Important note: Information in this article was accurate in June 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 25, 2001
Michael Greer, Senior Medical Writer
NewsRx - HIV patients who suffer from severe rashes after nelfinavir treatment can be desensitized to the protease inhibitor as with other allergens, researchers in Georgia report.
"The use of protease inhibitors has had a major impact on the morbidity and mortality of HIV infected patients ... [but] this class of drugs is not without adverse effects," explained P.E. Abraham and colleagues at Atlanta's Grady Health System. "Allergic reactions in the form of rashes may develop, which can severely limit treatment options in HIV patients."
Abraham and coworkers were able to prevent the occurrence of nelfinavir-induced rashes in one patient using an outpatient procedure, they said.
The patient, a 43-year-old white male, developed severe rashes after exposure to any protease inhibitor. Because his disease could not be effectively controlled without protease inhibitors and because he tolerated nelfinavir better than other such drugs, the Abraham team decided to attempt a desensitization procedure.
The process took six hours to perform and was done on an outpatient basis, they said. No complications occurred; the patient was able to tolerate nelfinavir without rashes or other morbidity. His viral load was subsequently well managed using nelfinavir ("Nelfinavir desensitization," Ann Pharmacother 2001 May;35(5):553-6.
"Intolerance to protease inhibitors due to rash is a well-documented phenomenon. In HIV patients, this can limit treatment options severely," Abraham and coauthors concluded. "This case demonstrates how desensitization to nelfinavir can be performed successfully."
The corresponding author for this report is P.E. Abraham, Grady Health System, Dept. of Pharmacology and Drug Information, 80 Butler Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30335, USA.
Key points reported in this study include:
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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