An important study has claimed that children who were exposed to nevirapine at their birth in a view to prevent transmission of HIV from mother-to-child and then given a protease inhibitor (PI) for treating viral were found to be at the benefitting end. The children were linked with lower rates of viremia incidence if they were treated with nevirapine, in comparison to children who stick to Protease inhibitor (PI) therapy.

The PI-based treatment is given on initial basis in a view to lower viral infection in infants surviving with HIV who have been hit by nevirapine for PMTCT.

These study findings were published in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

According to the latest guidelines, children exposed to nevirapine at birth are advised to be offered with therapies based on ritonavir-boosted lopinavir.

The study spearheaded by Ashraf Coovadia, M. B. Ch. B., of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, was conducted in a bid to analyze the efficacy of nevirapine-based therapy compared to ritonavir-boosted lopinavir for viral suppression among children exposed to nevirapine at births.

"Guidelines now recommend starting treatment among all HIV-infected infants as soon as possible after diagnosis following a trial demonstrating better outcomes if treatment is initiated immediately rather than waiting until standard prognostic indicators are reached:, The researchers concluded.