Combined powder, liquid therapy shows promise in HIV-infected children

Once-daily atazanavir powder with ritonavir liquid plus optimized nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor background therapy was effective and well tolerated in HIV-infected children who were antiretroviral therapy naive or ART experienced, according to study results presented at the 2013 International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The study included HIV-infected children aged at least 3 months to younger than 6 years. Sixty-one percent of participants were ART naive.

Researchers found that mean baseline HIV-RNA and CD4 cell counts were 4.62 log₁₀ c/mL and 1,192.6 cells/mm³, respectively. At week 48, 61% of participants had HIV RNA less than 50 c/mL and 74% had HIV RNA less than 400 c/mL. From baseline, mean HIV RNA change was –2.66 log₁₀ c/mL and mean CD4 count change was 396.5 cells/mm³.

No deaths were reported, 9% discontinued treatment because of adverse events, 20% had serious adverse events and adverse events occurred in 93% of participants, with upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea and vomiting being the most common.

For more information:

Strehlau R. Abstract TULBPE22. Presented at: 7th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention; June 30-July 3, 2013; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.