title: Limits of deep salvage antiretroviral therapy with nelfinavir plus either efavirenz or nevirapine, in highly pre-treated patients with HIV disease.
abstract: The virological and immunological response to an efavirenz-containing rescue regimen was compared with that of a nevirapine-containing one in a prospective, open-label 12-month study performed in patients previously treated with > or = 12 months of nucleoside analogue monotherapy, and > or = 15 months of indinavir- or ritonavir-containing HAART. Pooled laboratory data were assessed according to change or continuation of nucleoside analogues, at the time of start of salvage treatment. An improvement of markers of HIV disease progression occurred in all 59 evaluable patients (with a higher viral load decrease in the efavirenz over the nevirapine group at the third month), but the virological response was neither complete nor sustained at the end of study, irrespective of efavirenz or nevirapine adjunct, and complete viral suppression was attained in only 16.9% of subjects. A progressively increasing mean CD4+ lymphocyte count characterized the immunological response of all patients. The 35 patients who changed at least one nucleoside analogue when introducing salvage therapy had a better outcome, irrespective of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor chosen. Rescue strategies are increasingly needed in HIV-infected patients treated for a long time with HAART. The association of nelfinavir, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, and dual nucleoside analogues, is popular among patients who fail first-line HAART. When prolonged prior treatment with nucleoside analogue monotherapy and HAART are of concern, and a quite elevated viral load is present, this salvage regimen may not allow a complete and sustained virological response in a 1-year period, while a more favourable immunological recovery can be expected. However, the concurrent change of nucleoside analogues significantly improves treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Bologna, S. Orsola Hospital, Via Massarenti 11, I-40138, Bologna, Italy. manfredi@med.unibo.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiodo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000480:Alkynes; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D048588:Benzoxazines; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019888:Nelfinavir / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019829:Nevirapine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010078:Oxazines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000480:Alkynes; D048588:Benzoxazines; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D010078:Oxazines; D019829:Nevirapine; D019888:Nelfinavir; C098320:efavirenz