Q and A

Question

Which ARV is better- darunavir or atazanavir?

Is it better to take darunavir rather than atazanavir? Would there be less side effects?

Answer

In the UK, BHIVA (British HIV Association) guidelines include both drugs as first line options for starting treatment.  This is because both have similar impact on reducing viral load. They are also similarly easy to tolerate. And both belong to a class of drugs known as PIs (Protease Inhibitors). As newer PIs, they are linked to less side effects than some of the earlier PIs.

Please follow these links to our guide to ARVs (antiretroviral treatment for HIV). They  provide more information on possible side effects of darunavir and atazanavir.

A difference between the two drugs is the fact that darunavir involves taking an extra pill. However, it doesn’t have the risk of yellowing skin or eyes associated with atazanavir. Though this is only noticeable enough for 10% of people to need to change treatment. One other factor is that it is easy to switch from one drug to the other if you find the first one has side effects.

I hope this information is useful. Please do not hesitate to contact us If you have more questions after reading it.

Best wishes.

1 comment

  1. Matt

    I have taken both, and both were easy for me but I find darunavir the easier. The yellowing from atazanavir was mild and passed but did come back from time to time with no particular reason why, I found myself checking my eyes before I went out to see if I looked ill. Ended up staying in more, and this affected my mood and exercise pattern.

Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *