Nevirapine May Be More Toxic in Antiretroviral-Naive Individuals

Analysis of a large database revealed particularly high rates of nevirapine discontinuation among patients with high CD4-cell counts and no prior antiretroviral experience, but researchers cannot explain why.

The hepatic toxicity of nevirapine was first recognized after the drug came to market and is still not fully understood. Retrospective studies suggest that patients with relatively high CD4-cell counts are at particular risk for nevirapine-induced hepatitis, and guidelines recommend against using the drug in these individuals.

To determine additional risk factors for nevirapine toxicity, researchers combed the giant EuroSIDA database and identified 1571 patients who started receiving nevirapine plus two NRTIs during or after 1999. Of these patients, 464 (30%) stopped taking nevirapine for reasons thought likely to indicate real or perceived drug toxicity (categorized in the database as “due to toxicities” or “due to personal choice”). Overal…

Reviewing Author

Abigail Zuger, MD

Nevirapine May Be More Toxic in Antiretroviral-Naive Individuals

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Reviewing Author