TreatmentUpdate 69, Volume 8, No 5; July 1996
Sean Hosein

Researchers in San Francisco have been testing the anti-HIV drug Viraceptr (nelfinavir), a drug that affects the essential viral enzyme HIV proteinase (or protease). Doctors recruited 63 HIV-infected subjects (the number of females and males along with other detailed information was not released) who had at least 200 CD4+ cells and divided the subjects into two groups. One group with 30 subjects received Viracept at one of several doses; 1.5 g/day, 2.25 g/day or 3 g/day. The remaining 33 subjects received d4T alone or in combination with Viracept in the same doses used in the first group.

Results

During the first 4 weeks at least half the subjects on combination had the amount of HIV in their blood fall to 1/100 th of their pre-study level. For subjects receiving d4T alone, about half of them had the amount of HIV in their blood fall to 1/10th of their pre-study level. Common side effects included "loose stool and mild to moderate diarrhea."

REFERENCES:

1. Peterkin J, Champman S, Conant M, et al. Randomized phase II studies of Viracept, an HIV protease inhibitor, given as monotherapy and in combination with Stavudine (d4T). Program and abstracts of Ninth International Conference on Antiviral Research, Japan 1996, abstract 9.

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