Warning for HIV-Hep C Co-infection: Certain Drugs Don't Mix with Victrelis! | Hepatitis Central

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Warning for HIV-Hep C Co-infection: Certain Drugs Don't Mix with Victrelis!

The Editors at Hepatitis Central
February 15, 2012

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Since an estimated one third of HIV patients are also infected with Hepatitis C, knowing about the potential interaction between boceprevir and certain HIV medications is imperative.

Merck Warns of Victrelis and HIV Protease Inhibitor Interactions

February 8, 2012

The hepatitis C protease inhibitor Victrelis (boceprevir) has some significant drug-drug interactions with common Norvir (ritonavir)-boosted protease inhibitor (PI) combinations, according to preliminary data from a clinical trial and a warning issued to health care providers by Merck on February 6.

Drug-drug interactions between HIV antiretrovirals (ARV) and the recently approved hepatitis C PIs Victrelis and Incivek (telaprevir) are an essential area of study, given that roughly one third of people living with HIV are coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and may wish to use either Victrelis or Incivek to boost the efficacy of pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment. While neither Merck’s Victrelis nor Vertex’s Incivek is officially approved for people coinfected with HIV and HCV–coinfection studies are still being conducted–some clinicians have already started prescribing these drugs for their patients living with both viruses.

Because the HCV PIs are broken down (metabolized) by the same enzyme pathway responsible for processing many ARVs, thoroughly exploring potential drug-drug interactions and ways to circumvent potential problems has been a research priority.

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http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_hcv_victrelis_1667_21880.shtml

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