Alina S. Bergshoeff

Pharmacokinetics and 24-week efficacy/safety of dual boosted saquinavir/lopinavir/ritonavir in nucleoside-pretreated children.

Objective: To assess the pharmacokinetics and 24-week efficacy and safety of dual boosted saquinavir/lopinavir/ritonavir combination in children. Design: Twenty reverse transcription inhibitor-pretreated children at 2 centers in Thailand were treated with saquinavir/lopinavir/ritonavir in an open label, single arm, 6-month prospective study. The dosage was 50 mg/kg twice daily (bid) for saquinavir and 230/57.5 mg/m2 bid for lopinavir/ritonavir. Ten children also received lamivudine. Methods: Samples were collected for a 12-hour pharmacokinetic profile in all children. Plasma concentrations of saquinavir, lopinavir and ritonavir were determined using a validated high performance liquid chromatography technique. Results: At baseline, the median age was 8.5 years, with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA 4.9 log10 copies/mL, CD4 count 129 cells/μL and CD4%, 6.5%. Median area under the concentration curve at 0–12 hours and Cmin were 39.4 mg/L·h and 1.4 mg/L for saquinavir and 118 mg/L·hr and 5.9 mg/L for lopinavir. After 24 weeks of treatment, HIV RNA was suppressed below 400 copies/mL for 16 of 20 (80%) children (intent-to-treat analysis) and below 50 copies/mL for 12 of 20 children (60%), and CD4% (count) rose by a median of 6% (216 cells/μL). Median changes of triglyceride and total cholesterol were 56 and 36.5 mg/dL, respectively (P = 0.01). Lopinavir Cmin <1 and saquinavir Cmin <0.28 mg/L correlated with HIV RNA >400 copies/mL, and lopinavir Cmax >15 mg/L correlated with rises in cholesterol (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Plasma drug concentrations of saquinavir, lopinavir and ritonavir were at the higher limits of expected ranges for adult treatment at approved dosages (1000/100 mg bid for saquinavir, 400/100 mg bid for lopinavir/ritonavir). The regimen was well-tolerated and had good efficacy at 24 weeks. This dual boosted protease inhibitor combination should be assessed in larger trials of reverse transcription inhibitor-experienced children.

Nelfinavir Plasma Concentrations Are Low during Pregnancy

Plasma nelfinavir concentration ratios (CRs) were calculated for all pregnant (n=27) and nonpregnant (n=48) human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected women receiving the drug who visited our outpatient clinic. In pregnant women, mean and median nelfinavir CRs were significantly lower (P=.02 and P=.04, respectively), and 51% of the CRs were below the clinically relevant threshold of 0.90, compared with 35% of the CRs in nonpregnant women. After we adjusted for confounders, we found that the mean nelfinavir CR was 34% lower in pregnant women (P=.02). With targeted interventions, subsequent CRs in pregnant women showed a significant increase (median increase, 0.31; P=.01).

Increased dose of lopinavir/ritonavir compensates for efavirenz-induced drug-drug interaction in HIV-1-infected children.

Background:Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-sparing regimens have not yet been systematically evaluated in children. The nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors nevirapine and efavirenz lower plasma levels of protease inhibitors in adults and children. Therefore, coadministration of lopinavir/ritonavir with nevirapine and efavirenz necessitates a 30% increase in the dose of lopinavir/ritonavir in adults. In children, the extent of the pharmacokinetic interaction between efavirenz and lopinavir/ritonavir has not yet been studied. Objective:To investigate the pharmacokinetics of increased-dose (300/75 mg/m2 twice-daily) lopinavir/ritonavir with normal-dose (14 mg/kg once-daily) efavirenz in HIV-1-infected children. Methods:Steady-state pharmacokinetics of lopinavir and efavirenz were determined and compared with historical data. Results:Fifteen children of median age 11.8 (range, 5.7-16.3) years were included. Area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-12), peak levels (Cmax), and trough levels (Cmin) of lopinavir were similar to historical data in adults and children. Medians (interquartile range) were 92.3 (43.5-138.5) mg/L·h, 12.5 (6.9-16.7) mg/L, and 5.7 (1.3-8.0) mg/L, respectively. Efavirenz pharmacokinetics approximated previous data in adults and children. Conclusion:The increased dose of 300/75 mg/m2 twice-daily lopinavir/ritonavir compensates for the enzyme-inducing effect of efavirenz in HIV-infected children.

Pharmacokinetics of Indinavir Combined with Low-Dose Ritonavir in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Children

ABSTRACT So far, no pediatric doses for indinavir combined with ritonavir have been defined. This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics of 400 mg of indinavir/m2 combined with 125 mg of ritonavir/m2 every 12 h (q12h) in 14 human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected children. The area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h and the minimum concentration of drug in serum for indinavir were similar to those for 800 mg of indinavir-100 mg of ritonavir q12h in adults, while the maximum concentration of drug in serum was slightly decreased, with geometric mean ratios (90% confidence intervals in parentheses) of 1.1 (0.87 to 1.3), 0.96 (0.60 to 1.5), and 0.80 (0.68 to 0.94), respectively.

Ritonavir-Enhanced Pharmacokinetics of Nelfinavir/M8 during Rifampin Use:

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of successful protease inhibitor–based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) concomitant with rifampin. CASE SUMMARY: In a 7-month-old male infant with tuberculosis and HIV-1 infection, tuberculosis therapy including rifampin and HAART containing the protease inhibitor nelfinavir 40 mg/kg every 8 hours was started. Intensive steady-state pharmacokinetic sampling from baseline to 8 hours revealed very low plasma concentrations of nelfinavir: area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC0–24) <10% of adult population values for 750 mg every 8 hours and nonquantifiable concentrations of nelfinavirs principal metabolite (M8). Nelfinavir 40 mg/kg every 8 hours was then substituted with nelfinavir 30 mg/kg twice daily plus ritonavir 400 mg/m2 twice daily. Intensive steady-state (0–12 h) pharmacokinetic sampling was repeated. Nelfinavir concentrations had improved, but remained low when compared with adult population values of 1250 mg every 12 hours: AUC0–24 21.9 versus 47.6 mg/L•h (46%) and 12-hour trough level (C12) 0.25 versus 0.85 mg/L (29%). However, concentrations of M8 considerably exceeded population values: AUC0–24 57.5 versus 13.6 mg/L•h (443%) and C12 1.35 versus 0.28 mg/L (482%). Since M8 concentrations were highly elevated, pharmacokinetic parameters for (nelfinavir + M8) were used rather than those for nelfinavir alone. Thus, AUC0–24 (nelfinavir + M8) and C12 (nelfinavir + M8) comprised 130% and 142%, respectively of the adult population values. This, in addition to good clinical response and tolerability, favored continuation of the regimen. CONCLUSIONS: In an infant, nelfinavir-containing HAART was successfully used with rifampin after the addition of ritonavir. Ritonavir resolved the pharmacokinetic interaction between rifampin and nelfinavir by boosting nelfinavir and, especially, M8 concentrations. More research is needed to confirm these results.