title: Etravirine for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Etravirine (TMC125) is an orally administered second-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) that is approved in treatment-experienced patients as addition to an optimized background therapy (OBT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A Medline search was conducted of Phase II - IV clinical trials, as well as a review of abstracts from major HIV and infectious disease conferences from 2010 - 2013, involving etravirine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Etravirine is a well-tolerated NNRTI with a good safety profile and a higher genetic barrier for resistance compared to first-generation NNRTIs. Rash is a potential side effect but remains mostly mild to moderate. The necessity of taking it twice daily with food (200 mg bid.), potential pharmacokinetic interactions and low concentrations in the central nervous system (CNS) represent limitations. The efficacy of once daily etravirine (400 mg qid.) and the use in treatment modification/simplification strategies requires further research. Despite its favorable profile, etravirine is currently not sufficiently investigated nor approved for use in treatment-naïve patients which should be balanced against its potential as a backup NNRTI and the broad cross-resistance conferred by etravirine failure to other NNRTIs. Etravirine should be avoided following treatment failure with regimens containing rilpivirine, another second-generation NNRTI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Herestraat 49, 3000 KU Leuven, Belgium. Rik.Schrijvers@uzleuven.be
authors.forename: Rik
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schrijvers
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009570:Nitriles; D011724:Pyridazines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D011743:Pyrimidines; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D009570:Nitriles; D011724:Pyridazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; C451734:etravirine