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• In the case of stock-outs, virally suppressed patients on Data availability statement
the TDF/FTC 2-in-1 combination-based regimen can be Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data
switched safely to locally produced TDF + 3TC, as the were created.
available evidence confirms the interchangeability
between FTC and 3TC. Healthcare workers can follow Disclaimer
9
ART-switching guidelines that can be applied by means of
telemedicine. 10 The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy
or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.
We should highlight that increased pill burden (four instead
of two pills) is the main limitation of this recommended
locally manufactured regimen. However, the priority References
under the current circumstances is to ensure uninterrupted 1. Wilkinson L, Grimard A. The time is now: Expedited HIV differentiated service
ART supply. delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Int AIDS Soc. 2020;23(5):e25503.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25503
2. World Health Organization. Consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs
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income countries: Technical report [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva: WHO;
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access-arv-2014/en/
exist. 4. World Health Organization. Update of recommendations on first- and second-line
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handle/10665/325892/WHO-CDS-HIV-19.15-eng.pdf
Authors’ contributions 5. National AIDS Program in Egypt. Antiretroviral guidelines for adults with HIV:
Update. Cairo: Egyptian Ministry of Health, 2017; p. 91–94.
All authors contributed equally to this work.
6. A map showing the distribution of the number of PLHIV [homepage on the
Internet] [cited 15 June 2020]. Available from: http://aidsinfo.unaids.org/
Ethical consideration 7. UNAIDS. Miles to go — closing gaps, breaking barriers, righting injustices: Global AIDS
update 2018 [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva: UNAIDS, 2018; p. 233. Available
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This article followed all ethical standards for a research 8. Checking the validity of license status and information regarding the patent of DTG
without direct contact with human or animal subjects. and TDF/FTC combination [homepage on the Internet] [cited 15 June 2020]. Available
from: https://www.medspal.org/?country_name%5B%5D=Egypt&product_
standardized_name%5B%5D=Dolutegravir+50+mg&product_standardized_name%5
B%5D=Tenofovir%2FEmtricitabine+300%2F200+mg&page=1
Funding information 9. World Health Organization. Appropriate medicines: Options for pre-exposure
prophylaxis [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization;
2018. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO [cited 15 June 2020]. Available from: https://
This research received no specific grant from any www.who.int/hiv/pub/journal_articles/3tc-ftc-interchangeable/en/
funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit 10. US DHHS. Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults
sectors. and adolescents [homepage on the Internet]. 2019 [cited 15 June 2020]. Available
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