Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide Brand names: Descovy

What is emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide used for?

From the label: indications and usage

HIV-1 Treatment ( 1.1 ): DESCOVY is a two-drug combination of emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), both HIV nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and is indicated: in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescent patients weighing at least 35 kg. for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in pediatric patients weighing at least 14 kg to less than 35 kg in combination with other antiretroviral agents, including darunavir and cobicistat but not other protease inhibitors that require a CYP3A inhibitor. […]

Conditions named in the indications of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:

• HIV

FDA pharmacologic class: Hepatitis B Virus Nucleoside Analog Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleoside Analog Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor.

What does the patient leaflet for emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide say first?

The FDA-approved Medication Guide or Patient Information that comes with the medicine, in its own words.

From the patient leaflet: What is the most important information I should know about DESCOVY?

DESCOVY can cause serious side effects, including: Worsening of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV before or when you start treatment with DESCOVY. If you have HBV and take DESCOVY, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking DESCOVY. A “flare-up” is when your HBV suddenly returns in a worse way than before. Do not run out of DESCOVY. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your DESCOVY is all gone. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider. If you stop taking DESCOVY, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your liver, and may give you a medicine to treat hepatitis B. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking DESCOVY. For more information about side effects, see the section “ What are the possible side effects of DESCOVY? ” Other important information for people who take DESCOVY to help reduce their risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), also called pre-exposure prophylaxis or “PrEP”: Before taking DESCOVY to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: You must be HIV-1 negative to start DESCOVY. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take DESCOVY for HIV-1 PrEP unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. Some HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting DESCOVY or at any time while taking DESCOVY. […]

From the patient leaflet: How should I store DESCOVY?

Store DESCOVY at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C). Keep DESCOVY in its original bottle or blister pack. Keep the bottle tightly closed. The bottle containing 200 mg/25 mg tablets may have a tamper-evident seal over the cap. If a tamper-evident seal is present, do not use if the seal is opened or damaged. Keep DESCOVY and all medicines out of reach of children.

Is there a generic for emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy)?

The FDA approved the first generic emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide on May 17, 2024. 4 generic applications are approved; 2 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale. Drugs@FDA also holds 2 tentative approvals: the FDA found the generic approvable, but patents or exclusivity keep it from final approval for now.

The Orange Book lists 6 patents for Descovy tablets: the compound patent runs to August 15, 2032 (pediatric exclusivity to February 15, 2033), and the last listed entry to June 29, 2036. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.

What do pharmacies pay for emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy)?

In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $74.94 per Descovy 200-25 mg tablet, up 5% from $71.32 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.

What does the emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide label say about other medicines?

The emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide label names 34 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.

Every other medicine the emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide label names

Check emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide against other medicines

What do FAERS reports show for emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 11,272 reports that list emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 364 are coded as a death and 1,206 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is. Reports rose sharply in 2020 (4,101, against a median of 743 a year): FAERS counts follow reporting, which news, litigation and label changes can drive, not how often a reaction happens.

Reports received each year

• 59
• 267
• 504
• 971
• 4,101
• 1,706
• 1,241
• 707
• 743
• 773
• 195

• 2016
• 2017
• 2018
• 2019
• 2020
• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024
• 2025
• 2026

The most reported reactions

• Bone Density Decreased4,845
• Chronic Kidney Disease2,873
• Bone Loss2,636
• Osteonecrosis2,607
• Multiple Fractures2,435
• Tooth Loss2,318
• Osteoporosis2,273
• Renal Failure (named in the label)2,249

Side effects: the label's list and every FAERS reaction

What else is labeled for the same conditions as emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide?

35 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide or labeled mainly for the same use (HIV), the same class first. HIV lists all 47 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide

What next?

Alternatives to emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide

35 medicines for the same use

Other hepatitis b virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors

the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics

Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide side effects

the label's list beside FAERS reports

Check an interaction

what two or more labels say about each other