NAPWA

Dr Mark Bloch from Holdsworth House in Sydney presented the 48-week results of the combined ECHO and THRIVE studies which determined that the new NNRTI rilpivirine (RPV) is as effective as efavirenz (EFV) for first-line treatment.

Everyone in the studies received a nucleoside backbone to their treatment – in ECHO it was Truvada, in THRIVE it was tenfovir/3TC or abacavir/3TC. read more »

Neuropsychiatric side effects are a common problem for people on efavirenz (EFV), but a study reported last year reveals just how common they are, and how long they last.

The SENSE trial was designed to evaluate whether 12 weeks of treatment with once-daily etravirine (ETR) plus 2NRTIs would lead to fewer neuropsychiatric adverse events than treatment with efavirenz plus 2NRTIs. read more »

A Canadian study has associated abacavir, efavirenz, lopinavir and ritonavir with an increased risk of heart attackA life-threatening emergency in which the blood supply to the heart is suddenly cut off, causing the heart muscle (myocardium) to die from lack of oxygen.. The research also showed that patients with HIV had twice the risk of heart attack compared to matched HIV
negative controls. read more »

People who experience ongoing central nervous system (CNS) side effects from the treatment efavirenz will be pleased to know that they may soon be able to take a lower dose of the drug. read more »

Efavirenz is currently one of the preferred options for people starting treatment. Used in combination with other antiretroviralsA medication or other substance which is active against retroviruses such as HIV., it is a highly efficient therapy, however, it is also common for people to experience ‘trippy’ side effects on the drug, particularly within the first few weeks. read more »

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has granted AUD $12.4 million to the University of NSW to study whether lower doses of some commonly used antiretroviralA medication or other substance which is active against retroviruses such as HIV. drugs are as effective as currently prescribed doses. read more »

A major scientific conference on HIV has wound up with promising news on treatments which could signal a significant improvement in HIV treatment for the first time in some years. read more »

Non-nucleosides are a powerful option for treating HIV, but cross-resistanceHIV which has mutated and is less susceptible to the effects of one or more anti-HIV drugs is said to be resistantHIV which has mutated and is less susceptible to the effects of one or more anti-HIV drugs is said to be resistant.. can mean you only get one bite of the cherry. This is the final instalment in a three-part series looking at key drug classesA group of anti-HIV drugs with the same target of action. Anti-HIV drug classes include nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitorsA type of anti-HIV drug that works by preventing the production of an enzyme, protease, that HIV needs to replicate. and non-nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors, as well as several others. Combining drugs from three or more classes is the basis of Highly Active AntiretroviralA medication or other substance which is active against retroviruses such as HIV. Therapy (HAARTHighly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy ??? aggressive treatment of HIV infection using several different drugs together.).. read more »

Getting started on treatments is never easy. And sometimes, as SAM PESCI found, it takes a concerted effort to fit treatments into your life. read more »

We all want simpler treatment regimens with fewer side effects and no meal restrictions, right? Well how does once-a-day treatment sound? As PAUL KIDD reports, it may be closer than you think. read more »