What is "fosamprenavir"

n. (context pharmaceutical drug English) An anti-retroviral prodrug of the protease inhibitor amprenavir. It is used to treat HIV infected patients.

Fosamprenavir (marketed by ViiV Healthcare as the calcium salt under the trade names Lexiva in the U.S. and Telzir in Europe) is a drug for the treatment of HIV infections. It is a pro-drug of the protease inhibitor and antiretroviral drug amprenavir. The FDA approved it October 20, 2003, while the EMA approved it on July 12, 2004. The human body metabolizes fosamprenavir in order to form amprenavir, which is the active ingredient. That metabolization increases the duration that amprenavir is available, making fosamprenavir a slow-release version of amprenavir and thus reducing the number of pills required versus standard amprenavir.

A head-to-head study with lopinavir showed the two drugs to have comparable potency, but patients on fosamprenavir tended to have a higher serum cholesterol. Fosamprenavir's main advantage over lopinavir is that it is cheaper.