Emtricitabine (FTC) for the treatment of HIV infection

Emtricitabine (FTC) is a synthetic nucleoside analogue of cytosine, which is intracellularly phosforylated to form the active form emtricitabine 5'triphosphate (E5TP). E5TP inhibits both HIV and Hepatitis B reverse transcriptase. Clinical trials have shown FTC to be active as part of highly active anti-retroviral therapy in naïve HIV-positive patients. FTC may be dosed once daily and in vitro is less associated with the M184V mutation, which is classically associated with failure of treatment with lamivudine. In clinical practice, toxicity with FTC is unusual. The most common treatment-related adverse events are diarrhoea, headache, nausea, dizziness, abdominal pain, aesthenia and rash. Skin discolouration, which is typically reported as hyperpigmentation and usually affecting either the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet, is reported on under 2% of individuals and is almost exclusive to patients of African origin.