Lopinavir/ritonavir pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety in HIV and hepatitis B or C coinfected adults without symptoms of hepatic impairment.

Objective: Lopinavir/ritonavir plus nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors is one standard antiretroviral therapy regimen, both in patients with HIV alone and coinfected with hepatitis B or C. Our objective was to investigate whether hepatitis coinfection without clinical signs of hepatic impairment is a cofactor altering lopinavir pharmacokinetics and influencing therapy outcome.

Methods: Steady-state 12-hour pharmacokinetic profiles of lopinavir/ritonavir were assessed in patients with (group 1, n = 20) or without (group 2, n = 36) hepatitis coinfection, taking lopinavir/ritonavir 400/100 mg twice a day plus nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, measured by means of high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.