Open AccessTriple‐Nucleoside Analog Antiretroviral Therapy: Is There Still a Role in Clinical Practice? A Review
Author(s) -
Kessler Harold A
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of the international aids society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.724
H-Index - 62
ISSN - 1758-2652
DOI - 10.1186/1758-2652-7-2-70
Subject(s) - stavudine , efavirenz , medicine , zidovudine , abacavir , lamivudine , pharmacology , nucleoside analogue , clinical trial , virology , drug , antiretroviral therapy , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , nucleoside , viral load , viral disease , virus , biology , hepatitis b virus , biochemistry
The development and widespread clinical use of coformulated abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine (ABC/3TC/ZDV) as Trizivir represented an important advance in the management of HIV‐infected patients, especially those with adherence challenges. With a low pill burden, no food restrictions, limited drug‐drug interactions, and a favorable resistance profile, ABC/3TC/ZDV remains an alternative option in the US Department of Health and Human Services Consensus Panel Guidelines as initial treatment in antiretroviral‐naive patients. Recent data have shown ABC/3TC/ZDV to be less efficacious in suppressing and/or maintaining suppression of virologic replication compared with efavirenz‐containing antiretroviral therapy. Although triple‐nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (t‐NRTI) combinations that do not contain a thymidine analog (ZDV or stavudine) have recently shown high virologic failure rates in clinical trials and clinical practice, t‐NRTI regimens containing a thymidine analog have consistently been shown to be efficacious.