The effect of tenofovir on renal function in HIV-positive adult patients

What is it about?

The study compared retrospective creatinine clearance data of 312 (64%) antiretroviral treatment naïve adults exposed to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and 173 (36%) unexposed patients, and concluded that TDF did not pose a serious threat to renal function in patients with normal baseline renal function. Routine baseline renal function screening was therefore the most important procedure needed before administering tenofovir and periodic renal function screening was necessary for pharmacovigilance.

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Why is it important?

The high HIV burden setting of Lesotho, was one of the first to use tenofovir for routine antiretroviral treatment in Southern Africa when other countries were still hesitating to use the drug due to renal toxicity fears that were reported during clinical trials. Renal outcomes from Lesotho were therefore of great interest globally. This study was one of the first to assess renal function outcomes following the use of TDF in routine clinical use in Lesotho.

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