Reverse transcriptase inhibitor

Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors or RTI's for short are a class of drugs used in the treatment of HIV with the aim of preventing the individual virus units from replicating.

A retrovirus caries inside it RNA (its genetic code) and reverse transcriptase (an enzyme). When a retrovirus infects a cell the reverse transcriptase takes the viral genetic code from the RNA and transcribes is onto the host cells DNA. The virus is then produced by the cells own processes.

The logic behind RTI's is that they will not allow retroviral genetic information to be transcribed onto a host cells DNA thus preventing the virus from multiplying.