My friend has started Viraday 30 days back, she got a very severe red rash with itching all over her body and ulcers inside the mouth after taking the medicine for 8 days, she stopped the medicine, Her CD4 was 180 and viral load 70,000 when she started the medicine VIRADAY. Her rash has subsided now after 10 days of antihistamine. What medication do you suggest now , is there any other single dose daily medicine with less side effects ?

Hello and thanks for your post.

Viraday is a generic copy of the medication Atripla (tenofovir/FTC/efavirenz). It certainly seems like your friend had developed a serious allergic reaction to one of the components of the medication--usually it's the efavirenz part that causes the serious rash.

As you suggest, it's entirely appropriate to consider a different treatment regimen, especially with her CD4 count well below current thresholds for treatment and at an AIDS-defining level.

Unfortunately, there aren't any other single dose, once-daily combinations today. There is one (and maybe two) in development, but it will take a while to see whether these newer medication combinations are safe and effective.

BY