Liver Fibrosis May Be Speeded By Viramune

HIV-positive adults who also are coinfected with hepatitis C could experience more rapid progression of liver fibrosis'the dangerous buildup of collagen fiber deposits between liver cells'when taking the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor Viramune, according to a study in the March 26 edition of the journal AIDS. The study of 152 HIV-HCV-coinfected adults showed that Viramune use was significantly associated with accelerated fibrosis progression; 14 of 46 coinfected adults in the Viramune arm of the study developed advanced fibrosis while taking the drug. Because the study subjects also had other risk factors for fibrosis development the researchers cannot conclude that Viramune use was the only contributing factor to fibrosis progression, but they say their findings still indicate anti-HIV drugs other than Viramune should be used to treat HIV-HCV-coinfected patients.