ICA9 Report: Combination Therapy

ICA9 Report: Combination Therapy

Being Alive Newsletter, Being Alive/Los Angeles - July 1993
Mark Katz, MD and reported by Jim Stoecker

One way to get around the issue of which antiviral is the best is to use these antivirals in combination. Most progressive medical providers would agree that two or even three drugs are better than one.

ACTG155 studied three groups of almost a thousand people with less than 300 T-cells. One group took AZT alone, one group ddC alone and one group a combination of AZT and ddC. Results showed that for those who began the study with over 150 T-cells, the combination was significantly more efficacious. For those with less than 150 T-cells, however this advantage disappeared. This may reinforce the belief that early intervention is better than later.

There are two types of combination therapy to consider. Convergent combination therapy uses drugs that all work at the same point of the HIV life cycle. The combination of AZT, ddC and Nevirapine (all RT inhibitors) is soon to be part of an ACTG study. The other approach is divergent combination therapy. Here drugs that work at different points in the viral life cycle are combined. Studies of this approach have not moved beyond the test tube because of limited availability of antivirals other than RT inhibitors.
930700
BA930710

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Roxane Laboratories, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1993. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

Copyright © 1993 - Beings Alive. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used. Subscription lists are kept confidential. Being Alive, 621 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, Tel - 310.289.2551; FAX - 310.289.9866; Email: BeiAlive@aol.com http://www.beingalivela.org/

This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
©1993. AEGIS.