ritonavir + saquinavir + nucleoside analogues

This drug is a **combination antiretroviral therapy** consisting of **ritonavir** (a protease inhibitor and strong CYP3A4 inhibitor), **saquinavir** (a protease inhibitor), and **nucleoside analogues** (NRTIs, e.g. zidovudine, lamivudine, stavudine)[1][3][4][7][8]. Ritonavir is used to **boost blood levels of saquinavir** by inhibiting its metabolism via hepatic CYP3A4, resulting in higher and sustained plasma concentrations of both drugs, which increases antiretroviral efficacy[2][5]. The nucleoside analogues act as reverse transcriptase inhibitors, targeting a different step in the HIV lifecycle[3][4]. The combination has been shown to produce **superior short-term antiviral efficacy** compared to single-protease inhibitor regimens in HIV-1-infected patients, with greater reductions in HIV RNA viral load and improved durability of viral suppression, particularly in treatment-naïve and NRTI-pretreated individuals[1][3][7].

Other names

ritonavir + saquinavir + nucleoside analoguessaquinavir + ritonavir + nucleoside analogues