PIs are another type of anti-HIV medication. The approval of the first PI by the FDA in 1995 led to the use of 3-drug combinations (HAART), which had a large impact on the success of HIV treatment. By 1997, deaths associated with HIV infection were reduced by almost half.
PIs prevent HIV-infected cells from making new copies of the virus by stopping protease, the chemical used by HIV to assemble the new virus parts into finished copies of HIV. When protease is stopped, the virus parts are put together wrong. They are bad copies of the virus. They cannot infect healthy CD4 cells.
For additional information about these HIV products, please review the Important Safety Information.
| Brand name | Generic name | Pharmaceutical company |
| Aptivus®* | tipranavir | Boehringer Ingelheim |
| Crixivan®* | indinavir sulfate | Merck & Co. |
| Invirase®* | saquinavir mesylate | Hoffmann-La Roche |
| Kaletra®* | lopinavir/ritonavir | Abbott Laboratories |
| LEXIVA® (prescribing information) | fosamprenavir calcium | GlaxoSmithKline |
| Norvir®* | ritonavir | Abbott Laboratories |
| Prezista™* | darunavir | Tibotec |
| Reyataz®* | atazanavir sulfate | Bristol-Myers Squibb |
| Viracept®* | nelfinavir mesylate | Pfizer |