HIV & AIDS Information :: Study examines transmitted HIV drug resistance in Asia

HIV & AIDS Information :: Study examines transmitted HIV drug resistance in Asia: "Prevalence of transmitted drug resistance among patients starting HIV therapy in Asia stands at 14%, investigators report in the April 15th edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The study was conducted at eight sites in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand between 2007 and 2009 and involved 682 patients.

“Primary HIV drug resistance is emerging in Asia after rapid scale-up of ART [antiretroviral therapy] use”, comment the investigators.

However, the author of an accompanying editorial believes that some patients may have been infected with resistant strains of HIV when sub-optimal therapy was being used in the era before low-cost generic antiretrovirals became available, or were exposed to one or two-drug regimens during this period. He also notes that a large proportion of the cases identified in the study involved virus that was resistant due to a natural mutation. He therefore does not believe that routine resistance testing in the region would be the best use of limited resources.

It is estimated that there are 4.7 million HIV infections in Asia."