Recognition and Management of Significant Drug Interactions in HIV Patients: Challenges in Using Available Data to Guide Therapy

Abstract

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved survival rates in HIV-infected patients; however, patients now experience comorbidities that require pharmacological intervention, thereby increasing the risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs). HIV protease inhibitors (PIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), and the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc are primarily metabolized via the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system and are prone to pharmacokinetic interactions.(1,2) This article addresses some key challenges that prescribers face when using available drug interaction-data resources in making day-to-day clinical decisions.