Differences and Similarities: Stribild Vs Truvada

Branded medications take time and a lot of resources to produce. There are other factors that make the prices of these drugs higher. The lowest prices of Stribild cost around $3,217 and Truvada approx. $1,748. Both drugs are very effective in treating HIV-1 infection.

Why are there several drugs that treat the same health condition? What makes them unique from other medicines? Let’s have a look at Stribild vs Truvada, comparing their usage characteristics, modes of action, side effects, as well as their generics.

What Are These Medications Used For?

HIV/AIDS has no cure. Once the virus enters your body, it begins to replicate rapidly. At the present time, there are several medications used to combat the HIV virus – available for sale as generics and original versions.

HIV-1 is not a disease. It’s a virus that attacks the body’s immune function giving other opportunistic infections the chance to take advantage of the weaker immune function and cause illnesses.

Anti-HIV medicines are designed to suppress the viral load, limiting the virus’s rapid multiplication and reducing it in number. Stribild and Truvada both do the same thing but in different modes. Let’s understand each drug’s main usage and prescription.

Truvada Main Uses

Truvada is a medicine from Gilead Sciences which was recommended in 2004 by the FDA as an NRTI for treating HIV-1.

Truvada contains 2 active medicines – emtricitabine plus tenofovir. They are approved drugs mostly prescribed for patients living with HIV. The purpose of these active ingredients is to inhibit the virus’s mode of action by limiting or preventing its replication process.

Consistent use of Truvada makes the viral load fewer in number in your blood. On the other hand, your immune system returns back to a normal count and becomes stronger in fighting the external infections, making you stay healthy and strong.

Truvada has another usage – as a PrEP strategy alongside practicing safer sex. Truvada for PrEP is a daily tablet that’s highly effective in reducing your chance of getting HIV. It’s even more effective in protecting you when combining this medication with safe sex practices like condoms.

What Is Stribild Prescribed For?

Stribild (or Quad pill) is produced by Gilead Sciences. Stribild is a fixed-dose (or single-tablet) combination medicine recommended by the U.S. FDA for combating HIV/AIDS.

Stribild is very effective at lower doses as it contains different medicines (elvitegravir/emtricitabine/cobicistat/tenofovir) in 1 pill used to medicate HIV-1 infection.

These medicines have different modes of action that work together to suppress the viral load in the blood. Elvitegravir is an integrase inhibitor. TDF/FTC is an NRTI. Cobicistat is an effective drug called a pharmacokinetic enhancer – used to boost the effectiveness of the integrase inhibitor – elvitegravir.

Does Truvada Work the Same Way As Stribild?

Since Truvada and Stribild are both prescribed as HIV/AIDS drugs, they have the same purpose – to suppress the viral load in the blood and boost the immune system, giving the virus-infected patient a healthy and longer life.

When there is more concentration of Truvada or Stribild in the body, the chance of HIV virus replicating is minimal. Both drugs don’t cure HIV. Although they kill the new virus from infecting the T-cells, the already infected cells can’t be cured with the use of these drugs.

The mechanism of action is somehow the same. The only difference is that Stribild attaches itself to two HIV virus enzymes called integrase (as an integrase inhibitor) and reverse transcriptase (as an NRTIs). Truvada only attaches itself to the single virus enzyme commonly called reverse transcriptase – as an NRTI.

Here is a difference between the two anti-HIV drug mechanism/mode of action.

Truvada Mechanism of Action

Two NRTI meds – emtricitabine + tenofovir effectively interfere with an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase that exists in the HIV virus. This enzyme is attached to and used by the HIV-infected cells to spread (or replicate) and gain in number.

While in the red blood cells or T-cells, the virus has a mechanism to rapidly replicate itself to affect more cells. The more they affect T-cells, the more the body’s immune system is weakened. When the immune function becomes weaker, more opportunistic infections can enter the body and cause diseases. Since Truvada’s mode of action is to reduce the activity of reverse transcriptase, it causes HIV-infected cells to slow down their action of making more copies (or producing new HIV viruses).

Truvada for PrEP is designed to early intercept the virus that may enter your body and kills it before infecting the red blood cells. Note that when used as PrEP, it doesn’t protect you from other sexually transmitted infections.

