STI for Salvage? Better to Continue Therapy

In a randomized, prospective study of patients with multidrug-resistant virus, a 4-month treatment interruption prior to starting a new salvage regimen was associated with a higher risk for disease progression than immediate salvage therapy.

Among the various proposed benefits of structured treatment interruption (STI), one of the more intriguing is that it would provide an effective way to manage patients with drug-resistant virus. Under this hypothesis, cessation of drug therapy would lead to emergence of wild-type virus, allowing for initiation of an effective salvage regimen. In this prospective randomized trial, a strategy of 16 weeks of STI before starting salvage therapy was compared with immediate initiation of a salvage regimen in patients with multidrug-resistant virus.

Patients were enrolled from 16 sites throughout the U.S. that participate in the government-funded Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA). Eligibility criteria included a v…

Author

Paul E. Sax, MD

STI for Salvage? Better to Continue Therapy

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