Hepatoxicity of new antiretrovirals: a systematic review

There has been a major paradigm shift in the management of HIV infected patients, with earlier initiation of antiretroviral treatment and lifelong exposure to drugs for which long-term safety issues must be faced by clinicians. Within the past 5 years, new drugs from both previously established and novel therapeutic classes have been released that tend to be safer and more efficient than their former combinations. Although hepatotoxicity was one of the most common side effects from initial antiretrovirals, phase II/III safety data regarding liver tolerance from more recent drugs are reassuring. However, data on the long-term exposure to these therapeutic options are needed, and a handful of case reports are emerging, reporting rare but potentially life-threatening adverse hepatic events in patients with hepatitis co-infection or taking other hepatotoxic drugs.