title: Efavirenz--still first-line king?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Efavirenz is a potent, safe and tolerable non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) recommended as initial therapy. Recently, several new antiretroviral drugs, including second generation NNRTIs, protease-inhibitors, an integrase-inhibitor and a CCR5 inhibitor, have become or will be shortly available.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article will review relevant efficacy and safety data of efavirenz compared to these novel agents or certain common alternate drugs currently used as initial therapy in treatment-naive patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Published articles and conference presentations pertaining to efavirenz and/or the newer antiretroviral agents were evaluated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efavirenz will continue to be preferred initial therapy for now. If longer-term studies of integrase inhibitors and second-generation NNRTIs confirm initial findings, they will eventually supplant efavirenz as preferred first-line agents.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Division of Pharmacology and Drug Discovery, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0719, USA. brookie@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Brookie M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goicoechea
mesh_terms: D000480:Alkynes; D000818:Animals; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D048588:Benzoxazines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D004347:Drug Interactions; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000480:Alkynes; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D048588:Benzoxazines; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; C098320:efavirenz