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On Tipranavir - be careful it might kill you!
Other recent news articles Something for Weekend Radio 13/12/2006 Tainted Blood 16/10/2006 Conferences and Kaletra 15/9/2006 Department of Wealth... 14/8/2006 On Tipranavir - be careful it might kill you! 12/7/2006
HIV drug linked to bleeds in the brain
| Other recent news articles | |
| Something for Weekend Radio | 13/12/2006 |
| Tainted Blood | 16/10/2006 |
| Conferences and Kaletra | 15/9/2006 |
| Department of Wealth... | 14/8/2006 |
| On Tipranavir - be careful it might kill you! | 12/7/2006 |
Created: 20:32, 12/7/2006
Tipranavir, also called Aptivus, has caused a scare among doctors in the US about intracranial haemorrhages. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the states has warned healthcare professionals about the risks of bleeding heads in people on 500mg of Tipranavir (250mg twice a day) which comes with a dash of ritonavir to boost the anti-HIV effects.
The drug has been linked to 14 intracranial haemorrhages including 8 deaths out of 6840 people on drug trials. The risks are not just at the beginning of therapy either, with the median time to the haemorrhage being 18 months.
The FDA recommend that it should be used with caution in "patients with factors that increase the risk for bleeding", which means us lot! A report on medscape.com does not specifically mention haemophilia but does use the term 'coagulopathy' which is a catch all for bleeding disorders.
As they note, "Many of the cases occurred in patients with contributing risk factors for ICH, such as central nervous system lesions, head trauma, recent neurosurgery, coagulopathy, hypertension, alcohol abuse, or concomitant therapy with anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents." Those other risk factors for those of you without a medical dictionary are bangs to the head, recent brain surgery, high blood pressure, 18 pints a night, and taking those medicines that would make your bleeding worse.
Tipranavir is generally used for people who have become resistant or have problems with many of the other HIV drugs, sometimes called 'treatment experienced patients'. Since many people with haemophilia have tried a lot of drugs because we were there at the start of treatment this is an important warning. If you are on Tipranavir, Aptivus or that round pill with TPV 250 on it, then you really must talk to whichever doctor prescribes it to you about bleeds to the brain. It may be if you have very few other options and are on regular factor prophylaxis you should stick with it. Other than this situation it might be time to change again (sorry).