Symtuza: Uses, side effects, alternatives, and more - Medical News Today

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves prescription drugs such as Symtuza to treat certain conditions.

Symtuza is FDA-approved to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 40 kilograms (kg), which is about 88 pounds (lb).

It's approved for people who:

  • have just been diagnosed with HIV and haven't started treatment yet, OR
  • are changing from another HIV treatment and:
    • have been on a stable antiretroviral regimen for at least 6 months (this means you haven't had any changes to your HIV drugs for at least 6 months)
    • have a viral load (the amount of HIV in your blood) that's less than 50 copies per milliliter (mL)
    • have HIV that doesn't have mutations (changes) that could make it resistant (less likely to respond) to darunavir or tenofovir (two of the active drugs in Symtuza)

HIV explained

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. There are two forms of this virus, HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the most common form. HIV is transmitted through body fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal and rectal fluids, and breast milk.

HIV attacks white blood cells called CD4 cells. These cells usually help protect you from infections and cancers. If HIV is left untreated, your viral load can steadily increase. As a result, your CD4 count can steadily decrease. This can weaken your immune system and leave you vulnerable to serious infections and cancers. Eventually, it can lead to AIDS.

Some people may have flu-like symptoms about 2 to 4 weeks after contracting HIV. These symptoms can include fever, chills, and muscle aches. However, others may not have symptoms for months or even years. Either way, it's still possible to transmit the virus to others if HIV is untreated.

Antiretrovirals

HIV is treated with drugs called antiretrovirals. These lower your viral load, often to undetectable levels. Undetectable means that lab tests can't detect the virus in your blood. If your viral load is undetectable, this means you cannot transmit HIV through sex. It also means you're much less likely to transmit it through pregnancy, breastfeeding, or sharing needles.

Taking antiretrovirals allows your CD4 count to increase. This lowers your risk of developing infections and cancers and helps you stay healthy.

Antiretroviral therapy involves taking a combination of drugs that attack the virus in different ways. This helps prevent the virus from developing changes that allow it to become resistant to treatment.

Symtuza contains four active drugs in one combination pill. It's a complete treatment for HIV, which means you don't need to take other HIV medications with it.

You can learn more about your condition by visiting our HIV and AIDS hub.

Effectiveness for HIV

Symtuza is an effective treatment for HIV. In clinical trials of people with newly diagnosed HIV, Symtuza effectively lowered the viral load to below 50 copies per mL. In clinical trials where people switched to Symtuza from other HIV drugs, Symtuza was effective at keeping viral load below 50 copies per mL.

To learn more about how Symtuza performed in clinical trials, see the drug's prescribing information.

Symtuza contains a combination of active drugs recommended in guidelines for starting and switching HIV treatment.

Symtuza and children

Symtuza is FDA-approved to treat HIV in children weighing at least 40 kg (about 88 lb) who meet the requirements described above.

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