Tenofovir is an HIV drug designed to reduce the amount of the virus in the blood. It is also supposed to reduce or reverse damage done to the immune system by the disease, and reduce a patient’s risk of AIDS-related illness. Tenofovir works to reduce the amount of HIV in the blood by inhabiting an enzyme that is part of the viral replication process.
In addition to treating HIV, tenofovir is being used as an experimental treatment for hepatitis B, according to Aidsmap.
About Tenofovir
Manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc., tenofovir is marketed under a number of brand names, and is used by itself and in combination with other drugs. Gilead makes several drugs with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as the active ingredient, including:
- Atripla
- Complera
- Stribild
- Truvada
- Viread
- Tenofovir Side Effects
Tenofovir drugs have been linked to bone density problems and as well as chronic kidney disease, kidney damage and kidney failure.
The bone problems reportedly include bone demineralization due to compromised bone density, which has allegedly been linked to bone fractures in some cases.
The drug “is enhanced by administration with a high-fat meal,” according to an abstract published by the National Institutes of Health. But it has been alleged that patients’ bones and kidneys risk damage because the drug’s excess ends up in those places. Several patients have filed lawsuits over tenofovir’s kidney and bone side effects.
Is there a safer alternative?
A 2018 suit filed by a group of California residents with HIV claims that for more than a decade, Gilead knowingly withheld “
a safer alternative version of drugs to treat HIV… until its original patents on its other medication expired,” according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.
Similar claims have been made about the company’s sale of its other tenofovir drugs such as Atripla, Complera, Stribild and Viread.
Studies of a new formulation of tenofovir called tenofovir alafenamide have found “consistently less kidney toxicity and bone loss than those taking tenofovir, with no significant difference in virological or immunological responses,” according to Aidsmap. The new formulation has already been approved in combination with other antiretroviral drugs.
If you or a loved one has suffered from severe bone or kidney side effects while taking an HIV drug containing tenofovir, you may qualify for this HIV medications lawsuit investigation. An HIV drug side effects lawsuit can help to recover damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Learn more by filling out the free form on this page.
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