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LB5: It Is Safe to Discontinue Secondary Prophylaxis for PCP in HIV-Infected Patients Treated with HAART: Results from Eight Prospective European Cohorts (Authored by B. Ledergerber, A. Mocroft, P. Reiss, H.J. Furrer, O. Kirk, V. Miller, C. Pradier, C. Uberti-Foppa, A. D'arminio Monforte, M.M. Schneider, and J.D. Lundgren. Univ. Hosp., Zurich, Switzerland; Royal Free Univ. Coll. Med. Sch., London, UK; Natec Academic Med. Ctr., Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Univ. Hosp., Bern, Switzerland; Hvidovre Hosp., Copenhagen, Denmark; J. W. Goethe Univ., Frankfurt, Germany; Hosp. de l'Archet, Nice, France; Hosp. San Raffaele, Milano, Italy; Hosp. L. Sacco, Milano, Italy; and Univ. Hosp., Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Click here to view the original abstract
In this presentation data was presented proving that it is safe to discontinue PCP prophylaxis in HIV-positive people who have had PCP in the past, but are on effective HAART therapy and have experienced a rise in CD4 cells to above 200. The extensive study, which included eight study sights around Europe, included 236 patients (of which 14% were women) who had a previous history of PCP. Follow-up after stopping the prophylaxis for PCP ranged from five to thirteen months, and during this time there was no recurrence of PCP in any of the patients in the study.
The conclusion from this study is that among patients who experience a CD4 rise to above 200 and who have effective viral suppression resulting from HAART; it is safe to discontinue PCP prophylaxis. Doing so will reduce the pill burden on many people and reduce the costs associated with long-term treatment of HIV without compromising the quality of care being provided. Accordingly, CDC guidelines need to be changed to reflect the findings of this study and expand their recommendations for when to discontinue PCP prophylaxis to include patients with a history of PCP, but who have CD4 counts over 200 coupled with effective viral suppression.
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Please note: Knowledge about HIV changes rapidly. Note the date of this summary's publication, and before treating patients or employing any therapies described in these materials, verify all information independently. If you are a patient, please consult a doctor or other medical professional before acting on any of the information presented in this summary. For a complete listing of our most recent conference coverage, click here.
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This article was provided by Seattle Treatment Education Project. 
