Pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of saquinavir/ ritonavir 1,000/100 mg twice daily as HIV type-1 therapy and transmission prophylaxis in pregnancy.

Background: A saquinavir/ritonavir-containing regimen is one option for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy. We evaluated the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of saquinavir/ritonavir 1,000/100 mg twice daily plus nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors in 13 women during late pregnancy and compared the results to those of 15 non-pregnant women.

Methods: Protease inhibitor plasma concentration profiles were assessed at 12 h using a standardized therapeutic drug monitoring procedure and measured by LC-MS/MS.

The steady-state pharmacokinetics of atazanavir/ritonavir in HIV-1-infected adult outpatients is not affected by gender-related co-factors.

Objectives: Pharmacokinetic differences, contributing to drug-related side effects, between men and women have been reported for HIV protease inhibitors. As only limited and inconclusive data on ritonavir-boosted atazanavir are available, we evaluated the respective steady-state pharmacokinetics in 48 male and 26 female HIV-1-infected adults receiving atazanavir/ritonavir 300/100 mg once-daily as part of their antiretroviral therapy.

Methods: Pharmacokinetic profiles (24 h) of atazanavir/ritonavir were assessed and measured by HPLC/tandem mass spectrometry.

Decrease of atazanavir and lopinavir plasma concentrations in a boosted double human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor salvage regimen.

The human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor combination of atazanavir (ATV)-lopinavir-ritonavir was reported to exhibit a mutual pharmacoenhancement of plasma lopinavir and ATV concentrations which may be beneficial for salvage patients. We identified 17 patients in our pharmacokinetic database taking this combination and found conflicting results. Plasma concentrations of both ATV and lopinavir were modestly, although not significantly, decreased when the drugs were coadministered.

[No obvious difference in Streptococcus pneumoniae antibiotic resistance profiles--isolates from HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients].

Background And Purpose: HIV patients are overexposed to hospital environment, immune suppression, and antibiotic prophylaxes. Therefore, with HIV positive patients an increased risk for resistant bacterial rods is to be expected. The purpose of this case-control study was to determine the susceptibility patterns of pneumococci from adult patients in relation to their HIV status and to compare both patient groups.

Predictive factors for response to a boosted dual HIV-protease inhibitor therapy with saquinavir and lopinavir in extensively pre-treated patients.

Objective: To evaluate predictive factors for therapy outcome of a boosted double-protease inhibitor (PI) regimen in 58 extensively pre-treated patients with HIV.

Methods: Patients received lopinavir/ritonavir 400/100 mg and saquinavir 1,000 mg twice daily without reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI). The primary outcome parameter was HIV RNA < 400 copies/ml at week 48, secondary parameters were HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ T-cell count changes from baseline to week 48.

Significant effects of tipranavir on platelet aggregation and thromboxane B2 formation in vitro and in vivo.

Objectives: In the past, bleeding events have been described for patients with haemophilia taking HIV-1 protease inhibitors. Recently, the FDA published a warning concerning intracranial haemorrhage in patients taking the HIV-1 protease inhibitor tipranavir co-administered with ritonavir.

Methods: We investigated (i) platelet aggregation in vivo in HIV-1-infected adult patients (n = 5) immediately before and 2 and 4 h after dosing of tipranavir/ritonavir 500/200 mg.

The LOPSAQ study: 48 week analysis of a boosted double protease inhibitor regimen containing lopinavir/ritonavir plus saquinavir without additional antiretroviral therapy.

Objectives: To evaluate the virological, immunological and clinical responses to the boosted double protease inhibitor (PI) regimen combination of lopinavir/ritonavir and saquinavir ('LOPSAQ') without reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI) in HIV-positive patients who have few viable RTI treatment options.

Methods: Cohort study of 128 heavily pre-treated patients who were experiencing therapy failure on their current regimen due to RTI resistance and/or systemic toxicities. Patients with PI-resistance mutations or RTI toxicity underwent a structured treatment interruption (STI) (n=76) until virus reverted to wild-type or until resolution of toxicity symptoms.