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Glossary

Selected words and phrases

BD (or bid) – a short hand term for medication dosing that means ‘twice-daily’.

See also q12H.

macrophage – large white blood cell that engulfs or ‘eats’ infectious organisms and waste material from dead cells.

ritonavir – a protease inhibitor (PI) that is now used boost levels of some other  HIV drugs, especially other PIs.

preclinical refers to the early development stage for a new drug, before any testing on humans. This includes they laboratory and animal tests. Preclinical studies will not always show what will happen when people use the drugs, but can provide a guide to serious problems that could occur.

Tmax – the time taken for a drug to reach the highest (maximum) concentration.

What happens when you take a drug?