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emtricitabine

Emtriva · ATC code J05AF09

Also known as: Emtricitabin

Key facts
Active substance
emtricitabine
Drug class
Direct acting antiviral
ATC code
J05AF09
Authorisation
centrally authorised across the EU (EMA)
Dosage forms
Emtriva 200 mg hard capsules · Emtriva 10 mg/mL oral solution
Marketing authorisation holder
Gilead Sciences Ireland UC
Information as of
2026-10-27

Key facts

Emtricitabine (Emtriva) is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. It is used with other antiretrovirals to treat HIV-1 infection in adults and children aged 4 months and over.

What it is used for

  • HIV-1 infection in adults and children aged 4 months and over, always in combination with other antiretroviral medicines

Dosing

  • Hard capsules, adults: 200 mg once daily, with or without food
  • Oral solution, adults: 240 mg (24 mL) once daily
  • Hard capsules in renal insufficiency: 200 mg every 72 hours (CrCl 15-29 mL/min) or every 96 hours (< 15 mL/min, haemodialysis)
  • Oral solution in renal insufficiency: 80 mg (CrCl 15-29 mL/min) or 60 mg (< 15 mL/min) every 24 hours
  • Paediatric dosing and missed-dose rules: see the full product information

Contraindications

  • Hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the excipients

Important warnings

  • Not recommended as monotherapy
  • Do not combine with other emtricitabine- or lamivudine-containing medicines
  • Stopping in HIV/HBV co-infection may cause severe acute exacerbations of hepatitis
  • Opportunistic infections may still develop; take renal function into account

Side effects

  • Adults, most frequent: diarrhoea (14.0%), headache (10.2%), elevated creatine kinase (10.2%), nausea (10.0%)
  • Children additionally: anaemia (9.5%) and skin discolouration (31.8%)

Interactions

  • Low potential for CYP450-mediated interactions
  • No clinically significant interactions with indinavir, zidovudine, stavudine, famciclovir or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

  • May be considered during pregnancy if necessary
  • Excreted in human milk; should not be used during breast-feeding, also to avoid HIV transmission

Summary of the official product information, written with AI (Claude, Anthropic) on 2026-10-28. Every number was checked automatically against the original text. Not reviewed by a physician – the full official text is authoritative.

Full official text →

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For patients

Package leaflet, verbatim

Package leaflet for patients →

Authorisation and brand names by country

Medicines with exactly this active-substance composition, as listed in the national registers – alphabetical and without ranking. Whether a product is currently available is not shown here.

EU – centrally authorised (all member states)

  • EmtrivaGilead Sciences Ireland UC · EMEA/H/C/000533

Source: European Medicines Agency (EMA), product information

Brand names in 4 more European countries
Iceland
Emtriva
Liechtenstein
Emtriva
Norway
Emtriva
Spain
Emtricitabina/Tenofovir Alafenamida Dr. Reddys

EMA – Article 57 product data (EU/EEA), 2026-10-28

Medelix receives no money from pharmaceutical companies. Brand names are listed alphabetically and without ranking.

Other substances in the same group

Another question about this substance?

Medelix answers clinical questions from guidelines, studies and product information – every claim with its source.

Sources

  1. European Medicines Agency. Emtriva – EPAR, Product Information (OF THE TEXT Detailed information on this medicinal product i). 2026-10-27. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/emtriva-epar-product-information_en.pdf
  2. Wikidata (CC0): ATC J05AF.

Editorial: Medelix editorial team · last updated 2026-10-27 · How these pages are made · Report an error

Source: European Medicines Agency (EMA), product information. Not advertising, not a treatment recommendation. For questions about your own treatment, ask your doctor or pharmacist.