ART to newborns with HIV within 48 hrs can be beneficial
It can safely suppress amounts of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels: Study
The study included a three-drug ART regimen initiated within 48 hours of life, with the fourth drug added within 2-4 weeks. This is very early treatment compared to the standard of care where three-drug ART may not begin until 2- 3 months of age
New York: Giving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to newborns with HIV within 48 hours of life -- rather than within weeks or months - can safely suppress amounts of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels, revealed a study of more than 50 babies in 11 countries in Africa, Asia, North America and South America. The study, published in Lancet HIV, showed that children given ART within 48 hours exhibit biomarkers by 2 years of age that may make them eligible to test for medication-free remission.
"Moving away from reliance on daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) to control HIV would be a huge improvement to the quality of life of these children," said Ellen Chadwick, Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The study included a three-drug ART regimen initiated within 48 hours of life, with the fourth drug added within 2-4 weeks. This is very early treatment compared to the standard of care where three-drug ART may not begin until 2- 3 months of age.
The team enrolled 54 newborns into two groups in 11 countries -- Brazil, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, the US, Zambia and Zimbabwe -- between January 2015 and December 2017.
One group of 34 infants (23 females and 11 males, whose mothers had HIV and were not on ART during pregnancy) were started on a three-drug oral ART regimen of azidothymidine (AZT) or abacavir, lamivudine (3TC) and nevirapine within two days of life. All of the drugs had previously been shown to help prevent HIV transfer to newborns.
The second group of 20 infants (10 females and 10 males, whose mothers had HIV and were on ART during pregnancy) were started on the same three-drug regimen but with a lower dose of nevirapine shortly after birth.
