Research Area: Infection
Biological Activity:
Emtricitabine (Emtriva) is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with an IC50 of 27.7 μM. [1] The drug works by inhibiting reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that copies HIV RNA into new viral DNA. By interfering with this process, which is central to the replication of HIV, emtricitabine can help to lower the amount of HIV, or "viral load", in a patient’s body and can indirectly increase the number of immune system cells (called T cells or CD4+ T-cells). Both of these changes are associated with healthier immune systems and decreased likelihood of serious illness. [2]