What is "delavirdine"

n. A non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used to treat HIV.

n. a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (trade name Rescriptor) used to treat AIDS and HIV [syn: Rescriptor]

Delavirdine (DLV) (brand name Rescriptor) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) marketed by ViiV Healthcare. It is used as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1. It is presented as the mesylate. The recommended dosage is 400 mg, three times a day.

Although delavirdine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997, its efficacy is lower than other NNRTIs, especially efavirenz, and it also has an inconvenient schedule. These factors have led the U.S. DHHS not to recommend its use as part of initial therapy. The risk of cross-resistance across the NNRTI class, as well as its complex set of drug interactions, make the place of delavirdine in second-line and salvage therapy unclear, and it is currently rarely used.