Re: [pronut-hiv] Africa: New Nevirapine Research Challenges EarlierFindings (2)

["Dr Sylvia Ojoo" <ojoo@aidskenya.org>]

This is not a surprising finding at all, although good for it to be 
confirmed through such a study. Resisitance that develops after single dose NVP used by a woman for a pregnancy would most likely have waned by the time an ARV drug intervention is required for a subsequent pregnancy. Although the resistant virus may be archived, the circulating virus is likely to be the wild type that is sensitive to NVP. The same may not apply if such a patient was to be subjected to prolonged NVP based ART


Sylvia Ojoo MD, MRCP (UK)
Technical Adviser Clinical Care
National AIDS and STI Control Program
PO Box 19361
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel +254 020 729502/49
Fax +254 020 710518

----- "ProNut-HIV" wrote:


> Africa: New Nevirapine Research Challenges Earlier Findings
> UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
>
> February 10, 2006
> Johannesburg
>
> New research from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
> (CDC) shows that the anti-AIDS drug, nevirapine, can prevent the spread
> of HIV from mother to child more than once.
>
> The study, which observed 198 women between 2004 and 2005 in Uganda,
> demonstrated that expectant mothers who received the drug during a first
> pregnancy were also prevented from passing the virus to their unborn
> babies during second pregnancies.
>
> Associated Press quoted CDC medical epidemiologist Dr Michael Thigpen as
> saying, "Based on these findings, we believe nevirapine in repeat
> pregnancies remains an effective option in these resource-limited
> countries."
>
> The safety of the drug was brought into question after earlier studies
> in South Africa and Uganda found that 20 percent to 40 percent of
> HIV-positive women developed resistance to nevirapine after taking one
> dose to protect their newborns from becoming infected.
>