Stribild Mode of Action

This medication is prescribed for treating HIV. Although it’s very expensive, it’s the first drug to be recommended for managing and treating HIV/AIDS.

Stribild is special in how it integrates itself into the virus mechanism of action due to its 4 medicines that work together to combat the virus in the red blood cells.

Its mechanism of action is to inhibit two HIV-1 enzymes – integrase and reverse transcriptase. This strategy effectively keeps the virus from replicating and makes your immune functions stronger.

Elvitegravir acts as an integrase inhibitor which blocks the virus enzyme called integrase. On the other hand, emtricitabine and tenofovir are NRTIs which block the virus enzyme – reverse transcriptase. By blocking these two enzymes, the drugs have become highly effective in preventing the virus from multiplying.

The more the drug fights HIV replication, the lower the viral count, but it won’t disappear from the already infected T-cells. Although there is still an HIV virus in the body, your immune system still builds up and becomes stronger. When the immune system becomes strong, it can effectively combat any opportunistic external infections to help you live a longer, happier, and healthier life.

Truvada Versus Stribild: Comparison Chart

Both drugs are highly effective in treating HIV. Due to different ways in how they fight the virus, there are some variations that may differentiate the drug from one another.

Here is a comprehensive table for Stribild vs Truvada showing the drugs’ similarities and differences. In the end, we make conclusive remarks based on the drugs’ pros and cons.

Brand Name/Active Ingredient	Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir)	Stribild (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir)
Manufacturer	Gilead Sciences	Gilead Sciences
Success Rate	the success rate of Truvada for PrEP is 99%; it decreases the risk of virus acquisition by more than 70% among individuals injecting drugs.	The Stribild success rate is more than 93.4%. Strict adherence to the medication yields a higher success rate.
Drug Class	NRTIs (antiviral combinations)	NRTIs + integrase inhibitor (or antiviral combinations).
Approved by the U.S. FDA	Truvada for managing/treating HIV/AIDS was approved on Aug 2, 2004; on Jul 16, 2012, it was approved as PrEP – used alongside other safer sex practices.	Aug 27, 2017 –FDA Approves Stribild (4-in-1 tablet) as a combination medicine for HIV treatment.
Prescribed For	HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B treatment and PrEP; used alone to prevent HIV-1 infection; used with other meds to combat HIV/AIDS.	HIV/AIDS treatment.
Effectiveness	Truvada for PrEP is well-tolerated and provides a 92%-99% reduction in HIV risk if taken as instructed by the doctor.	Stribild is well-tolerated, safe, and effective as compared to any other HIV/AIDS medication.
Dosage Forms	Tablet; oral	Tablet; oral
What Does It Look Like?	Truvada is available in the color blue.	Stribild is available in a green capsule shape.
Consumption Instructions	Truvada for PrEP and HIV/AIDS treatment is a 1 tab daily pill; taken with or without a meal at the same time each day; for PrEP, combined with other safer sex practices like a condom.	Stribild for HIV/AIDS is a one tab daily pill; take with food; cannot be taken with other HIV drugs.
Half-Life	17 hours – 25.7 hours. tenofovir half-life is approx. 17 hours; emtricitabine is approx. 10 hours.	Stribild half-life varies with its different active substances. the half-life of elvitegravir is approximately 12.9 hours; the half-life of cobicistat is approximately 3.5 hours; the tenofovir half-life is approx. 17 hours; the half-life of emtricitabine is approx. 10 hours.
Available Generics	Generics of Truvada are not yet available. Soon there will be one after Gilead Sciences gives Teva the rights to manufacture a generic version of Truvada after its patent expires in 2020. There are other drugs that have the same active substances of Truvada and are recommended by the FDA for HIV/AIDS and PrEP. These include Ricovir-EM, Tavin-EM, Tenvir-EM, and Tenof-EM.	There is no approved generic version of Stribild in the United States. Since Stribild contains 4 medicines, each of the medicines is likely to have a generic version of the brand drug. For example: Emtriva (containing emtricitabine) has a generic equivalent; Viread (containing TDF) has a generic version of Teva. That means the generics equivalent to Stribild are drugs containing the following active substances: elvitegravir; emtricitabine; tenofovir disoproxil fumarate; cobicistat.
Brand Price (30 tabs)	Average cost for 30 pills is $1,843.75	Average cost of 30 tabs is $3,392.52
Generic Price (30 tabs)	There are generic versions of drugs having the same active substance as Truvada include Tenvir-EM, Tenof-EM, Ricovir-EM, and more. These meds cost less than $2 per pill. For example, Tenvir-EM costs around $59 for 30 tabs. Most generics are more than 90% cheaper compared to the cost of their original counterparts.	Like Truvada, single drug formulation has a cheaper generic that costs less than $60 from some suppliers. For example: Generic Viread costs around $43.65 compared to the brand name price of $838.85. This price is more than 94% cheaper.
User Experience	Truvada has high efficacy and usually is the first drug recommended for HIV-1 prevention. As an HIV treatment, Truvada contains 2 active medicines, unlike Stribild that contains 4. As compared to Stribild, Truvada is effective but not as much as Stribild. We have gathered the statistical data and the following results based on 16 reviews: 100% said it’s worth it; 94% said it worked well – (effectiveness and tolerability); 0% said it’s a big hassle.	Stribild is highly expensive, locking out most people from using this drug. Although it does not favor everyone, a higher percentage of people have excellent positive reviews on Stribild’s effectiveness and ease of use. Generally, Stribild is highly effective, very well-tolerated, and comes with fewer effects. it scores 9.4/10 from 86 reviewers; 4.5+ out of 5 for its effectiveness and ease of use.
Main Interactions	Truvada main interactions include: didanosine drugs; HIV-1 protease inhibitors such as lopinavir/ritonavir; hep C antiretroviral agents – it increases tenofovir exposure; meds affecting renal function, kidney, and liver.	adefovir drugs; drugs that may affect kidney function; other anti-HIV meds; products that contain elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, lamivudine, or tenofovir; antibiotics; male impotence agents; antiepileptic meds; drugs to treat/medicate diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure.
Possible Adverse Reactions	Serious reactions can be avoided if you let your doctor examine your health before using Truvada. Adverse reactions: can cause or worsen renal impairment; may lead to immune reconstruction syndrome; may lead to a severe onset of Hep B in patients with HIV-1 and HBV; lactic acidosis; bone loss.	Stribild has the same adverse reactions as Truvada for HIV treatment: serious acute exacerbation of hep B in people with HIV-1 and HBV; may lead to new outset or worsen renal impairment problem; may lead to lactic acidosis; may lead to a bone loss; may cause immune reconstruction syndrome.

