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Why Prescribe COMBIVIR?
Why Should I Prescribe COMBIVIR?
COMBIVIR has proven effective with nearly a decade of patient treatment:
- Both the 2006 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the 2004 International AIDS Society (IAS) HIV Treatment Guidelines recommend ZDV/3TC, the components of COMBIVIR as a part of a preferred PI-based and NNRTI-based regimens.1,2
- Clinical studies confirm the multi-year durability of a variety of regimens containing COMBIVIR (DMP006/3 years, Agouron 511/4 years, Merck 035/6 years).3-5
- COMBIVIR + EFV as initial therapy delayed failure of second regimen when compared with an initial regimen of ddI + d4T + EFV (nonsignificant trend)6
Benefits to the patient of a regimen containing COMBIVIR (or its components) include:
- No known significant drug interactions or dosing adjustments with NNRTIs or PIs
- May help simplify dosing
- Two potent medicines in one tablet
- No food or fluid restrictions
- Getting one of the most prescribed and most studied HIV NRTI backbones
- Knowing it is one of the most frequently chosen dual NRTI backbone for newly diagnosed HIV patients7
- Proven safety and efficacy profiles from ten years of patient use7
- One prescription, one co-pay, one refill for 2 medicines
- Helping patients whose health plan may limit the number of prescriptions
Prescribing for the Newly Diagnosed Patient
COMBIVIR or its components remain the backbone for many of the most commonly prescribed first-line regimens.7 COMBIVIR can be combined with any NNRTI or PI to make a regimen that is convenient and may be appropriate for the stage of his or her HIV infection. There are no food or fluid requirements.
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| References |
| | 1. | US Department of Health and Human Services. Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents. October 6, 2005. Available at: http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines. Accessed February 24, 2006. |
| | 2. | Hammer SM, Saag MS, Schechter M, et al. Treatment for adult HIV infection: 2006 recommendations of the International AIDS Society - USA Panel. JAMA. 2006; 296:827-843. |
| | 3. | Arribas J, Staszewski S, Nelson M, et al. 3-year durability of response with an efavirenz (EFV)-containing regimen: 144-week follow-up of Study 006. Presented at: 11th European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases; April 1-4, 2001; Istanbul, Turkey. Poster 43. |
| | 4. | Gathe J Jr, Chu A, Yuen N, et al. Durability of nelfinavir combination therapy after 4 years: 3-year extension data from Agouron Study 511. In: Abstracts of the 8th European Conference on Clinical Aspects and Treatment of HIV-infection; October 28-31, 2001; Athens, Greece. Poster LB10. |
| | 5. | Gulick RM, Meibohm A, Havlir D, et al. Six-year follow-up of HIV-1-infected adults in a clinical trial of antiretroviral therapy with indinavir, zidovudine, and lamivudine. AIDS. 2003;17:2345-2349. |
| | 6. | Robbins GK, De Gruttola V, Shafer RW, et al. Comparison of sequential three-drug regimens as initial therapy for HIV-1 infection. N Engl J Med. 2003;349:2293-2303. |
| | 7. | Synovate 2005, Q3. |
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