HIV has become a catastrophic public health concern. Avert reports that HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The human immune system generally finds and kills viruses fairly quickly, however, HIV attacks the immune system itself. Approximately 2.7 million people were infected with HIV in 2010, and there are now an estimated 34 million people around the world who are living with HIV, which includes millions who have developed AIDS. Treatment breakthroughs for AIDS are constantly being searched for.
Infectious Disease News has reported "FDA approves drug for pediatric HIV." The FDA has approved a drug for use as treatment for HIV-1 infection in children and adolescents.
Raltegravir (Isentress, Merck) has been approved by the FDA for use with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV-1 infection for children and adolescents who are aged 2 to 18 years. This drug is an HIV integrase strand-transfer inhibitor which works by slowing the spread of HIV in the body.
Raltegravir (Isentress, Merck) has been approved by the FDA for use with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV-1 infection for children and adolescents who are aged 2 to 18 years. This drug is an HIV integrase strand-transfer inhibitor which works by slowing the spread of HIV in the body.
In October 2007 Raltegravir was first approved for use in adult patients. Isentress has been made available in tablet form and can be taken twice daily, with or without food. There is also a chewable form of the tablet. The two tablet formulations are not interchangeable, and the chewable form is approved only for use in children aged 2 to 11 years.
In a single, multicenter clinical trial of 96 children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years with HIV-1 infection after 24 weeks of treatment with raltegravir, 53% had an undetectable viral load. The most commonly reported severe adverse events related to raltegravir were Insomnia and headache. A pediatric patient also experienced a drug-related skin rash. It is advised that the drug be discontinued if adverse reactions occur.
Photographer: jscreationzs
