Efavirenz: a review
- 11 April 2007
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
- Vol. 8 (6), 851-871
- https://doi.org/10.1517/14656566.8.6.851
Abstract
Efavirenz is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that in most treatment guidelines is recommended to be taken combined with two nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors, as a preferred first-line regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. The antiretroviral efficacy of efavirenz-based combination regimens is good, as has been demonstrated in many clinical trials. Efavirenz has a long plasma half-life, which allows for once-daily dosing, but, as a consequence of this and the low genetic barrier, it is also prone to select for viral resistance when adherence to therapy is suboptimal. The most frequently encountered side effects are neuropsychiatric symptoms. These side effects are usually transient, but have been shown to persist for up to 2 years after initiation of therapy in some patients. This review outlines important and recent pharmacological and clinical data, which explain why efavirenz became a component of preferred treatment regimens today.Keywords
This publication has 82 references indexed in Scilit:
- Use of Efavirenz Is Not Associated with a Higher Risk of Depressive Disorders: A Substudy of the Randomized Clinical Trial ALIZE-ANRS 099Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2006
- Higher Virological Effectiveness of NNRTI-Based Antiretroviral Regimens Containing Nevirapine or Efavirenz Compared to a Triple NRTI Regimen As Initial Therapy in HIV-1-Infected AdultsHIV Research & Clinical Practice, 2005
- Interpatient variability in the pharmacokinetics of the HIV non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz: the effect of gender, race, and CYP2B6 polymorphismBritish Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2005
- Nevirapine and Efavirenz Elicit Different Changes in Lipid Profiles in Antiretroviral- Therapy-Naive Patients Infected with HIV-1PLoS Medicine, 2004
- Treatment for Adult HIV InfectionJAMA, 2004
- Triple-Nucleoside Regimens versus Efavirenz-Containing Regimens for the Initial Treatment of HIV-1 InfectionNew England Journal of Medicine, 2004
- A randomized trial to study first-line combination therapy with or without a protease inhibitor in HIV-1-infected patientsAIDS, 2003
- Hepatotoxicity associated with nevirapine or efavirenz-containing antiretroviral therapy: Role of hepatitis C and B infectionsHepatology, 2002
- Impact of Switching from Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Protease Inhibitors to Efavirenz in Successfully Treated Adults with LipodystrophyClinical Infectious Diseases, 2000
- EfavirenzDrugs, 1998