CDC Revises Guidelines for Expanded Use of Preventive HIV Regimens

In a move that could boost the market for HIV drugs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued revised guidelines recommending that physicians provide antiretroviral drugs to patients exposed to HIV from rapes, accidents, injection-drug use or unsafe sex.

The new guidelines released by CDC call for HIV drug cocktails to be given to patients who seek treatment no more than 72 hours after high-risk exposure with a person known to be HIV-infected. Treatment should be continued for a period of 28 days, CDC said. In cases where the patient is unsure of the HIV status of the person who was the possible source, CDC said physicians should evaluate the risks and benefits of prescribing the antiretroviral drugs on a case-by-case basis.

The new guidelines are a departure from the government's previous stance on the issue, which recommended early treatment -- known as postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) -- only for healthcare workers exposed to HIV on the job from incidents such as needle sticks or blood splashes. CDC started recommending PEP use for healthcare workers in 1996.

To view the new guidelines, go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5402a1.htm (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5402a1.htm).