How Does Fosamprenavir Work?
Fosamprenavir is part of a group of
HIV medications known as protease inhibitors. These medicines work by blocking a process that the HIV virus needs in order to multiply.
Like other viruses, HIV must use a person's own cells to reproduce. Once inside an infected cell, the virus uses the cell to make DNA, which enables it to make new HIV viruses that can spread to other cells. The DNA is made in long strands that must be clipped into shorter, usable strands using enzymes called proteases.
Fosamprenavir is a protease inhibitor, which means that it stops protease enzymes from clipping DNA into short strands. Since the long, unclipped DNA strands cannot be used to make new viruses, this helps stop the spread of HIV to other uninfected cells. Fosamprenavir is not a cure for HIV or
AIDS, however. It can help stop HIV from infecting healthy cells in the body, but it does not help cells that have already been infected with the virus.
Is Fosamprenavir Used in Children?
Fosamprenavir is approved for treating HIV and AIDS in children as young as two years old. It has not been adequately studied in children younger than this. Talk with your child's healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of using the drug in children.
Is Fosamprenavir Used for Off-Label Reasons?
On occasion, your healthcare provider may recommend fosamprenavir for treating something other than HIV infection or AIDS. This is called an "
off-label" use. At this time, fosamprenavir is used off-label to prevent HIV infection in people exposed to the virus (such as a healthcare worker who comes in contact with a contaminated needle stick). This is called postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
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