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South African HIV/AIDS experts are supporting use of the antiretroviral drug, Nevirapine, despite US warnings of potential adverse effects with long-term use.
In a recent public advisory, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the drug - often used to prevent mothers passing the virus to unborn children - caused life-threatening liver failure and skin rashes within a few weeks of taking it.
However, James MacIntyre, a professor at Johannesburg's Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital, told the South African Broadcasting Corporation that Nevirapine was still the drug of choice.
MacIntyre said the latest advisory by the FDA confirmed that there was no evidence of liver toxicity in the single-dose intake of Nevirapine for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the HI virus.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions