Abacavir/lamivudine combination in the treatment of HIV: a review

Abacavir has been at the center of research and clinical interest in the last two years. The frequency of the associated abacavir hypersensitivity syndrome has decreased substantially since the introduction of routine testing for the HLA-B*5701 allele; the activity of the drug in HIV-infected person...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTherapeutics and clinical risk management Vol. 6; no. default; pp. 83 - 94
Main Author MacArthur, Rodger
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New Zealand Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.01.2010
Dove Press
Dove Medical Press
Subjects
abacavir
Antiretroviral drugs
Evidence-based medicine
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
lamivudine
Review
HIV
abacavir
lamivudine
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Summary:Abacavir has been at the center of research and clinical interest in the last two years. The frequency of the associated abacavir hypersensitivity syndrome has decreased substantially since the introduction of routine testing for the HLA-B*5701 allele; the activity of the drug in HIV-infected persons with HIV RNA values more than 100,000 copies/mL has been questioned; the possible increased risk of myocardial infarction after recent exposure to abacavir has been debated; and the drug has been moved from the "recommended" category to the "alternative" category in several guidelines. Still, the drug remains a useful agent in combination with other drugs, including lamivudine, for the treatment of HIV infection. This review will focus on the pharmacokinetics, activity, side effects, and resistance profile of both abacavir and lamivudine, including a thorough review of all of the recent studies relevant to both drugs.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
ObjectType-Evidence Based Healthcare-3
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:1178-203X
1176-6336
1178-203X
DOI:10.2147/TCRM.S1657