EFFECT OF STAVUDINE ON HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 VIRUS LOADAS MEASURED BY QUANTITATIVE MONONUCLEAR CELL-CULTURE, PLASMA RNA, ANDIMMUNE COMPLEX-DISSOCIATED ANTIGENEMIA

The antiviral effect of stavudine (2',3'-didehydro-3'-deoxythymidine) against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 was measured in 15 H IV-infected patients at baseline and at weeks 4, 10, 22, 34, and 52 of therapy. Patients received 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg/day of stavudi ne, At all time points examined during the 52 weeks of therapy, the me dian virus titers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were decreased 1-2 logs, and median immune complex-dissociated antigen levels were r educed 37%-67% compared with baseline values. Plasma RNA content measu red by polymerase chain reaction was reduced similar to 0.5 log from b aseline median values at both time points examined (weeks 10 and 52), These data demonstrate that stavudine has a substantial and durable an tiviral effect.