Mls003373964

DescriptionLamivudine is a new generation orally active nucleoside analog launched in the U.S.A. for use in combination with zidovudine (AZT) as a first-line therapy for patients with HIV infection. Lamivudine is rapidly converted to phosphorylated metabolites in the body which act as inhibitors and chain terminators of HIV reverse transcriptase (RT), the enzyme required for the replication of the HIV genome. Lamivudine has similar inhibitory potency to RT as AZT but is 10 times less toxic and is active against AZT-resistant strains of HIV.

HistoryLamivudine[134678-17-4] is produced by GlaxoSmithKline LLC. In the early 1990s, it was used by some countries in Europe and North America to treat AIDS. In the mid-1990s, medical experts found that it had an inhibitory effect on the DNA of hepatitis B virus. In 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved it as a treatment drug for hepatitis B. In 1999, the China Food and Drug Administration approved this drug as a hepatitis B treatment drug, with the Chinese trade name "Heputin".

UsesLamivudine (Epivir-HBV) is in a class of medications called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). It works by decreasing the amount of HIV and hepatitis B in the blood. It is used to treat hepatitis B infection. It is also used along with other medications to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in adults and children 3 months of age and older.