Ziagen
Ziagen 300mg tablets contain abacavir sulfate, an HIV medicine taken twice a day as part of a combination regimen, sold in packs of 30 to 60.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300mg | 30 tablets | $257.40 | $8.58 |
| 300mg | 40 tablets | $311.60 | $7.79 |
| 300mg | 50 tablets | $370.50 | $7.41 |
| 300mg | 60 tablets | $421.80 | $7.03 |
- Category
- HIV Management
- Active ingredient
- Abacavir
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet, Oral solution
- Strengths
- 300mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- HIV infection
- Therapeutic Class
- NRTI
- Pharmacological Class
- Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
- Minor Side Effects
- Nausea, fatigue
- Moderate Side Effects
- Headache, malaise
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet, Oral solution
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- ViiV Healthcare
- Onset Time
- Rapid absorption
- Duration
- 12–24 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
- Drug Interactions
- Alcohol, Methadone
- Age Restrictions
- General use in infected patients.
What you will receive
Ziagen is the originator brand name, made by ViiV Healthcare. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Ziagen.
- The same active ingredient (Abacavir) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Ziagen strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Ziagen comes as 300mg tablets in packs of 30, 40, 50 or 60. This is generic abacavir sulfate, not the original Ziagen. Larger packs cost less per tablet.
How is Ziagen delivered to Hong Kong?
Orders go by tracked courier, arriving in 5 to 9 business days with online tracking, or by standard airmail in 14 to 21 business days, untracked. Every parcel is plain and unbranded. If a parcel does not arrive within the window or arrives damaged, it is sent again free.
What is the difference between Ziagen and abacavir?
Ziagen is a brand name for abacavir sulfate; the tablets sold here are generic abacavir sulfate, 300mg. The active ingredient is the same, and the tablet is taken the same way. Only the name on the pack differs.
Can Ziagen be taken once a day?
The 300mg tablet is usually taken twice a day, morning and evening. Some regimens use a larger daily amount taken as more than one tablet at the same time; both keep abacavir steady in the blood. What matters is taking the same amount at the same times each day.
How long does Ziagen take to work?
Abacavir begins working as soon as it reaches the blood, but the effect is measured in blood tests rather than felt. Viral load is checked over the first weeks and months, and the aim is a level too low for the test to find. How long that takes varies from person to person.
Does Ziagen come combined with other HIV medicines?
Abacavir also comes in fixed-dose tablets that pair it with other antivirals, so a single pill carries several medicines at once. Those tablets already include a full dose of abacavir, which is why Ziagen is not taken on top of them.
About Ziagen
What Ziagen is used for
Ziagen is a 300mg tablet of abacavir sulfate, one of the antivirals used to treat HIV. HIV wears down the immune system, and without treatment that damage builds over the years. Abacavir does not clear the virus, but taken every day alongside other HIV medicines it holds the amount of virus in the blood so low that a test cannot find it — the point at which HIV is not passed on through sex. Treated properly, most people with HIV live long, healthy lives. Ziagen is one part of a combination regimen; it is not used on its own.
How abacavir works
Abacavir belongs to the NRTI group — nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, drugs that block the enzyme the virus uses to copy itself. Once inside the body it is converted into a form that looks like one of the building blocks of viral DNA. The virus's reverse transcriptase grabs it by mistake and the chain of new viral DNA stops there. Fewer copies are made, and the immune cells HIV targets get room to recover.
Taking Ziagen tablets
One 300mg tablet twice a day is the usual schedule, morning and evening about 12 hours apart. The same dose at the same times every day is what keeps blood levels steady. Food makes little difference, so a tablet can go with a meal or between meals. If you forget one, take it as soon as you remember — never two at once to catch up. Keep the pack out of damp and heat.
Side effects to know about
Nausea, headache, tiredness, diarrhoea and loss of appetite are the ones people notice most, often in the first few weeks. Abacavir has a reaction of its own that is worth knowing about. It begins with fever, often with a rash, feeling sick, a sore throat, breathlessness or aching muscles and joints, and it is more likely in people who carry a gene variant called HLA-B*5701. Once it has happened, abacavir is not restarted: a second course can bring on a severe, life-threatening reaction. Rarely, abacavir is linked to a build-up of acid in the blood (lactic acidosis) and to liver problems.
Sources
- About HIV - CDC — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- HIV and AIDS - NHS — NHS