ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG-INTERACTIONS

It has recently been estimated that persons with the acquired immunode ficiency syndrome (AIDS) receive on average 5.6 prescription medicatio ns throughout their disease course, and this number may be as high as 9 [1,2]. With the development and testing of new antiretroviral agents and drugs for opportunistic infections associated with human immunode ficiency virus (HIV) disease, the issue of polypharmacy and multiple d rug interactions will become increasingly complex. Since antiretrovira l therapy and treatment or prophylaxis of opportunistic infections is lifelong, the nature of these interactions requires delineation to pro vide an optimal pharmacologic strategy for the use of these agents in combination. This article will address antiretroviral drug interaction s from a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic perspective. A background on the clinical pharmacology of antiretroviral agents is provided as is a discussion of selected interactions.