Objective: To assess safety and tolerability of enfuvirtide, an antiretroviral, in Thai patients with advanced HIV-1 disease who have received antiretroviral treatment and failed on regimens that contain at least one of each antiretroviral (ARV) classes (PIs, NRTIs, and NNRTIs), or who have intolerance to previous antiretroviral regimens.

Material and Method: An open-label non-comparative study of enfuvirtide used in salvage regimens along with the backbone antiretroviral therapy of choice in Thai HIV-1 experienced cases that have been treated with at least one of each available ARV classes.

Results: Twenty-three patients were recruited from five participating centers. Seventeen patients (74%) completed 96 weeks of the treatment. Six patients prematurely withdrew from the present study in which three expired from HIV related complications, two withdrew consents, and one from adverse event. The most common adverse event is  injection site reactions, which occurred in 22 patients. The manifestations and intensity varied from rash, erythema, edema, pain, induration, and bleeding at the injection sites, to inflammatory nodules. Most of the patients tolerated the treatment well. Enfuvirtide administered along with other antiretroviral combination provided a good control of the disease.

Conclusion: Enfuvirtide was well tolerated by Thai patients who participated in the present study. The adverse events did not compromise the patient compliance.

Keywords: Enfuvertide, Injection site reaction, HIV drugs resistance, Compassionate use program