Benefit of switching from a protease inhibitor (PI) to nevirapine in PI-experienced patients suffering acquired HIV-related lipodystrophy syndrome (AHL): interim analysis at 3 months of follow-up

This multicentre, randomized, open-label, prospective trial is evaluating t he effects of switching treatment from a protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimen to one containing the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (IRT) i nhibitor nevirapine in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with durable viral suppression but suffering from lipodystrophy. Objective s of this ongoing study are to evaluate the effects of this switch on chang es in body shape and metabolic abnormalities associated with acquired HIV-r elated lipodystrophy syndrome (AHL), as well as on maintenance of viral sup pression and immunological and psychological effects. preliminary data invo lving 57 patients with 3 months of follow-up show an initial improvement of AHL in two regions, the face and arms. There is also a tendency toward imp roved cholesterol and triglyceride levels and improved quality of life amon g patients receiving the nevirapine-containing regimen. Maintenance of vira l suppression was equivalent in both treatment groups. Additional data with longer follow-up are needed to confirm these results.