Sawyer lead author on ART Drug-Drug Interaction guidelines

By Kara Sweet

For Release: May 10, 2019

Joshua Sawyer, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, is the lead author on ART Drug-Drug Interaction guidelines, a reference for clinicians who manage the care of patients with HIV.

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The guidelines, developed in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute Medical Care Criteria Committee, provide a central source of information on drug-drug interactions involving antiretroviral medications, allowing primary care clinicians to safely prescribe antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is now recommended for all patients diagnosed with HIV to improve the health of the patient, optimize virologic suppression, and reduce transmission.

Individuals with HIV have a greatly increased risk of concomitant exposure to several simultaneous medications, including those used to treat common chronic conditions seen in patients not living with HIV. This can have unintended consequences, including increased risk of drug-drug interactions and associated adverse events. Drug-drug interactions may also decrease virologic control of HIV, increasing the risk of drug resistance and HIV-associated symptoms.

View the guidelines at https://www.hivguidelines.org/antiretroviral-therapy/ddis.

For over 130 years, the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has continually been a leader in the education of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, renowned for innovation in clinical practice and research. The school is accredited by the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) and ranked as one of the top 25 schools of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences in the United States.