Fuzeon Is Unable to Block Transmission During Birth

Fuzeon, the HIV fusion inhibitor marketed by Roche and Trimeris, does not prevent mother-to-child transmissions of HIV, according to a case report of an HIV-positive woman in San Francisco who infected her child during birth. The woman had an undetectable blood-based viral load, but genetic tests showed the only active drug in the woman's antiretroviral regimen was Fuzeon. The medication might not have penetrated the genital tract enough to suppress vaginal HIV levels, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, report in the June 10 edition of the journal AIDS.