A recent study by the IrsiCaixa Aids Research Institute published in Nature Medicine found that Isentress (raltegravir) intensification in individuals undergoing Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) can decrease active HIV replication and reduce immune activation.

Isentress is an integrase inhibitor that prevents insertion of viral DNA into human DNA, thus inhibiting the replication process.

With the use of Isentress, researchers were able to recognize the presence of HIV. This is because Isentress forms unique circular viral DNA when it blocks viral DNA from integration into human DNA. …

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a Los Angeles based advocacy and treatment organization, continues to express concern over the high pricing for Merck’s anti-HIV drug, Isentress (raltegravir).

Isentress is an antiretroviral drug in the class known as integrase inhibitors. It was first approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2007 for use in patients resistant to other HIV drugs, which is known as salvage therapy.

In July 2009, Isentress received FDA approval for use as first-line treatment, meaning that physicians can prescribe it for newly…

The results of a new study comparing the efficacy of Isentress (raltegravir) and Sustiva (efavirenz) were presented on Sunday at the 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Results of the study showed that the efficacy of Isentress was similar to the efficacy of Sustiva in treatment-naïve patients. Isentress reduced HIV RNA levels in two percent more patients than Sustiva, and, on average, Isentress raised CD4 levels higher. However, the RNA levels and CD4 counts were not statistically different between the patients receiving Isentress and the patients taking…