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Brand Name: Combivir

Common Name: zidovudine (AZT) and lamivudine (3TC)

Class: nucleoside analog (also called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, NRTI or nuke)

Standard dose: One tablet (150 mg Epivir/ 3TC /lamivudine, 300 mg Retrovir/AZT/zidovudine), twice-a-day, with no food restrictions (may be taken with or without food). Take missed dose as soon as possible, but do not double up on your next dose.

AWP: $752.64 / month

Manufacturer contact: GlaxoSmithKline, www.combivir.com,
1 (888) 825–5249

AIDS Treatment Information Service: 1 (800) HIV–0440 (448–0440)
Potential side effects and toxicity: May be taken with food to decrease potential nausea associated with AZT. See drug pages for lamivudine, 3TC (Epivir) and zidovudine, AZT (Retrovir) for more details.

Potential drug interactions: See lamivudine, 3TC (Epivir) and zidovudine, AZT (Retrovir). Do not take Retrovir or Epivir while taking Combivir since these medications are already in Combivir.

Tips: Combivir has proven to be the best dual-nucleoside backbone studied. It is the combination of lamivudine, 3TC (Epivir) and zidovudine, AZT (Retrovir) into one pill; see the pages of those individual drugs for more information. The AZT in Combivir can cause fatigue and anemia—it isn’t pretty in those at risk for developing anemias (see Retrovir). One head-to-head study against Truvada found greater toxicity with Combivir, due to anemia. But Combivir is still the most proven dual-nuke combo and every doctor out there should be comfortable with managing its side effects. Combivir brings with it one of the “T” drugs, or thymidine analogs (AZT and Zerit)—some clinicians are avoiding those when possible because of implication in lipoatrophy. If you are on it though, don’t worry—Combivir is still an effective combination.


Doctor

Combivir is the fixed-dose combination of AZT and 3TC. It is dosed twice daily.—Chad J. Zawitz, MD


Activist

See comments on AZT and Epivir.—Nelson Vergel
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