WHO certifies Dolutegravir safe for HIV/AID treatment
The World Health Organisation( WHO) has certified anti-retrovial drug Dolutegravir(DTG) safe for use by pregnant women and women of childbearing age .
In a statement on its official website on Monday, WHO stated that even though initial studies indicated DTG as having a possible link with neutral tube defects in infants born to women using the drug at the time of conception, recent studies have shown that the drug is far more tolerable than the older drug efavirenz.
The agency also stated that DTG as an HIV drug is more effective, easier to take and has fewer side effects than other drugs currently in use .
DTG also has a high genetic barrier to developing drug resistance, which is important given the rising trend of resistance to EFV and nevirapine-based regimens.
In 2019, 12 out of 18 countries surveyed by WHO reported pre-treatment drug resistance levels exceeding the recommended threshold of 10 per cent.
All of above findings informed the decision to update the 2019 guidelines, and the newly updated recommendations aim to help more countries improve their HIV policies, WHO said.
For any medications, informed choice is important as every treatment decision needs to be based on an informed discussion with the health provider weighing the benefits and potential risks, WHO added.
