5.2.2 Although there is most evidence and experience in pregnancy with zidovudine plus lamivudine,

tenofovir plus emtricitabine or abacavir plus lamivudine are acceptable nucleoside backbones. Grading: 2C Most data on the efficacy of cART in pregnancy are based on a three/four drug combination selleck including a zidovudine/lamivudine backbone. Where treatment has been started at, or prior to, 28 weeks these studies have demonstrated transmission rates of 1% or less [4, 64, 67, 68]. The adult prescribing guidelines now recommend tenofovir/emtricitabine or abacavir/lamivudine as first-line therapy on the basis of safety, tolerability and efficacy (BHIVA guidelines for the treatment of HIV-1 positive adults with antiretroviral therapy 2012; http://www.bhiva.org/Guidelines.aspx). No studies have compared

the safety and efficacy of the three, fixed-dose, dual nucleoside/nucleotide combinations that constitute the backbone of cART, in pregnancy. Zidovudine-based and zidovudine-sparing regimens are equally safe and efficacious (see Section 5.1: Conceiving on cART). Based on their antiviral efficacy in non-pregnant adults, transplacental transfer, and mode of action, it is unlikely that these newer combinations will be less effective than zidovudine/lamivudine as part of cART LGK-974 supplier in pregnancy. 5.2.3 In the absence of specific contraindications, it is recommended that the third agent in cART should be efavirenz or nevirapine (if the CD4 cell count is less than 250 cells/μL) or a boosted Phosphoprotein phosphatase PI. Grading: 1C The choice of third agent should be based on safety, tolerability and efficacy in pregnancy. Based on non-pregnant adults, BHIVA guidelines for the treatment of HIV-1 positive adults with antiretroviral therapy 2012 (http://www.bhiva.org/Guidelines.aspx) recommended an NNRTI,

with efavirenz preferred to nevirapine, or a boosted PI of which lopinavir or atazanavir have been most widely prescribed. For the pregnant woman, there is more experience with nevirapine since efavirenz has until recently been avoided in pregnancy. The Writing Group consider there to be insufficient evidence to recommend the avoidance of efavirenz in the first trimester of pregnancy, and include efavirenz in the list of compounds that may be initiated during pregnancy. Despite the well-documented cutaneous, mucosal and hepatotoxicity with nevirapine at higher CD4 T-lymphocyte counts, nevirapine remains an option for women with a CD4 T-lymphocyte count of less than 250 cells/μL. Nevirapine is well tolerated in pregnancy, with several studies suggesting this to be the case even above the stated CD4 cell count cut-off [69-72]; has favourable pharmacokinetics in pregnancy [73-75] and has been shown to reduce the risk of MTCT even when given as a single dose in labour, alone or supplementing zidovudine monotherapy or dual therapy [76-78]. In a meta-analysis of 20 studies 3.2% of the 3582 participants experienced severe hepatotoxicity and 3.