Ritonavir is a synthetic drug that inhibits protease as a form of treatment for HIV. The molecular formula for Ritonavir is C37H48N6O5S2. The chemical structure of this drug and other protease inhibitors help to block protease which is an HIV enzyme (AidsInfo, n.d.). The medication Ritonavir is usually used to boost other HIV medications and treatments. The enzyme protease helps create new structural proteins and enzymes of the virus, causing it to spread and multiply (Medicinenet.com, n.d.). Like most protease inhibitors Ritonavir is a competitive inhibitor (NCBI, 2010). The process involves the inhibitor binding a crucial part of the active site like a substrate would. Some of the adverse side effects of Ritonavir are liver disease,
