There has long been a concern that HIV-positive mothers who are given nevirapine to prevent the transmission of the virus to newborn infants develop resistance to the drug — leaving them unable to take the drug for their own treatment.
A study conducted by Harvard University in Botswana found that if treatment with nevirapine is delayed until six months after the prophylaxis is given to prevent mother to child transmission, there is no resistance or failure in the treatment.
In the tests, the response to treatment with anti-retroviral therapy that includes nevirapine is the same as if they had never been given nevirapine.
The study's results mean that nevirapine can stay in the picture — provided, that is, that pregnant women know their status and are given nevirapine as prophylaxis. About 10 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women in developing countries now get the drug as a prophylaxis.
For women who have to start treatment sooner than six months after child birth, there is a different solution. They should be given the full course of anti AIDS drugs without stopping, researchers say.
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