Bergdahl S, Jacobsson B, Moberg L, Sönnerborg A
Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, Sweden.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1998 May 1;18(1):51-3. doi: 10.1097/00042560-199805010-00008.
Combined therapy using reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease inhibitors is the current established treatment for HIV-1 infection. Foscarnet is an RT inhibitor that is a product analogue, in contrast to the widely used nucleoside analogues. In this study, the anti-HIV-1 effect of foscarnet, 50 mg three times per day administered intravenously for 4 weeks, was evaluated in 10 patients with minor or no symptoms. Serious adverse events developed in 2 patients, although most patients experienced some side effects. The levels of HIV-1 RNA decreased from a median value of 4.7 to 2.6 10log copies/ml. The effect was sustained through 4 weeks. One week after cessation of treatment, HIV-1 RNA levels increased to baseline. In contrast, no increase in the number of CD4+ cells was observed. The anti-HIV-1 effect was considered to be a direct effect on HIV-1 replication because no patient had concomitant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.
