enzyme responsible for cleaving the Gag polyprotein and thus plays a critical role in many aspects of the HIV viral lifecycle.
Lopinavir is an inhibitor of the HIV-1 protease enzyme. Its design is based on the "peptidomimetic" principle, wherein the molecule contains a hydroxyethylene scaffold which mimics the normal peptide linkage (cleaved by HIV protease) but which itself cannot be cleaved. By preventing HIV-1 protease activity, and thus the proteolysis of the Gag polyprotein, lopinavir results in the production of immature, non-infectious viral particles.
Ritonavic inhibits the HIV viral proteinase enzyme that normally cleaves the structural and replicative proteins that arise from major HIV genes, such as gag and pol. Gag encodes proteins involved in the core and the nucleocapsid, while pol encodes the the HIV reverse transcriptase, ribonuclease H, integrase, and protease . The pol-encoded proteins are initially translated in the form of a larger precursoe polypeptide, gag-pol, and needs to be cleaved by HIV protease to form other complement proteins . Ritonavir prevents the cleavage of the gag-pol polyprotein, which results in noninfectious, immature viral particles. Ritonavir is a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 CYP3A4 isoenzyme present both in the intestinal tract and liver . It is a type II ligand that perfectly fits into the CYP3A4 active site cavity and irreversibly binds to the heme iron via the thiazole nitrogen, which decreases the redox potential of the protein and precludes its reduction with the redox partner, cytochrome P450 reductase . Ritonavir may also play a role in limiting cellular transport and efflux of other protease inhibitors via the P-glycoprotein and MRP efflux channels .
Once tenofovir is activated by a bi-phosphorylation it acts as an antiviral acyclic nucleoside phosphonate. It is a potent inhibitor of the viral reverse transcriptase with an inhibitory constant of approximately 0.022 micromolar.
Once activated, tenofovir acts with different mechanisms including the inhibition of viral polymerase causing chain termination and the inhibition of viral synthesis. All these activities are attained by its competition with deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate in the generation of new viral DNA. Once tenofovir is incorporated in the chain, it induces a chain termination which in order inhibits viral replication. The safety of tenofovir relies on its low affinity towards the cellular DNA polymerase including the mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma.
Dosage
Lopinavir dosage
The recommended dose of Tenofovir in chronic hepatitis B virus infection in adults 18 years of age and older with adequate renal function is 300 mg once daily with or without food.
Side Effects
The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and flatulence.
Toxicity
The LD50 of emtricitabine is not readily available.[9019,L9818]
Symptoms of emtricitabine toxicity include hepatotoxicity with steatosis, as well as lactic acidosis. Treat overdose with symptomatic and supportive measures, including hemodialysis.
As lopinavir is only available in combination with ritonavir, experience with acute lopinavir overdose in isolation is limited. The risk related to overdose appears more pronounced in pediatric patients. One case report detailed a fatal cardiogenic shock in a 2.1kg infant following an approximately 10-fold overdose of Kaletra oral solution, while other reported reactions to overdose in infants include complete AV block, cardiomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and acute renal failure. The oral Kaletra solution is highly concentrated, posing a greater risk of overdose, and contains approximately 42% (v/v) ethanol, further increasing risk in children and infants.
There is no antidote for lopinavir overdose. Treatment of overdose should consist largely of supportive measures and close observation of vital signs and clinical status of the affected patient. Consideration should be given to the removal of unabsorbed drug using gastric lavage or activated charcoal, if clinically indicated. Dialysis is unlikely to be of benefit as lopinavir is highly protein-bound, but may help to remove ethanol and propylene glycol from the circulation in the case of overdose with Kaletra oral solution.
Human experience of acute overdose with ritonavir is limited. One patient in clinical trials took ritonavir 1500 mg/day for two days. The patient reported paresthesias which resolved after the dose was decreased. A post-marketing case of renal failure with eosinophilia has been reported with ritonavir overdose. The approximate lethal dose was found to be greater than 20 times the related human dose in rats and 10 times the related human dose in mice. Oral LD value in rats is >2500 mg/kg. Adverse effects of ritonavir may arise from drug-drug interactions. Other effects include hepatotoxicity, pancreatitis, and allergic reactions/hypersensitivity.
There haven't been reports regarding the LD50 of the parent compound nor the effects of an overdose. However, based on the reports with the derivative that most rapidly transforms into tenofovir, tenofovir disoproxil, it is recommended to monitor overdose patients. As well, it is widely known that tenofovir is efficiently removed by hemodialysis.
Administration of high doses of tenofovir has been reported to produce bone toxicity reported as osteomalacia and reduced bone mineral density and to produce some degree of renal toxicity.
To know more about the carcinogenicity and mutagenic potential of tenofovir, as well as the effect on fertility, please visit the drug entries for the derivatives tenofovir disoproxil and tenofovir alafenamide.
Precaution
Co-administration with other drugs: Tenofovir should not be administered concurrently with Emtricitabine & Tenofovir combination or Adefovir Dipivoxil.
Lactic Acidosis & Severe Hepatomegaly with Steatosis: Though the risk of occurrence of lactic acidosis is low for Tenofovir, treatment should be suspended in any patient who develops lactic acidosis or hepatotoxicity.
Exacerbation of hepatitis after discontinuation of treatment: Discontinuation of Tenofovirtherapy may be associated with severe acute exacerbation of hepatitis.
