Study to Evaluate the Replacement of Reverse Transcriptase Nucleoside/Nucleotide Inhibitors by Nevirapine in Patients on Triple Treatment With Analogues Only

RTNI (reverse transcriptase nucleoside inhibitors) are a regular part of most antiretroviral combinations. The presence of a smaller or greater degree of cross resistance among all RTNI is increasingly better described and acknowledged, whereby the number of salvage regimens that may be built following the appearance of this resistance to these drugs is by no means unlimited.

This proactive treatment change in patients on RTNI-based regimens while the viral load is still suppressed would avoid the selective replication period under antiviral pressure following the failure of the regimen in which resistance-associated mutations accumulate. This therapeutic approach has demonstrated its effectiveness in clinical practice, albeit not in this scenario.

If we wait until the viral load is detectable there is sufficient evidence that resistance to RTNI will appear and that this resistance will compromise future salvage options.

To intensify with this proactive approach these combinations based on N/NNRTI (nucleotide analog), the NNRTI are an optimal alternative.There is vast experience with NVP in simplification/maintenance trials. In direct comparative simplification studies in patients with virological response, the response rates with NVP or EFV have shown no differences. With a relative risk (RR) of virological failure of 0.54 with regard to the continuation of PI (protease inhibitors), NVP is one of the best simplification treatment options in HIV-1-infected patients.