Tenofovir disoproxil is a prodrug of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonate, tenofovir . Tenofovir is converted by cellular enzymes to tenofovir diphosphate, an obligate chain terminator that inhibits the activity of HIV reverse transcriptase and hepatitis B virus polymerase. Due to its rapid intracellular uptake, the anti-HIV activity of tenofovir disoproxil is reportedly >100-fold greater than that of the negatively charged tenofovir in a T cell line and primary blood lymphocytes.
