Darunavir

• Darunavir is an antiviral medicine for treating HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Darunavir is not a cure for HIV or AIDS. Darunavir must be given with ritonavir and other antiviral medications and should not be used alone.¹
• Darunavir controls HIV but does not cure it. Darunavir also does not treat HIV infection alone and must always be given with a complete regimen. All of the medications prescribed by your doctor to treat HIV infection must be taken together so that the medications will continue to work to control the infection.²
• Darunavir (DRV), sold under Prezista, among others, is an antiretroviral medication used to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use with other antiretrovirals. It is often used with low doses of ritonavir or cobicistat to increase darunavir levels.³
• Darunavir (brand name: Prezista) is a prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating HIV infection in adults and children. Darunavir is always combined with a pharmacokinetic enhancer — either ritonavir (brand name: Norvir) or cobicistat (brand name: Tybost) — and other antiretroviral medicines.⁴
• Final 192-week efficacy and safety of once-daily darunavir/ritonavir compared with lopinavir/ritonavir in HIV-1-infected treatment-naive patients in the ARTEMIS trial.⁵
• PREZISTA, co-administered with ritonavir (PREZISTA/ritonavir), in combination with other antiretroviral agents, is indicated for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection in adult and pediatric patients three years of age and older.⁶

¹: Darunavir Uses, Side Effects & Warnings - Drugs.com ²: Darunavir: MedlinePlus Drug Information ³: Darunavir - Wikipedia ⁴: Darunavir - Patient | NIH - Clinical info ⁵: Protease Inhibitor-Based Regimens | NIH - Clinical info ⁶: Darunavir Prezista - Treatment - National HIV Curriculum

• Treatment for Hepatitis: Darunavir is not approved for treating hepatitis. However, it may be combined with other antiviral medications to treat HIV infection in people who are coinfected with hepatitis B or C. However, people with a history of chronic hepatitis may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening liver problems while taking darunavir¹². Darunavir may also cause liver decompensation and liver failure in people who have hepatitis B and stop taking products containing emtricitabine and/or tenofovir³.
• Research on Darunavir’s Antiviral Properties: Darunavir is an inhibitor of the HIV protease, which prevents HIV viral replication. It is a second-generation protease inhibitor designed to combat resistance to standard HIV therapy⁴⁵. Darunavir is always combined with a pharmacokinetic enhancer, such as ritonavir or cobicistat, to increase its levels in the body. Darunavir may interact with other medications commonly taken by people with HIV/AIDS, such as other antiretrovirals and antacids⁵.
• Controversial Experimental Uses in COVID-19: The antiviral properties of darunavir have sparked research into its effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is debate within the scientific community regarding this matter. Some studies have suggested that darunavir/cobicistat may have antiviral effects and safety benefits in patients with confirmed COVID-19⁶⁷. In contrast, others have reported a lack of evidence to support the use of darunavir-based treatments for COVID-19. Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of darunavir, has stated that it has no evidence that darunavir has any effect against SARS-CoV-2. Still, it is screening its antiviral compounds, including darunavir, to determine potential in vitro effect against SARS-CoV-2⁸.

³: SYMTUZA (darunavir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir … ¹: Darunavir - Patient | NIH - Clinicalinfo ²: Darunavir: MedlinePlus Drug Information ⁴: Darunavir: Uses, Interactions, Mechanism of Action | DrugBank Online ⁵: Darunavir - Wikipedia ⁹: Darunavir: A Critical Review of Its Properties, Use and Drug Interactions ⁶: Role of Darunavir/cobicisitat in the Treatment of COVID-19: Initial … ⁸: Lack of evidence to support use of darunavir-based treatments for SARS … ⁷: Darunavir-cobicistat versus lopinavir-ritonavir in the treatment of …