Tenofovir DF: durable efficacy in heavily pretreated HIV infection

The antiretroviral drug tenofovir disoproxil fumarate [tenofovir DF; 'Viread'] produces durable reductions in viral load in heavily-pretreated patients with HIV-1 infection, in addition to increases in CD4+ cell counts, according to data from the pivotal phase III Study 907 presented at the 8th European Conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV-Infection [Athens, Greece; October 2001]. In addition, genotypic analyses showed that this agent retains activity in the presence of a number of different resistance mutations. At a satellite symposium during the meeting, Dr Schlomo Staszewski from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, said 'usually when you give a single drug to a failing regimen, you get the resistance mutations to this drug, and you have rebound. With tenofovir we have a unique situation that addition of one single drug gives you a sustained response'.*