Results from a recent small study indicate that treating HIV-positive individuals with only Kaletra following an initial period of combination antiretroviral therapy may be as safe and effective as treating people with HIV with standard therapy.

Based on their results, the authors recommended further research into use of simpler antiretroviral regimens for HIV-positive individuals. They also stated that their results would need to be confirmed in larger, longer-term studies.

Standard antiretroviral therapy consists of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) plus at least one additional antiretroviral from a different class,…

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released an updated version of its “Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.”

The guidelines contain updated recommendations in several areas, including when to start antiretroviral therapy and factors to consider in selecting an antiretroviral regimen. The guidelines also contain new sections on rates and management of various side effects related to the use of antiretrovirals.

The guidelines are intended for use by doctors and other health care professionals when treating HIV-positive children and teens.…

Results from a recent large study indicate that the role of antiretrovirals in the risk of bone fractures in people with HIV remains unclear. The researchers found that use of Viread and Kaletra were associated with a higher risk of bone fractures in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy; however, they also found that traditional risk factors, such as older age and low body weight, were more important in determining fracture risk.

“Cumulative antiretroviral therapy exposure risk is modest compared to the traditional risk factors for osteoporosis,” said Dr. Roger…

Preliminary results from a small 48 week clinical trial indicate that previously untreated HIV-positive adults taking Kaletra plus Selzentry have better immune recovery and faster virologic response compared to participants taking the more standard regimen of Kaletra plus Truvada.

Based on their results, the researchers recommended further research into treatment regimens that do not contain nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) – such as Truvada – which currently form the backbone of antiretroviral therapy. They also noted that longer trials with more participants would be needed to confirm the long-term safety…