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Article: Garlic Reduces Saquinavir Blood Levels 50%; May Affect Other Drugs.
- Article from:
- AIDS Treatment News
- Article date:
- December 21, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 John S. James. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A study at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found that garlic supplements reduced blood levels of the protease inhibitor saquinavir by 51%. The garlic preparation, an amount equivalent to about two 4-gram cloves per day, was taken for 21 days by healthy HIV-negative volunteers. Then saquinavir was given for four days, and compared to a baseline four-day saquinavir dosing before the garlic was started. (1)
Later, after a 10-day washout with no saquinavir and no garlic, the volunteers were given a third 4-day dose of saquinavir. Even after 10 days off garlic, the saquinavir blood levels after a third four-day dosing only reached 60-70% ...