Skeletal Muscle Toxicity and Raltegravir

Four case reports of raltegravir-associated rhabdomyolysis have been published since the drug was approved in 2007; raltegravir has also been associated with elevated creatine kinase (CK) levels. Consequently, the FDA recommends that raltegravir be used with caution in patients who are at increased risk for myopathy or rhabdomyolysis, such as those receiving statins. Now, researchers have conducted a prospective cross-sectional study to assess raltegravir-associated skeletal muscle toxicity.

A total of 318 HIV-infected patients (98% men; 89% white; median age, 51) were consecutively recruited at two clinics in Sydney, Australia, in 2011 and 2012. Half were receiving raltegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART); the other half, ART without …