Brand Truvada or generic Truvada is a medicine used for the treatment of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). It only helps control HIV infection; it does not cure the condition.
Generic Truvada contains a combination of emtricitabine (a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor) and tenofovir (a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor). They are shortly known as NRTIs.
The medicine helps reduce the amount of HIV viral load in the body so the immune system can work better and prevent new infections. By reducing the viral load in the blood, the drug lowers your risk of HIV complications, such as pneumonia, cancer, etc.
Generic Truvada is also advised to help prevent HIV infection in people with a high risk for infection. Having an HIV-infected partner, unprotected sex, multiple sex partners, and infection with a sexually transmitted disease (STD), or use/abuse of drugs or alcohol could increase the risk of catching HIV infection.
Some of the common Truvada generic side effects include diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, insomnia, back pain, and changes in the color and texture of the skin. If any of these side effects worsen or persist, see your doctor right away. There could be other side effects associated with this HIV drug; please check with your doctor for more information.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted approval to Gilead to sell Truvada on August 2, 2004. However, Gilead faced Truvada generic availability in 2020, probably due to the expiration of the patent in some countries. Truvada generic release date is October 2, 2020. Teva announced the Truvada generic launch on the aforementioned date, which is the first FDA-approved generic version of the drug.
Truvada generic availability has been approved and companies such as Amneal Pharms Co., Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., Cipla, Laurus Labs Ltd., Macleods Pharms Ltd., Mylan, Strides Pharma, Teva Pharms USA, and Zydus Pharms have already started developing the generic version of the drug.
Truvada generic cost is cheaper than the branded version. The average price of brand Truvada is more than $1,992 for 30 tablets of 200mg/300mg dosage, while the average Truvada generic cost is around $565 for the same number of tablets and dosage, according to GoodRx. However, the price may vary depending on the pharmacy you choose. The lowest generic Truvada cost is $75.00, per GoodRx.
In Australia, the brand Truvada was removed from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from April 1, 2020. However, generics are still available, according to the Australian organization called Ending HIV.
PBS is a program of the Australian Government that subsidizes prescription medication for Australians. It is unclear why brand Truvada has been removed from PBS. Experts believe that it could be due to the cost of the brand-name drug. Having Truvada Generic Australia could be much cheaper, saving the government money, which eventually saves you money.
