Taking Abacavir? Get a Genetic Test First

The Food and Drug Administration is advising that all HIVers be given a genetic test before taking the anti-HIV drugs Ziagen, Trizivir, and Epzicom to determine if they carry a gene making them prone to allergic reactions to the abacavir in the treatments. Genetic screening could reduce the incidence of severe allergic reactions from 7.8% to 3.4%, says drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline.