Raltegravir and abacavir/lamivudine in Japanese treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients: a 48-week retrospective pilot analysis.

Abacavir/lamivudine (ABC/3TC) is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used for treating human immunodeficiency viral (HIV) infections. Hypersensitivity reactions such as skin eruptions caused by ABC are well-known, but rarely occur in Asians. Raltegravir (RAL) is an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, that is now increasingly, used for treating HIV infections because it has few adverse effects. This retrospective analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of combined ABC/3TC and RAL in both treatment-naive and -experienced Japanese patients with HIV infections. In all 11 treatment-naive patients (100%), virological suppression to undetectable level was achieved. Liver transaminases, renal function, and serum lipid profiles showed no exacerbations up to 48 weeks of treatment. In 12 patients who were switched from previous regimens to ABC/3TC and RAL, HIV viral load was undetectable in 11 patients (91.6%), but remained detectable in 1 patient with poor adherence. Major reasons for switching regimens to ABC/3TC and RAL were hyperlipidemia and nausea. After switching, these adverse effects improved, and no new adverse effects were observed. Despite the small number of participants in this study, the results support the combination of ABC/3TC and RAL as a possible treatment choice in Japanese individuals with HIV-infection.