A popular anti-retroviral drug may double the risk of a heart attack, a study has claimed.Researchers at Copenhagen University have found that Abacavir, an anti-HIV drug which works by reducing the amount of the virus in the body, raises the chance of a heart attack in patients, British medical journal ‘The Lancet’ reported.In fact, the researchers studied 33,000 people before coming to the conclusion. They have also advised patients to consider changing treatment programmes.However, according to the researchers, the risk was not cumulative and, therefore, individuals who had stopped using the drugs were found to have no increased risk within six months.Lead researcher Jens Lundgren said: “If the decision is made to consider discontinuation of the drug, then a full assessment of the possible risks and benefits of their continued use should be undertaken.“Such an assessment must be individualised for each patient. It should take into account their underlying risk of heart attacks, the availability of other treatment options after taking into account their history of past treatment and HIV resistance testing, and the safety profile of alternative HIV medication.”GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Abacavir, has rubbished the findings, saying the company’s own analysis of 54 studies did not suggest a heart risk.“GSK takes the finding seriously and is committed to understanding these data more fully and to communicating openly with treating physicians and regulatory agencies globally,” the pharma giant’s Dr Didier Lapierre said.
