Raltegravir: Its use in the Treatment of HIV Infection

Raltegravir is the fi rst integrase strand transfer inhibitor to be approved for the treatment of HIV infection. Administered orally in doses of 400 mg twice daily, it is well-tolerated and has minimal drug-drug interactions with coadministered antiretrovirals and other agents. In clinical trials including treatment-experienced and treatment-naïve HIV-infected adults, raltegravir in combination with other antiretroviral agents has demonstrated a rapid and potent virologic effect and a generally benign safety profi le. Like other antiretrovirals, raltegravir should ideally be given with two additional agents to which the patient’s virus is susceptible based on results of resistance testing. In this context, raltegravir offers a safe and effective option as a component of combination therapy in treatment-experienced patients who are infected with HIV-1 strains showing evidence of resistance to other antiretroviral agents. Pending the availability of longer-term effi cacy and safety data, raltegravir cannot currently be recommended as part of fi rst-line therapy for treatment-naïve patients.