Leicester research predicts HIV drug adverse reaction
The antiretroviral drug abacavir has helped to revolutionise HIV treatment, requiring many patients to take just two pills once a day, instead of following a complex regime often involving four to five different medications. Failure to comply by missing a dose can have devastating consequences for HIV patients, as the virus can quickly build up resistance to drugs which prevents them working. But the drug can cause a rare but potentially deadly side effect in around one in 20 patients called ‘hypersensitivity syndrome’, leading to a severe skin rash and swollen joints and in rare cases death. This has put a number of patients off the drug who could benefit.
Now patients at Leicester’s infectious diseases unit are being offered gene testing as part of a research project which can accurately predict whether a patient will react through a simple blood test. Patients with the gene HLA B5701 are up to 100 times more likely to have an adverse reaction to the drug. Dr Martin Wiselka of Leicester University Medical School, says “The risk has put doctors and patients off trying the drug, but if we do a gene test before we start and identify the patients who will have a reaction we can use it more widely.” Leicestershire HIV patients are now being routinely gene tested before being considered for the treatment. Those found to be unsuitable can be offered a range of other effective treatments. “We strongly believe that the test will be useful”, added Dr Wiselka. “This is a first drug where we can test for a adverse reaction in advance of prescribing it. This would be useful for other medicines such as penicillin allergy.” The research was funded by Glaxo-Smith Kline and is known as the PREDICT study. There are approximately 700 HIV-positive patients in Leicestershire. The majority are on antiviral treatment. Antiviral treatment has revolutionised the outcome of HIV infection which used to be fatal in all cases. The treatment suppresses the virus but does not cure the disease. Patients are likely to require lifelong treatment but those on treatment remain well, are able to return to work in many cases and can look forward to a virtually normal life expectancy.
