Results of 2 Years of Treatment with Protease‐Inhibitor–Containing Antiretroviral Therapy in Dutch Children Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

Clinical, virologic, and immunologic responses to treatment that contained either indinavir or nelfinavir (both regimens included zidovudine and lamivudine) were determined in 32 children infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) who participated for >/= 96 weeks in a prospective, open, uncontrolled multicenter trial. The pharmacokinetics of indinavir and of nelfinavir were determined and showed large interindividual differences. After 96 weeks of therapy, 69% and 50% of the patients had an HIV-1 RNA load that was below the HIV assays' detection limits of 500 and 40 copies/mL, respectively. Virologic failure was associated with poor compliance and younger age (independent of baseline virus load and receipt of pretreatment). Relative CD4 cell counts increased significantly in relation to the median of the age-specific reference value, from a median of 44% at baseline to 94% after 96 weeks. In a high percentage of the children, clinical, virologic, and immunologic response rates to combination therapy were optimal during the initial 2 years of therapy.