Field assessment of generic antiretroviral drugs: a prospective cohort study in Cameroon

2005

Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000231962300016

Bourgeois Anke, Laurent Christian, Mougnutou R., Nkoue N., Lactuock B., Ciaffi L., Liégeois Florian, Andrieux Meyer I., Zekeng L., Calmy A., Mpoudi Ngolé E., Delaporte Eric

Antiviral Therapy, 2005, 10 (2), p. 335-341 ISSN 1359-6535

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of generic antiretroviral drugs in terms of survival and virological and immunological responses, as well as their tolerability and the emergence of viral resistance. Methods: A total of 109 HIV-1-infected patients were enrolled in a prospective cohort study in Yaounde, Cameroon. Available generic drugs were a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of zidovudine (ZDV) and lamivudine (3TC), an FDC of 3TC, stavudine (d4T) and nevirapine (NVP), and individual formulations of ZDV, 3TC and NVP. Results: At baseline, the median CD4 cell count was 150/mm(3) [interquartile range (IQR) 61-223] and median viral load was 5.4 log(10) copies/ml [IQR 4.8-5.6); 78% of patients received ZDV/3TC/NVP and 22% received 3TC/d4T/NVP. Median follow-up was 16 months (IQR 11-23). The survival probability was high (0.92 at 12 months); plasma viral load declined by a median of 3.3 log(10) copies/ml and 86.9% of the intention-to-treat population had viral load < 400 copies/ml at 12 months; CD4 count had increased by a median of 106 cells/mm(3) at 12 months; drug resistance rarely emerged (incidence rate 3.2 per 100 person-years); and the treatments were reasonably well-tolerated (incidence rate of severe adverse effects 7.8 per 100 person-years). Conclusion: Together with previous pharmacological and clinical studies, this prospective study suggests that these generic antiretroviral drugs can be used in developing countries.

Entomologie médicale / Parasitologie / Virologie [052]

PAR00000426