Comparing the Safety, Effectiveness, and Tolerability of Three Anti-HIV Drug Regimens for Treatment-Naive Patients

Numerous treatment options are available to HIV infected patients who are antiretroviral (ARV) therapy naive, but an optimal regimen has not yet been established. This study will compare a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimen, a ritonavir (RTV)-enhanced protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimen, and a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-sparing regimen for the initial treatment of HIV infection. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of three study arms. In Arm A, patients will receive lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) twice daily and efavirenz (EFV) once daily before bed. Arm B patients will receive LPV/r twice daily, lamivudine (3TC) once daily, plus either stavudine extended release (d4T XR) once daily, zidovudine (ZDV) twice daily, or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) once daily. Patients in Arm C will receive EFV once daily before bed and 3TC plus either d4T XR once daily before bed, ZDV twice daily, or TDF once daily before bed. Study visits will occur every 4 weeks until Week 24, then every 8 weeks thereafter for a maximum of 96 weeks. Blood will be drawn at every visit and a urine sample will be collected every 8 weeks. Body measurements will be taken at Weeks 24, 48, 72, and 96. Whole body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans will be done at Weeks 48 and 96. Patients must fast before study visits at Weeks 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96. Women in the study will have gynecological assessments every 24 weeks.