Enfuvirtide: a safe and effective antiretroviral agent for human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients shortly after liver transplantation

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Enfuvirtide, published as a clinical trial.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an enfuvirtide-based antiretroviral (ARV) regimen on the management of immunosuppression and follow-up in hepatitis C virus (HCV)/hepatitis B virus (HBV)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected liver transplant patients in comparison with a lopinavir/ritonavir-based ARV regimen.

Why It Was Studied

Tacrolimus and cyclosporine trough concentrations were determined at a steady state during 3 periods: after liver transplantation without ARV treatment (period 1), at the time of ARV reintroduction (period 2), and 2 to 3 months after liver transplantation (period 3).

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 11 patients taking part.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

The findings for 22 HIV-coinfected patients were compared (18 with HCV and 4 with HBV); 11 patients were treated with enfuvirtide and were matched with 11 lopinavir/ritonavir-exposed patients.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Anti-Retroviral Agents, Cyclosporine, Enfuvirtide, HIV Envelope Protein gp41, HIV Infections, Immunosuppressive Agents and Liver Failure.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Enfuvirtide in 11 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2009 (Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Enfuvirtide compound page, all human trials.