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A generic drug is a copy of the brand-name drug with the same dosage, safety, strength, quality, consumption method, performance, and intended use. Before generics become available on the market, the generic company must prove it has the same active ingredients as the brand-name drug and works in the same way and in the same amount of time in the body.
The only differences between generics and their brand-name counterparts is that generics are less expensive and may look slightly different (eg. different shape or color), as trademarks laws prevent a generic from looking exactly like the brand-name drug.
Generics are less expensive because generic manufacturers don't have to invest large sums of money to develop a drug. When the brand-name patent expires, generic companies can manufacture a copy of the brand-name and sell it at a substantial discount.
STRIBILD is a prescription medicine that is used without other antiretroviral medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) in people 12 years of age and older: • who have not received anti-HIV-1 medicines in the past, or • to replace their current anti-HIV-1 medicines: o in people who have been on the same anti-HIV-1 medicine regimen for at least 6 months, and o who have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (this is called “viral load”) that is less than 50 copies/mL, and o have never failed past HIV-1 treatment. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). STRIBILD contains the medicines elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. It is not known if STRIBILD is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age or who weigh less than 77 lbs.
Take STRIBILD exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. STRIBILD is taken by itself (not with other antiHIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection. • Take STRIBILD 1 time each day with food. • Do not change your dose or stop taking STRIBILD without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking STRIBILD. • If you need to take a medicine for indigestion (antacid) that contains aluminum and magnesium hydroxide or calcium carbonate during treatment with STRIBILD, take it at least 2 hours before or after you take STRIBILD. • Do not miss a dose of STRIBILD. • When your STRIBILD supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to STRIBILD and become harder to treat. • If you take too much STRIBILD, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away
STRIBILD can cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. If you have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and take STRIBILD, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking STRIBILD. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. o Do not run out of STRIBILD. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your STRIBILD is all gone. o Do not stop taking STRIBILD without first talking to your healthcare provider. o If you stop taking STRIBILD, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking STRIBILD. See “What are the possible side effects of STRIBILD?” for more information about side effects.