A Prospective, Open-label 96-week Observational Pilot Study to Compare the Safety of Efavirenz Versus Nevirapine (Each in Combination With Zidovudine and Lamivudine or Tenofovir and Lamivudine) in Treating HIV Positive Patients With Mild Baseline Liver Function Test Impairment, and/or Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C Co-infection.

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to a significant reduction in AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. However, the frequent occurrence of chronic hepatitis progressing toward cirrhosis and/or hepatocarcinoma has been recognized as an increasing contributor to death of HIV-infected patients since early in the HAART era In China among the estimated 700,000 people living with HIV in China as of 20061, the percentage of HIV/HCV co-infected patients is high at 56.9%2. For these reasons, during HAART scrupulous attention should paid to the patients' liver function. At present, for price consideration, the NNRTI HIV drug used for antiretroviral therapy in China is nevirapine, which may lead to higher potential risk of liver function disturbance in clinical practice than efavirenz4-5.Roberto Manfredi and his colleagues3found that in a NVP treated group, patients showed at least a 2-fold increase of transaminases versus baseline as hepotoxicity index, while in EFV group, the number of patients with hepotoxicity showed a reduction, Also in the same study, time to reach transaminase peak value was shorter in the NVP group, which also demonstrate the liver toxicity side effect in NVP group. Recently some data has also shown an unusually high incidence of liver function disturbance in patients on HIV antiretroviral therapy in China6. Therefore to evaluate frequency and risk of patient hepatotoxicity caused by different HAART regimens in HBV-/HCV- co-infected HIV patients is necessary to provide evidence therapy for what HAART treatment should be used in China.