A pilot study of nevirapine, indinavir, and lamivudine among patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus disease who have had failure of combination nucleoside therapy

The effects of nevirapine, indinavir, and lamivudine in combination were studied among 22 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with CD4 cell counts less than or equal to 50/mm(3), whose options for antiretroviral therapy were limited by clinical or laboratory failure or toxicity with previous regimens. Median plasma HIV RNA was 5.16 log(10) copies/mL at baseline, decreasing by a median of 3.12 log(10) copies/mL at 24 weeks. Median baseline CD4 cell count was 30/mm(3), increasing by a median of 95/mm(3) at week 24. Adverse reactions led to drug discontinuation in 4 cases. Steady-state pharmacokinetic analysis in 17 patients was consistent with an interaction between nevirapine and indinavir, Nevirapine plasma levels were within the expected range, while indinavir levels were lower than expected. Despite this interaction, the combination of nevirapine, indinavir, and lamivudine was safe and well-tolerated and had substantial antiviral and immunologic effects lasting for the 24-week study.