Interaction
Co-administration of Tenofovir with anti-retroviral, entecavir, lamivudine, methadone, oral contraceptives, ribavirin and tacrolimus did not result in significant drug interactions. The effects of co-administration of Tenofovir with other drugs that are renally eliminated or are known to affect renal function have not been evaluated.
Volume of Distribution
The apparent central volume of distribution is 42.3L and the peripheral volume of distribution is 55.4L.
The volume of distribution of lopinavir following oral administration is approximately 16.9 L.
The estimated volume of distribution of ritonavir is 0.41 ± 0.25 L/kg.
Accumulation of tenofovir in plasma is related to the presence of nephrotoxic effects. It is reported that tenofovir presents a volume of distribution of 0.813 L/kg.
Elimination Route
Emtricitabine reaches a Cmax of 1.8±0.7µg/mL with a Tmax of 1-2 hours, and has an AUC of 10±3.1µg*hr/mL. The bioavailability of emtricitabine capsules is 93% and the bioavailability of the oral solution is 75%. Taking emtricitabine with food decreases the Cmax by 29%.[L9019
When administered alone, lopinavir has exceptionally low oral bioavailability (~25%) - for this reason, it is exclusively co-administered with ritonavir, which dramatically improves bioavailability, hinders drug metabolism, and allows for the attainment of therapeutic lopinavir concentrations. Following oral administration of lopinavir/ritonavir, maximal plasma concentrations are achieved at approximately 4.4 hours (Tmax), and the Cmax and AUCtau are 9.8 ± 3.7 - 11.8 ± 3.7 µg/mL and 92.6 ± 36.7 - 154.1 ± 61.4 μg•h/mL, respectively.
Relative to administration in the fasted state, administration with a meal increases the AUC of the tablet formulation slightly (~19%) but dramatically increases the AUC of the oral solution formulation (~130%).
The absolute bioavailability of ritonavir has not been determined. Following oral administration, peak concentrations are reached after approximately 2 hours and 4 hours (Tmax) after dosing under fasting and non-fasting conditions, respectively. It should be noted that ritonavir capsules and tablets are not considered bioequivalent.
Tenofovir as the active moiety presents a very low bioavailability when orally administered. Hence, the administration of this active agent is required to be under its two prodrug forms, tenofovir disoproxil and tenofovir alafenamide. This reduced absorption is suggested to be related to the presence of two negative charges among its structure. This negative charge limits its cellular penetration, and its passive diffusion across cellular membranes and intestinal mucosa hindering its availability for oral administration.
Intravenous tenofovir has been shown to produce a maximum plasma concentration of 2500 ng/ml with an AUC of 4800 ng.h/ml.
Half Life
The half life of emtricitabine is approximately 10 hours.
The elimination half-life of lopinavir is 6.9 ± 2.2 hours.
The approximate half-life of ritonavir is 3-5 hours.
The reported half-life of tenofovir is of 32 hours.
Clearance
Emtricitabine has an apparent elimination rate of 15.1L/h. This rate is closely linked to creatinine clearance.
The estimated apparent clearance following oral administration is approximately 6-7 L/h.
The apparent oral clearance at steady-state is 8.8 ± 3.2 L/h. Renal clearance is minimal and estimated to be 7
The clearance of tenofovir is highly dependent on the patient renal stage and hence the clearance rate in patients with renal impairment is reported to be of 134 ml/min while in patients with normal function the clearance rate can be of 210 ml/min.
Elimination Route
Emtricitabine is 86% recovered in the urine and 14% recovered in feces. 13% of the dose is recovered in the urine as metabolites; 9% as 3'-sulfoxide diastereomers and 4% as 2'-O-glucuronide.
Lopinavir is primarily eliminated in the feces. Following oral administration, approximately 10.4 ± 2.3% of the administered dose is excreted in the urine and 82.6 ± 2.5% is excreted in the feces. Unchanged parent drug accounted for 2.2% and 19.8% of the administered dose in urine and feces, respectively.
Ritonavir is primarily eliminated in the feces. Following oral administration of a single 600mg dose of radiolabeled ritonavir, approximately 11.3 ± 2.8% of the dose was excreted into the urine, of which 3.5 ± 1.8% was unchanged parent drug. The same study found that 86.4 ± 2.9% of the dose was excreted in the feces, of which 33.8 ± 10.8% was unchanged parent drug.
Tenofovir is eliminated in the urine by tubular secretion and glomerular filtration. The elimination of this compound is driven by the activity of the human organic anion transporters 1 and 3 and its secretion is mainly ruled by the activity of the multidrug resistance-associated protein 4.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding use
Pregnancy: Pregnancy category B. It should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.
Lactation: It is not known whether it is excreted in human milk. Mothers should be instructed not to breast feed if they are taking Tenofovir.
Contraindication
Tenofovir is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to Tenofovir or any component of the product.
Special Warning
Pediatric use: Safety and effectiveness of Tenofovir in pediatric patients below the age of 18 years have not been established.Geriatrics use: Clinical studies of Tenofovir did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 years and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. But care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to monitor renal function.Renal Impairment: Haemodialysis patients: 300 mg once every 7 days or after a cumulative total of 12 hr of dialysis.
- CrCl (10-29 mL/min): 300 mg 72-96 hrly.
- CrCl (30-49 mL/min): 300 mg 48 hrly.
Hepatic impairment
: No dose adjustment is required in patients with hepatic impairment.
Acute Overdose
There is no experience of Tenofovir overdose reported in patients
Storage Condition
Store in a cool and dry place, protected from light and moisture. Keep the medicine out of the reach of children.
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