NRTI agents

All NRTI agents, as well as tenofovir, carry the risk of lactic acidosis with hepatic steatosis as a potential adverse event. 

Several anti-HBV agents have anti-HIV activity as well, including lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, and tenofovir. Emtricitabine, an antiretroviral NRTI, is under clinical evaluation for HBV treatment. Because NRTI agents may be used in patients co-infected with HBV and HIV, it is important to note that acute exacerbation of hepatitis may occur upon discontinuation or interruption of these agents. 

Adefovir dipivoxil is well tolerated. A dose-dependent nephrotoxicity has been observed in clinical trials, manifested by increased serum creatinine with decreased serum phosphorous and more common in patients with baseline renal insufficiency and those receiving high doses (60 mg/d). Other potential adverse effects are headache, diarrhea, asthenia, and abdominal pain. As with other NRTI agents, lactic acidosis and hepatic steatosis are considered a risk owing to mitochondrial dysfunction. No clinically important drug-drug interactions have been recognized to date. Pivalic acid, a by-product of adefovir dipivoxil metabolism, can esterify free carnitine and result in decreased carnitine levels. However, it is not felt necessary to administer carnitine supplementation with the low doses used to treat patients with HBV (10 mg/d). 

There are currently six major antiretroviral drug families (Table 5). Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) are nucleoside analogs (discussed in more detail in chapter by De Clercq and Neyts, this volume) and were the first approved antiretroviral agents. They include drugs such as AZT, didanosine (ddl), stavudine (d4T), abacavir (ABC), and lamivudine (3TC), the latest used at doses of 300 mg daily as anti-HIV agent (lOOmg/day is the dosing approved for treatment of HBV... 

Bone marrow suppression ZDV Onset Few weeks to months Symptoms Fatigue, risk of T bacterial infections due to neutropenia anemia, neutropenia 1. Advanced HIV 2. High dose ZDV 3. Preexisting anemia or neutropenia 4. Concomitant use of bone marrow suppressants Avoid in patients with high risk for bone marrow suppression avoid other suppressing agents monitor CBC with differential at least every 3 months Switch to another NRTI D/C concomitant bone marrow suppressant, if possible for anemia Identify and treat other causes consider erythropoietin treatment or blood transfusion, if indicated for neutropenia Identify and treat other causes consider filgrastim treatment, if indicated... 

Zidovudine (ZDV or AZT) is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) and it was the first anti-HIV agent to be introduced. Other NRTIs include stavudine (d4T), lamivudine (3TC), didano-sine (ddl), abacavir (ABC) and zalcitabine (ddC). Recent additions to this class are emtricitabine (FTC) which has a molecular structure similar to 3TC and tenofovir (TDF) a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor. 

As a class effect NRTIs are associated with lactic acidosis and hepatic steatosis, conditions which may occur more frequently in pregnant women. The individual NRTIs have their own adverse reactions. Pancreatitis is seen with lamivudine, stavudine, di-danosine and rarely with zalcitabine while the latter three agents can also induce peripheral neuropathy. 

The replicative cycle of HIV presents many opportunities for the targeting of antiviral agents. The drugs in clinical use are classified as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NTRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PI). 

Resistance to these agents limits their usefulness, particularly as monotherapy. Resistance generally results from the appearance of mutations in reverse transcriptase cross-resistance to multiple NRTIs also occurs. 

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread) is a prodrug of tenofovir, a phosphorylated adenosine nucleoside analogue, and is the only available agent of its class. It is converted by cellular enzymes to tenofovir diphosphate, which competes with deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) for access to reverse transcriptase and causes chain termination following its incorporation. Tenofovir was approved as part of a combination therapy for HIV in adults who failed treatment with other regimens it appears to be effective against HIV strains that are resistant to NRTIs. The pharmacokinetic properties of tenofovir are provided in Table 51.2. 

Zidovudine was the first agent to be used to prevent the transmission of HIV from a pregnant woman to her child. It was given to the mother at 14 to 34 weeks gestation and to the child for the first 6 weeks of life. Current combination therapies employ zidovudine with another NRTI and a protease inhibitor. 

The second class of agents comprises non-competitive inhibitors of reverse transcriptase. These agents are also referred to as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Unlike NRTIs, NNRTIs do not require phosphorylation to be activated and do not compete with nucleoside triphosphates. The NNRTIs bind to a site on the viral reverse transcriptase that is close to but separate from the NRTI receptor site. This binding ultimately results in blockade of RNA- and DNA-dependent DNA... 

More recently, RTIs that are chemically distinct from zidovudine and other NRTIs have also been developed (see Table 34-3). These agents are known as nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNR-TIs), and include drugs such as delavirdine (Rescrip-tor), efavirenz (Sustiva), and nevirapine (Viramune).32 These drugs also inhibit the reverse transcriptase enzyme, but act at a different site on the enzyme than do their NRTI counterparts. 

Mechanism of Action. RTIs impair HIV replication by inhibiting the reverse transcriptase enzyme that is needed to convert viral RNA to viral DNA (Fig. 34-3). With regard to zidovudine and the other NRTIs, these agents enter viral-infected cells, where they are progressively phosphorylated (activated) by... 

TIs also inhibit the reverse transcriptase enzyme s ability to perform one of the initial steps in HIV replication. The NNRTIs, however, directly inhibit the active (catalytic) site on this enzyme, whereas zidovudine and other NRTIs serve as false substrates that take the place of the substance (thymidine) normally acted on by this enzyme (see Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Mechanism of Action ). Hence, NNRTIs provide another way to impair one of the key steps in HIV replication, and these drugs can be used along with other agents (NRTIs, protease inhibitors) to provide optimal benefits in preventing HIV replication and proliferation (see the next section). 

Many recreational drugs such as benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and opioids are also metabolized by the liver. Although information is scant about the clinical significance and interactions between these drugs and antiretroviral agents, unintentional overdoses with methamphetamine and gamma hydroxybutyrate have been reported in patients using Pis, particularly ritonavir. Pis and NRTIs may alter metabohsm of methadone and precipitate opioid withdrawal (McCance-Katz et al., 2003). 

Almost all NRTIs cause non-specific gastrointestinal and general adverse effects (nausea, sleep disturbances, headache) that are difficult to attribute to a single agent and usually disappear after the first 2-4 weeks of therapy. 

Initial regimens usually consist of two NRTIs plus either a potent PI or NNRTI. Frequent changes in therapy are required over time due to adverse effects, lack of response, or both. As a general rule, NRTIs do not require dose adjustments when combined with other ARVs. However, Pis and NNRTIs tend to have complex metabolisms and in combination affect each other s levels and potency. Drug resistance occurs with all available agents, and resistance to one agent will often confer resistance to the entire class (Table 59-1). 

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