Researchers have found that Nevirapine, which is used to treat Aids patient in many developing countries, doesn’t not work effectively in those patients who get TB treatment besides HIV treatment.
However, efavirenz, which is another more expensive drug, doesn’t seem to be affected by the TB treatment, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals.
In that South African Study, almost 40% were Aids patients that were also being treated for TB.
In many developing countries, antiretroviral therapy is often given in TB clinics as a large number of HIV patients also have TB infection.
Nevirapine is a low cost medicine and women of child-bearing age can also use it and these are the reasons that Nevirapine is a common choice in these countries.
Some researchers believe that if HIV drugs are used with a well known TB treatment rifampicin, they may decrease the effectiveness of HIV drugs or cause toxic effects.
Around 4,000 patients, who started antiretroviral therapy during 2001 to 2006, were examined by the researchers.
The results of the study showed that those of tuberculosis who were given nevirapine had high levels of HIV in their systems than those who were without tuberculosis. However, the researchers didn’t find any differences in those patients who were starting efavirenz with and without TB treatment.
Some scientists believe that the breakdown of nevirapine in the body speeds up because of the TB drugs.
According to study leader Dr. Andrew Boulle, “We need further research in this connection to find out the real cause of nevirapine ineffectiveness in patients with TB.”
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