HIV warning of drug interaction

Warning of unwanted interactions in HIV medications

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns patients with the HI virus are taking two drugs from Roche and Abbott. Concomitant use can lead to undesirable interactions or side effects.

The US Food and Drug Administration is currently warning AIDS patients not to take two HIV medicines at the same time. These are the drugs of the pharmaceutical company Roche and Norvir from Abbott Laboratories. The concomitant intake can produce an irregular heartbeat, as it was called on Thursday. The additions would raise potential life-threatening side effects for the heart when combined with Invirase and Norvir.

The European Medicines Authorities are currently reviewing the information provided by the FDA. Until appropriate results are obtained, patients are advised to temporarily reduce the dose of Invirase. However, those affected should first consult their treating physician and not reduce the level of the dose on their own initiative.

As early as February of this year, the FDA had warned against the combined use of the Roche drug Invirase and Norvir manufactured by Abbott. For this purpose, a corresponding investigation has been initiated. The mode of action of Invirase is the inhibition of a viral enzyme, the HIV protease. Invirase is used in combination with Norvir and other medicines to treat HIV in AIDS patients. (sb, 22.10.2010)