(Johannesburg)  Patients with HIV on second-line antiretroviral (ARV) treatment are significantly more likely to experience treatment failure than those on first-line treatment, according to new research by health NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the MSF study looked at the treatment outcomes of 632 patients in resource-limited settings in Africa and Asia. The research found that patients who started second-line treatment at CD4 counts below 200, and who adhered to treatment less than 80 percent of the time, were more likely to experience treatment failure on second-line ARV regimens.

The research also showed that patients who had two of their nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) [a class of ARV medication] drugs changed at the start of second-line therapy were less likely to experience treatment failure than those who only had one of this kind of ARV changed.

Read the full article on plusnews.org.