UGANDA: Researcher Says 20 Percent of Mothers, 46 Percent of Babies Developed Resistance to Nevirapine

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

UGANDA: Researcher Says 20 Percent of Mothers, 46 Percent of Babies Developed Resistance to Nevirapine

Associated Press (12.17.04) - Monday, December 20, 2004
Geoffrey Muleme

On Friday, a Ugandan health official said a country study examining a single-dose regime of nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission found that 20 percent of pregnant women and 46 percent of their babies developed resistance to the drug. "Resistance does occur, but it fades after one year," said Dr. Philippa Musoke, adding that scientists do not yet understand the possible long-term effects on the women. African AIDS researchers have suggested emerging data on nevirapine shows resistance might lessen over time.

Musoke said UNAIDS and the World Health Organization "agree that we continue to use nevirapine for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission until we have more data that proves that people do not do well when nevirapine is used again for treatment." Until an alternative treatment is cleared, Uganda will continue to distribute nevirapine, he said.

Studies of nevirapine, made by Boehringer Ingelheim, have shown that a single dose of the drug to an HIV-positive woman during labor and another dose to her infant can reduce HIV transmission by up to 50 percent. Nevirapine is also used in other drug combinations to treat AIDS patients.

However, AP obtained US National Institutes of Health documents that called into question the accuracy of nevirapine tests conducted at Uganda's Mulago Hospital. According to the documents, NIH officials told Uganda's government in July 2002 that the US-funded study of nevirapine violated federal safety rules. Those same NIH officials did not disclose the safety problems to President Bush prior to his announcing a $500 million plan to distribute nevirapine to Africa just a few months later.
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