Perinatal Antiretroviral Intensification to Prevent Intrapartum HIV Transmission When Antenatal Antiretroviral Therapy Is Initiated Less Than 8 Weeks Before Delivery.

Introduction: Infants born to women living with HIV initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) late in pregnancy are at high risk of intrapartum infection. Mother/infant perinatal antiretroviral intensification may substantially reduce this risk.

Methods: In this single-arm Bayesian trial, pregnant women with HIV receiving standard of care antiretroviral prophylaxis in Thailand (maternal antenatal lopinavir-based cART; nonbreastfed infants 4 weeks' postnatal zidovudine) were offered "antiretroviral intensification" (labor single-dose nevirapine plus infant zidovudine-lamivudine-nevirapine for 2 weeks followed by zidovudine-lamivudine for 2 weeks) if their antenatal cART was initiated ≤8 weeks before delivery.