The purpose of this study is to see if giving the anti-HIV drug nevirapine (NVP) to HIV-positive pregnant women and their babies can help reduce the chance that a mother will give HIV to her baby during delivery. This study will also test the safety of the drug and see how well it is tolerated by the mother and her baby.

Previous studies suggest that NVP is a promising medication for blocking HIV transmission from HIV-positive mothers to their babies.

Nevirapine has several properties that make it an attractive candidate for antiretroviral therapy to interrupt HIV-1 transmission in the intrapartum and early postpartum period. The pharmacokinetic profile suggested that nevirapine would be rapidly absorbed and transferred to the infant in utero when given during labor and delivery. In addition, nevirapine has been shown to penetrate cell-free virions and inactivate virion-associated reverse transcriptase (RT) in situ. This property would be potentially useful in inactivating cell-free virions in the genital tract as well as in breast milk. These characteristics of nevirapine suggest that treatment of an HIV-infected pregnant woman in labor with an oral dose of nevirapine may provide a prophylactic level of nevirapine in the infant during the time of exposure to virus in the birth canal and/or maternal blood. In addition, nevirapine may inactivate the virion-associated RT present in cell-free virions in the genital tract or breast milk.

Women are randomized to receive either NVP or the corresponding placebo in active labor. Women are randomized at any time after their 32nd week gestation [AS PER AMENDMENT 1/13/98: 28th week gestation] [AS PER AMENDMENT 2/23/00: 20th week gestation]. The randomization is stratified using two factors: (1) use of [AS PER AMENDMENT 2/23/00: current or anticipated] antiretroviral therapy during the current pregnancy (no therapy at all; monotherapy for any duration; multi-agent therapy for any duration), and (2) CD4 cell count at the time of randomization (less than 200 cells; 200 - 399 cells; 400 cells or greater). Mothers are followed on study for 4 to 6 weeks postpartum. Mothers are also encouraged to follow the regimen of zidovudine (ZDV) outlined in the Office of Public Health and Science (PHS) treatment guidelines for both themselves and their infants. Infants are administered either NVP or placebo between 48 and 72 hours of life. The infant's study drug is the same as the mother's randomized treatment assignment. Infants are dosed with the study drug according to their randomization group regardless of whether the mother received the study drug. Infants are followed for 4 to 6 weeks, and are tested for HIV at 4 to 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months.

• HIV Infections
• Pregnancy

• Newell ML, Huang S, Fiore S, Thorne C, Mandelbrot L, Sullivan JL, Maupin R, Delke I, Watts DH, Gelber RD, Cunningham CK; PACTG 316 Study Team. Characteristics and management of HIV-1-infected pregnant women enrolled in a randomised trial: differences between Europe and the USA. BMC Infect Dis. 2007 Jun 20;7:60.
• Cunningham CK, Chaix ML, Rekacewicz C, Britto P, Rouzioux C, Gelber RD, Dorenbaum A, Delfraissy JF, Bazin B, Mofenson L, Sullivan JL. Development of resistance mutations in women receiving standard antiretroviral therapy who received intrapartum nevirapine to prevent perinatal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmission: a substudy of pediatric AIDS clinical trials group protocol 316. J Infect Dis. 2002 Jul 15;186(2):181-8.
• Mirochnick M, Dorenbaum A, Blanchard S, Cunningham CK, Gelber RD, Mofenson L, Culnane M, Sullivan JL. Predose infant nevirapine concentration with the two-dose intrapartum neonatal nevirapine regimen: association with timing of maternal intrapartum nevirapine dose. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2003 Jun 1;33(2):153-6.
• Cunningham CK, Balasubramanian R, Delke I, Maupin R, Mofenson L, Dorenbaum A, Sullivan JL, Gonzalez-Garcia A, Thorpe E, Rathore M, Gelber RD. The Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in the United States in Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 316. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2004 Jul 1;36(3):800-807.
• Watts DH, Balasubramanian R, Maupin RT Jr, Delke I, Dorenbaum A, Fiore S, Newell ML, Delfraissy JF, Gelber RD, Mofenson LM, Culnane M, Cunningham CK; PACTG 316 Study Team. Maternal toxicity and pregnancy complications in human immunodeficiency virus-infected women receiving antiretroviral therapy: PACTG 316. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Feb;190(2):506-16.

Inclusion Criteria

Women may be eligible for this study if they:

• Are HIV-positive.
• Are at least 20 weeks pregnant. (This study has been changed. Women no longer have to be 28 weeks pregnant.)
• Have consent from the child's father (if available).
• Are at least 13 years old (consent of parent or guardian required if under 18).

Exclusion Criteria

Women will not be eligible for this study if they:

• Have ever taken NNRTIs (nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors).
• Are enrolled in another pregnancy treatment study.
• Are allergic to benzodiazepines.
• Have liver disease.
• Plan to breast-feed.