Abacavir (HIV Medication) - Uses and Side Effects

Abacavir is an antiretroviral medication used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It belongs to the class of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
Category
Medication
Where to get
Available by prescription from healthcare providers.
Applicable for
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Abacavir FAQ


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What is abacavir used for?

Fecal (16%) Abacavir, sold under the brand name Ziagen among others, is a medication used to treat HIV/AIDS. Similar to other nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), abacavir is used together with other HIV medications, and is not recommended by itself.

Does abacavir cure HIV?

Abacavir is in a class of medications called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). It works by decreasing the amount of HIV in the blood. Although abacavir does not cure HIV, it may decrease your chance of developing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HIV-related illnesses such as serious infections or cancer.

What is abacavir sulfate?

Abacavir (ABC) is a powerful nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) used to treat HIV and AIDS. Chemically, it is a synthetic carbocyclic nucleoside and is the enantiomer with 1S, 4R absolute configuration on the cyclopentene ring. In vivo, abacavir sulfate dissociates to its free base, abacavir.

Can abacavir be used as an antiretroviral?

This program focuses on the role of abacavir, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, in treating human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection when combined with other antiretroviral agents. This course explores the indications, dosing schedules, contraindications, and potential adverse effects of abacavir use.

Can abacavir treat HIV?

Abacavir is FDA-approved to treat HIV infection in adults and children older than 3 months. Abacavir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, specifically a carbocyclic 2'-deoxyguanosine, also known as a guanosine analog.

What is the antiviral effect of abacavir?

The antiviral effect of abacavir is due to its intracellular anabolite, carbovir-triphosphate, which interferes with HIV viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase), leading to inhibition of viral replication.

Abacavir References

If you want to know more about Abacavir, consider exploring links below:

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