Study shows Viramune/Viramune XR (Boehringer) halves risk of HIV infection in newborns

Adding the drug Viramune/Viramune XR (nevirapine), from Boehringer, to the regimen given to newborns of women diagnosed with HIV shortly before or during labour halves the newborns� risk of contracting the virus. Researchers led by Karin Nielsen-Saines of the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, found that the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission around the time of delivery was 2.2 percent among infants who received the standard drug zidovudine combined with nevirapine, compared with 4.8 percent among infants treated with zidovudine alone. The researchers also found a reduced rate of transmission (2.4 percent) among infants treated with a three-drug combination: zidovudine, nelfinavir and lamivudine. However, infants given the two-drug combination were less likely to have the blood disorder neutropenia than were those on the three drug regimen. The two drug combination is also less expensive and easier to administer than the three drug combination. The study included more than 1,600 infants born between 2004 and 2010. Results appear in the New England Journal of Medicine. See: "Three Postpartum Antiretroviral Regimens to Prevent Intrapartum HIV Infection." by Karin Nielsen-Saines et al. N Engl J Med; 366:2368-2379 June 21, 2012