WHAT IS ATAZANAVIR?
Atazanavir, also called Reyataz, is a drug used as part of antiretroviral therapy (ART). It used to be called BMS-232632. Atazanavir is a protease inhibitor manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Atazanavir was approved by the FDA in 2003. Protease inhibitors prevent the protease enzyme from working. HIV protease acts like a chemical scissors. It cuts the raw material for HIV into specific pieces needed to build a new virus. Protease inhibitors “gum up” these scissors.