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Where to Buy Quality Medications Online Without Prescription?

Branded Stribild and Truvada are highly effective in HIV treatment. Although their prices are extremely high and not affordable without a prescription, they can be made available through insurance or other programs that cover their higher costs.

Original medications are usually the first choice for treatment. But when prices are the main determinant, millions of patients with low incomes are locked outside without proper medication.

With the availability of approved alternatives to Stribild and Truvada, the cost of acquiring drugs is no longer a problem. These alternative meds have the same active ingredients as the original meds but they are available at more than 90% cheaper prices as compared to the original drug’s cost.

Why buy very expensive HIV drugs when there are FDA-approved generics that serve the same purpose?

Generics for HIV prevention and treatment are sold OTC without a doctor’s prescription. You have to take care to watch for fake drugs that may be sold online. Taking fake, unapproved drugs may extremely harm your health. You have to find a trustworthy and highly rated drugstore that sells these medications – such as BuyPrEPOnline online pharmacy store.

At BuyPrEPOnline, we are highly rated and trusted online suppliers of PrEP and anti-HIV drugs at an extremely cheap price. We are undisputed when it comes to the lowest HIV price.

What’s more? Checking out from our store has a lot of benefits. We have coupons and offers and discounts from time to time. Apart from cheap prices, we have free super-fast delivery. Not only that, you can find a wide range of products for HIV treatment e.g. Viraday, Instgra, Tafero-EM, Trustiva, Teevir, etc. as well as for pre-exposure prophylaxis including Ricovir-EM, Tavin-EM, Tenof-EM, Tenvir-EM.