Boeh Ing's Viramune may cut CV risk

Encouraging new data from two studies of Boehringer Ingelheim's Viramune (nevirapine) were presented at the 4th International AIDS Society meeting, held in Sydney, Australia. Results from an extended three-year follow-up analysis of the 2NN study demonstrated that HIV-positive patients taking Viramune achieved a comparable virologic and immunologic response to those taking efavirenz. A second evaluation, the NILE trial, examined the mechanism by which Viramune increases the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is cardioprotective, and confirmed again that Viramune increases HDL-cholesterol through 24 weeks.

The NILE study examined HDL-cholesterol in 13 HIV positive patients with viral loads of less than 50 copies/mL. Patients who had been on treatment containing zidovudine, lamivudine and abacavir for six months added Viramune to their regimes and were evaluated at six and 24 weeks for enzymes that alter HDL levels. The results showed that the drug increased HDL 19% through a 14% rise in apolipoprotein A1. The findings may help identify new promising novel targets for increasing good cholesterol.

The 2NN study was an open-label, comparison trial of first-line antiretroviral therapy that randomized 1,216 patients in 17 countries.