Indinavir-Based Regimen Cuts Mortality In AIDS

The results of the ACTG 320 study have revealed that a combination of anHIV protease inhibitor and two nucleoside analogues is more effective at delaying HIV progression and death than two nucleosides alone.

The trial offers confirmatory evidence that addtion of a protease inhibitor to a reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimen can offer benefits on clinical, as well as surrogate, endpoints.

The study looked at the efficacy of Merck & Co's protease inhibitor Crixivan (indinavir) in combination with zidovudine (Glaxo Wellcome) or stavudine (Bristo-Myers Squibb) with lamivudine (Glaxo Wellcome), as compared to zidovudine or stavudine plus lamivudine. 1,156 patients with CD4 cell counts below 200/mm3. were enrolled. They had all taken zidovudine for at least three months, had less than one week's usage of lamivudine and no protease inhibitor exposure.