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| |  IAS: Lipid Levels in Antiretroviral-Experienced Patients Improve With Switch to Atazanavir By Jay Owens PARIS, FRANCE -- July 21, 2003 -- Treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients who switched their antiretroviral regimen to one that included atazanavir had significantly greater improvements in lipid levels compared with those switched to a new regimen containing lopinavir/ritonavir. As well, further evidence on the lack of adverse metabolic effects from once-daily atazanavir was presented here on July 16th at the 2nd International Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment. Unpleasant side effects associated with protease inhibitors have caused adherence problems with atazanavir, despite the fact that antiretroviral drug regimens containing protease inhibitors have effected a reduction in HIV-related morbidity and mortality. In addition, a more serious effect of this class is the metabolic changes that many patients experience, which may increase their cardiovascular risk with long-term treatment. The lipid data were evaluated from 600 treatment-experienced patients in 2 multinational, randomized, open-label studies. In these studies, patients for whom antiretroviral regimens were failing were switched to regimens containing either atazanavir/ritonavir or lopinavir/ritonavir, noted Ken Lichtenstein, MD, chief of the medical service, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences, Denver, Colorado, United States. After 24 weeks, the percentage of patients with total cholesterol, fasting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels above those recommended for intervention by the National Cholesterol Education Program decreased in those patients switched to an atazanavir-containing regimen, compared with no change or an increase in those switched to a lopinavir/ritonavir regimen. Mean percent change from baseline for total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both studies was significantly different in favor of atazanavir (P<0.0001). In addition, fewer patients received lipid-lowering therapy while on atazanavir than on lopinavir/ritonavir, the researchers found.
[Study title: Lipid benefits are observed in antiretroviral (ARV)-experienced HIV-infected patients when switched to atazanavir (ATV)-containing regimens. Abstract LB17]
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