title: The effect of nevirapine in combination with nelfinavir in heavily pretreated HIV-1-infected patients: a prospective, open-label, controlled, randomized study.
abstract: The purpose of the current study was to determine the efficacy and safety of nevirapine combined with nelfinavir and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in patients previously exposed to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In a prospective, open-label, randomized study, 56 HIV-infected adults who had received HAART, including saquinavir hard gel capsule, ritonavir, or indinavir, were randomly assigned to receive nevirapine in addition to nelfinavir and two NRTIs. The proportion of patients who achieved an undetectable viral load (plasma HIV-RNA <200 copies/ml) at weeks 24 and 36 was significantly higher in the nevirapine group than in the control group (55% and 52% vs. 22% and 22%; p =.015 and p =.047). No differences in CD4 cell count or clinical outcome were observed. In the nevirapine group, 17% of patients discontinued treatment because of rashes. We conclude that the addition of nevirapine, when switching from one protease inhibitor-containing regimen to one containing nelfinavir, has a substantial effect on viral suppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Marselisborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, P.P. Ørumsgade, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jensen-Fangel
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: F T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Obel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019888:Nelfinavir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019829:Nevirapine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019829:Nevirapine; D019888:Nelfinavir