NNRTIs Are Shown to Lead to Faster CD4-Cell Rebound

An anti-HIV regimen that includes a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor leads to a quicker rebound in CD4-cell counts than a protease inhibitor'based therapy, according to a study in the November 1 edition of Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. An examination of more than 1,500 patients showed that NNRTI use was associated with quicker rebounds in all patients, regardless of such variables as age, sex, viral load, or baseline CD4-cell count. In the subjects who began a drug treatment with fewer than 200 CD4 cells'the AIDS-defining threshold'NNRTIs also were shown to more quickly boost CD4 levels above that threshold.