Raltegravir and lamivudine have been part of highly active therapy regimens throughout the past years of antiretroviral therapy. A fixed-dose, single-tablet regimen comprising a non-poloxamer formulation of the integrase inhibitor raltegravir and the transcriptase inhibitor lamivudine (raltegravir/lamivudine; Dutrebis(®)) has been recently licensed for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. In several Phase I pharmacokinetic studies, one Dutrebis (150 mg lamivudine/300 mg raltegravir) fixed-dose combination tablet showed a higher bioavailability but comparable lamivudine and 400 mg raltegravir poloxamer exposures. Thus, the co-administration of raltegravir together with lamivudine created a potent, effective, well-tolerated antiretroviral combination, which could be more convenient for the patient. However, the disadvantage of twice a day administration, and the existence of other fixed-dose combinations limit its widespread clinical use. This article reviews pharmacokinetics data and appraises their potential use in current and future HIV therapy.
Keywords: Dutrebis; bioavailability; fixed-dose combination; formulation; integrase inhibitors; lamivudine; pharmacokinetics; raltegravir.