HIV drug could raise heart attack risk

From the Irish Times:
A widely used anti-HIV drug could raise heart attack risk by encouraging blood clots to form, according to a new study by Irish scientists that was unveiled at a major international conference in Canada last week.

The Dublin-based researchers showed that patients on the anti-viral drug Abacavir have stickier blood platelets – which can clump to form clots – than patients who are not taking that drug as part of their therapy.

HIV infection itself is thought to increase heart attack risk, but last year a Danish-led study of more than 30,000 HIV-infected patients found that Abacavir appeared to almost double that risk, said Dr Paddy Mallon, consultant in infectious diseases at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital and a lecturer in medicine at University College Dublin. ...more

Drug for treating HIV may raise heart attack risk, manufacturer warns

From the Canadian Press:
A drug used in combination with other antiretrovirals to treat HIV infection has been linked with an increased risk of heart attack, the medication's manufacturer warned Monday.

GlaxoSmithKline, in conjunction with Health Canada, is advising patients taking abacavir-containing products - sold under the brand names Ziagen, Kivexa and Trizivir - of concerns raised by a recent study in The Lancet about the possible elevated heart attack risk.

Patients should not stop taking any of the abacavir-containing medications without first consulting their doctor, the company said in a release. Patients should also discuss any serious, pre-existing cardiovascular disease with their physician.

"Health-care professionals thoroughly consider the overall benefit versus the risk of a medication for each individual patient before prescribing," the company said. "If patients have questions regarding their current prescription, they are asked to contact their doctor." ...more

FDA reviews safety of HIV drugs from Glaxo, Bristol-Myers after heart attack risks

From the Canadian Press:
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday recent data show patients taking HIV drugs from GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb may have increased risk of heart attack.

FDA said data pooled from a 33,000-patient study of HIV patients showed those taking Glaxo's Ziagen and Bristol-Myers' Videx had a greater chance of heart attack than patients on other medications.

Labelling changes could be needed for the drugs, FDA said, though it stressed it is still working with incomplete data. The agency does not have information on heart attack risks of two other drugs in the class of virus-fighting medications. ...more