Preveon is also made by Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of tenofovir. However, due to Preveon's weak anti-HIV effect and potential to cause serious kidney problems, the FDA did not allow approval of the drug. As a result, Gilead has stopped the development of Preveon as an HIV treatment. People receiving the drug through expanded access will be able to continue to do so, but new enrollment has been stopped. Gilead is continuing to study Preveon for the treatment of hepatitis B, since early studies have shown promising results.
Protease inhibitors are a class of anti-HIV drugs.
They work by blocking a part of HIV called protease. When protease is blocked, HIV makes copies of itself that can't infect new cells. Although protease inhibitors have been available for several years, doctors are still discovering new side effects from these drugs. Recently, there have been several reports of bone damage in people taking protease inhibitors. The type of damage reported is called necrosis, which means bone death.