MONITORING HIV/AIDS PATIENTS
For HIV/AIDS patients, a skipped pill could mean the difference between
health and hazard for the entire population. A breath monitoring device
developed by scientists at the University of Florida and Xhale Inc.
could
help prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV, by
monitoring medication adherence in high-risk individuals.
The researchers developed the adherence monitor by incorporating minute
amounts of an alcohol into a gel capsule. The additive, called
2-butanol, is
one of many GRAS - Generally Recognized as Safe - compounds approved by
the
Food and Drug Administration for use in foods. The monitor records the
results of each breath test, allowing patients to bring a memory card
or USB
key to the clinic once a month and receive a printout of their results.
"For HIV, it's been shown that if you don't take a very high percentage
of
your medication, you may as well not take medication at all," said Dr.
Richard Melker, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of
Florida
College of Medicine and chief technology officer for Xhale. While
experts
have tried many methods to monitor drug adherence, ranging from daily
log
books to blister packs that record the time each pill is dispensed,
Melker
asserts that only directly observed therapy, or DOT, works well. "If we
had a
good way of doing DOT that's realistic, instead of having someone come
to
your house or you going to clinic every day of your life, then we would
know
whether these people stopped taking their medication and why," Melker
said.
Visit
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20080422A11 to learn more.
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