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Once Daily Abacavir in Place of Twice Daily
Dosing
The objective of the present study was to review the safety and
efficacy of a once-daily dosage regimen for abacavir
(Ziagen).
English-language
MEDLINE and Iowa Drug Information Service database reports were
accessed from 1966 to March 2005. International Pharmaceutical Abstracts
was searched from 1970 to March 2005. The key words used in all
searches were abacavir and Ziagen.
Article
bibliographies were used to identify additional relevant articles.
The Internet was searched to identify abstracts of poster and oral
presentations that have not yet been published. The manufacturer
was also contacted to obtain unpublished information.
Publications
were included that provided information related to the safety and
efficacy of abacavir when used once daily. Preference was given
to randomized, double-blind, controlled trials comparing once-daily
abacavir regimens with other antiretroviral regimens. Abstracts
from professional meetings were included for unpublished studies,
and conference coverage reviews were included if the abstracts were
not available.
Results
In
trials directly comparing once- and twice-daily abacavir, little
difference was shown in the efficacy of the 2 regimens. Despite
similar adverse effect profiles, significantly more severe
hypersensitivity reactions and severe
diarrhea were seen with once-daily abacavir in one
trial.
The
authors conclude, “Once-daily administration of abacavir has not
been shown to be inferior to twice-daily dosing, but it may put
patients at increased risk for severe hypersensitivity reactions
and diarrhea. More data are needed to confirm this risk.”
Iowa Drug Information Network, Iowa
City, IA.
06/29/05
Reference
A
M Goedken and R A Herman. Once-daily abacavir in place of twice-daily
administration. Annals
of Pharmacotherapy 39(7): 1302-1308. July 2005.
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