Skip to content
ppharmaranks
Menu

Tenofovir Alafenamide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Tenofovir Alafenamide is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand, for chronic hepatitis b and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Treats
Chronic Hepatitis B and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Available as
Tablet
Sold as
Vemlidy
Prescription?
Prescription only
Generic available?
Not in our catalog
Boxed warning
Boxed warning

How tenofovir alafenamide is dosed

From the FDA label for Vemlidy (application NDA208464). Other tenofovir alafenamide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Testing: Prior to initiation of VEMLIDY, test patients for HIV infection. VEMLIDY alone should not be used in patients with HIV infection. Prior to or when initiating VEMLIDY, and during treatment on a clinically appropriate schedule, assess serum creatinine, estimated creatinine clearance, urine glucose, and urine protein in all patients. Also assess serum phosphorus in patients with chronic kidney disease. ( 2.1 ) Recommended dosage: 25 mg (one tablet) taken orally once daily with food. ( 2.2 ) Renal Impairment: VEMLIDY is not recommended in patients with estimated creatinine clearance below 15 mL per minute who are not receiving chronic hemodialysis. In patients on chronic hemodialysis, on hemodialysis days, administer VEMLIDY after hemodialysis. ( 2.3 ) Hepatic Impairment: VEMLIDY is not recommended in patients with decompensated (Child-Pugh B or C) hepatic impairment. ( 2.4 ) 2.1 Testing Prior to Initiation of VEMLIDY Prior to initiation of VEMLIDY, patients should be tested for HIV-1 infection. VEMLIDY alone should not be used in patients with HIV-1 infection [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] . Prior to or when initiating VEMLIDY, and during treatment with VEMLIDY on a clinically appropriate schedule, assess serum creatinine, estimated creatinine clearance, urine glucose, and urine protein in all patients. In patients with chronic kidney disease, also assess serum…

Tenofovir Alafenamide side effects

The following adverse reactions are discussed in other sections of the labeling: Severe Acute Exacerbation of Hepatitis B [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] New Onset or Worsening of Renal Impairment [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Lactic Acidosis/Severe Hepatomegaly with Steatosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Most common adverse reaction (incidence greater than or equal to 10%, all grades) is headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Gilead Sciences, Inc. at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Adult Subjects with Chronic Hepatitis B and Compensated Liver Disease The safety assessment of VEMLIDY was based on pooled data through the Week 96 data analysis from 1298 subjects in two randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trials, Trial 108 and Trial 110, in adult subjects with chronic hepatitis B and compensated liver disease. A total of 866 subjects received VEMLIDY 25 mg once daily [see Clinical Studies (14.2) ] . Further safety assessment was based on pooled data from Trials 108 and 110 from…

Who shouldn’t take tenofovir alafenamide

None. None. ( 4 )

Tenofovir Alafenamide drug interactions

VEMLIDY is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and BCRP. Drugs that strongly affect P-gp and BCRP activity may lead to changes in VEMLIDY absorption. Consult the full prescribing information prior to and during treatment for potential drug-drug interactions. ( 7 ) 7.1 Potential for Other Drugs to Affect VEMLIDY VEMLIDY is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and BCRP. Drugs that strongly affect P-gp and BCRP activity may lead to changes in tenofovir alafenamide absorption (see Table 4 ). Drugs that induce P-gp activity are expected to decrease the absorption of tenofovir alafenamide, resulting in decreased plasma concentrations of tenofovir alafenamide, which may lead to loss of therapeutic effect of VEMLIDY. Coadministration of VEMLIDY with other drugs that inhibit P-gp and BCRP may increase the absorption and plasma concentration of tenofovir alafenamide. 7.2 Drugs Affecting Renal Function Because tenofovir is primarily excreted by the kidneys by a combination of glomerular filtration and active tubular secretion, coadministration of VEMLIDY with drugs that reduce renal function or compete for active tubular secretion may increase concentrations of tenofovir and other renally eliminated drugs and this may increase the risk of adverse reactions. Some examples of drugs that are eliminated by active tubular secretion include, but are not limited to, acyclovir, cidofovir, ganciclovir, valacyclovir, valganciclovir, aminoglycosides (e.g., gentamicin), and high-dose or multiple NSAIDs [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] . 7.3 Established and Other Potentially Significant Interactions Table 4 provides a listing of established or potentially clinically significant drug interactions. The drug interactions described are based on studies conducted with tenofovir alafenamide or are predicted drug interactions that may occur with VEMLIDY [For magnitude of interaction, see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . Information regarding potential drug-drug interactions with HIV antiretrovirals is not provided (see the prescribing information for emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide for interactions with HIV antiretrovirals). The table includes potentially significant interactions but is not all inclusive. Table 4 Established and Other Potentially Significant Drug Interactions This table is not all inclusive. Concomitant Drug Class: Drug Name Effect on Concentration ↓ = decrease. Clinical Comment Anticonvulsants: ↓ tenofovir alafenamide When coadministered with carbamazepine, the tenofovir alafenamide dose should be increased to two tablets once daily. Coadministration of VEMLIDY with oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, or phenytoin is not recommended. Carbamazepine Indicates that a drug interaction study was conducted. P-gp inducer Oxcarbazepine Phenobarbital Phenytoin Antimycobacterials: ↓ tenofovir alafenamide Coadministration of VEMLIDY with rifabutin, rifampin or rifapentine is not recommended. Rifabutin Rifampin Rifapentine Herbal Products: ↓ tenofovir alafenamide Coadministration of VEMLIDY with St. John's wort is not recommended. St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) 7.4 Drugs without Clinically Significant Interactions with VEMLIDY Based on drug interaction studies conducted with VEMLIDY, no clinically significant drug interactions have been observed with: ethinyl estradiol, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, midazolam, norgestimate, sertraline, sofosbuvir, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir.

Every tenofovir alafenamide product we track (1)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Only one: Vemlidy.

Combination products containing tenofovir alafenamide

A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.

How long tenofovir alafenamide keeps

No tenofovir alafenamide label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.

Does tenofovir alafenamide expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

What people report to the FDA about tenofovir alafenamide

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 560 reports naming tenofovir alafenamide, and the FDA flagged 89% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

  • maternal exposure during pregnancy38 reports
  • foetal exposure during pregnancy34 reports
  • pathogen resistance33 reports
  • drug resistance27 reports
  • viral mutation identified24 reports
  • virologic failure22 reports
  • diarrhoea21 reports
  • anxiety16 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean tenofovir alafenamide caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 26, 2026.

Related calculators

Frequently asked questions

What is tenofovir alafenamide?

VEMLIDY is a tablet containing tenofovir alafenamide for oral administration. Tenofovir alafenamide, a hepatitis B virus (HBV) nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor, is converted in vivo to tenofovir, an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate (nucleotide) analog of adenosine 5′-monophosphate. Each tablet contains 25 mg of tenofovir alafenamide (equivalent to 28 mg of tenofovir alafenamide fumarate). The tablets include the following inactive ingredients: croscarmellose sodium, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, and microcrystalline cellulose. The tablets are film coated with a coating material containing: iron oxide yellow, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, talc, and titanium dioxide.

Can you take tenofovir alafenamide with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run tenofovir alafenamide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What forms does tenofovir alafenamide come in?

Across the brands we track, tenofovir alafenamide is currently marketed as tablet, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic tenofovir alafenamide?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled tenofovir alafenamide product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Cite this page
APA
pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Tenofovir Alafenamide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/tenofovir-alafenamide
MLA
“Tenofovir Alafenamide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/tenofovir-alafenamide.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for tenofovir alafenamide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.