TreatmentUpdate 76. 9(2): 9; March, 1997
Sean Hosein

In other experiments on healthy subjects, researchers looked at the effect of delavirdine on blood levels of the three widely used protease inhibitors, saquinavir, indinavir and ritonavir.

* Saquinavir - 600 mg three times daily with delavirdine 400 mg twice daily. The levels of saquinavir in the blood rose five times above normal, while levels of delavirdine remained normal. Levels of liver enzymes in the blood also rose, suggesting the posssibility of liver damage.

* Indinavir - researchers used 400 mg or 600 mg doses taken once daily along with delavirdine 400 mg three times daily. Delavirdine increased the time indinavir remained in the blood, and also increased levels of indinavir when 600 mg of that drug (indinavir) were used. The study doctors recommended, should other researchers wish to test the combination over the long term, that indinavir at a dose of 400 mg or 600 mg three times daily be used.

* Ritonavir - subjects took different doses, first 300 mg twice daily , then 500 mg twice daily, then back down to 300 mg twice daily. At 600 mg twice daily, delavirdine had no effect on levels of ritonavir, nor did ritonavir affect levels of delavirdine.

REFERENCES:

1. Cox SR, Ferry JJ, Batts DH et al. Delavirdine and marketed protease inhibitors: pharmacokinetic interaction studies in healthy volunteers. Poster 372.

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