Pregnant women with HIV can safely use raltegravir with no need for dose adjustment to account for changes in body size or blood volume, according to a study reported at ICAAC (abstract H-1668a).
Researchers looked at raltegravir pharmacokinetics in ten HIV positive women in the IMPAACT P1026s study, collecting data from the third trimester of pregnancy through six weeks after delivery. All women took the standard adult dose of 400 mg twice daily.
Raltegravir pharmacokinetic parameters varied widely among study participants, but none were significantly different for the pregnant women as a group compared with non-pregnant adults in prior studies; average raltegravir concentrations usually reached the target therapeutic level. The drug readily crossed the placenta and was detected in umbilical cord blood.
"Raltegravir exposure was not consistently altered during third trimester compared to post-partum and historical data, and the standard dose appears appropriate during pregnancy," the researchers concluded.
Liz Highleyman (liz@black-rose.com) is a freelance medical writer based in San Francisco.
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