Title:A Combination of Novel HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor and Cytochrome P450
(CYP) Enzyme Inhibitor to Explore the Future Prospective of Antiviral
Agents: Evotaz
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Author(s): Abha Sharma, Poonam Sharma, Isha Kapila and Vikrant Abbot*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Saraswati Group
of Colleges, Gharuan, Mohali, 140413, Punjab, India
Keywords:
HIV-1, antiviral, protease, cytochrome P450, Evotaz, pharmacology.
Abstract: Viruses belong to the class of micro-organisms that are well known for causing infections
in the human body. Antiviral medications are given out to prevent the spread of disease-causing viruses.
When the viruses are actively reproducing, these agents have their greatest impact. It is particularly
challenging to develop virus-specific medications since viruses share the majority of the metabolic
functions of the host cell. In the continuous search for better antiviral agents, the United States
Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved a new drug named Evotaz on January 29, 2015 for
the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Evotaz is a combined once-daily fixed drug,
containing Atazanavir, an HIV protease inhibitor, and cobicistat, an inhibitor of the human liver cytochrome
P450 (CYP) enzyme. The medication is created such that it can kill viruses by concurrently
inhibiting protease and CYP enzymes. The medicine is still being studied for a number of criteria, but
its usefulness in children under the age of 12 is currently unknown. The preclinical and clinical characteristics
of Evotaz, as well as its safety and efficacy profiles and a comparison of the novel drug
with antiviral medications presently available in the market, are the main topics of this review paper.