Conversely, entecavir, an older and less expensive drug than TAF, deserves priority in a patient with no prior exposure to a nucleoside, no HIV coinfection, or in an individual with a creatinine clearance below 15 mL/min after dose adjustment. TAF hasn’t been studied in patients with a creatinine clearance that low.
Also, TAF has not been studied in pregnant women or in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, the hepatologist noted.
Dr. Terrault serves as a consultant to AbbVie, Biotest, CoCrystal Pharmaceuticals, and Gilead Sciences.