Nucleoside-Sparing Regimens: The Switch Is Not Yet On

In HIV-infected patients on successful therapy, switching to a nucleoside-sparing regimen led to higher treatment-failure rates than did switching to two nucleosides plus efavirenz.

Use of nucleoside-sparing regimens might avoid the toxicities associated with this class of antiretroviral medication. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of switching from a nucleoside-containing to a nucleoside-sparing regimen, AIDS Clinical Trials Group investigators conducted a randomized, open-label trial in which 236 HIV-infected patients with virologic suppression on a three- or four-drug regimen switched either to ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (LPV/r) plus efavirenz (EFV) — a nucleoside-sparing regimen — or to two nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) plus EFV. Median follow-up was 2.1 years.

The rate of toxicity-related drug discontinuation was significantly higher in the LPV/r + EFV group than in the NRTIs + EFV group. …

Reviewing Author

Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD

Nucleoside-Sparing Regimens: The Switch Is Not Yet On

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Reviewing Author