Indinavir

Indinavir (IDV; trade name Crixivan, manufactured by Merck) is a protease inhibitor used as a component of highly active antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV/AIDS.

It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, a list of the most important medications needed in a basic health system.

Medical uses

Unfortunately, indinavir wears off quickly after dosing, so requires very precise dosing every eight hours to thwart HIV from forming drug-resistant mutations, including resistances to other protease inhibitors. It has restrictions on what sorts of food may be eaten concurrently. For these reasons it is now rarely used.

Side effects

The most common side effects of indinavir include: