- HIV infection:
- Adults: PO 300mg OD OR 150mg BD
- Neonates <4 weeks: PO 2mg/kg BD
- >1 month old: PO 2mg/kg BD
- >3 months old: PO 5mg/kg BD OR 10mg/kg OD. Max 300 mg/day
- Chronic hepatitis B infection:
- Adults: PO 100mg OD
- Higher doses required in HIV co-infection
- Higher doses required in HIV co-infection
- Adults: PO 100mg OD
-
- ≥2 years: PO 3mg/kg OD.
- Max 100mg/day
- ≥2 years: PO 3mg/kg OD.
Tablet: 150mg
Suspension: 10mg/mL
Can be taken without regard for food
Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NRTI)
Following phosphorylation, inhibits HIV reverse transcriptase by viral DNA chain termination
- Headache
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Nasal symptoms
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Neuropathy
- Insomnia
- Anorexia
- Dizziness
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Depression
- Rash
- Arthralgia
- Myalgia
- Abnormal dreams
- Elevated ALT/AST
- Hyperamylasemia
- Hypersensitivity to components
WARNING
- Lactic acidosis and severe hepatomegaly with steatosis, including fatal cases, associated with nucleoside analogue use and other antiretrovirals
- Increased risk if female, obese, or long-term nucleoside analogue treatment
- Severe acute HBV exacerbations in HBV or HBV/HIV co-infected patients upon lamivudine discontinuation
- Elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir DF
- Emtricitabine
Drug Status
| Availability | Prescription only |
| Pregnancy | Category C |
| Breastfeeding | Contraindicated |
| Schedule | Not controlled |
| BRAND NAME | STRENGTH | FORMULATION | PACK SIZE | MANUFACTURER | DISTRIBUTOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epivir | 10mg/mL | Suspension | 240mL | GSK Ltd | GSK Ltd |
| Epivir | 150mg | Tablet | 60’s | GSK Ltd | GSK Ltd |
| Lamiriv | 150mg | Tablet | 60’s | Cosmos Ltd | Cosmos Ltd |
| Lamivudine | 10mg/mL | Suspension | 100mL | Hetero Labs | Unisel Ltd |
| Lamivudine | 10mg/mL | Suspension | 100mL | Aurobindo Pharma | Simba Pharma |