• Long-term comparative outcomes of indinavir (IDV) vs. nelfinavir (NFV)-based HAART in naive patients in routine clinical practice (Poster, WePeB4142)
  Authored by M.J. Pérez-Elías, A. Moreno, J.L. Casado, V. Muñoz, A. Antela, F. Dronda, L. Moreno, S. Moreno (Spain)

There has as yet not been a randomized study comparing nelfinavir to indinavir. Given that indinavir, when given without ritonavir, is taken every eight hours, it is considered a more challenging medication to comply with. This study explored the outcomes in a group of patients who were given one of these two protease inhibitors (PIs) in combination with nucleoside antivirals. Researchers in Madrid (Spain) did the study. They reported their findings on 134 people, 90 who were on indinavir, and 44 who were on nelfinavir.

Overall at one year, there were similar success rates at achieving a viral load below 50 copies (both around 90%). However, at about two years of follow-up, significantly more of the people followed were still on nelfinavir (70%) versus on indinavir (45%). This study supports much of the work that has been done in the past few years to make indinavir an easier drug to take, including adding some dose of ritonavir which allows it to be taken just twice a day.