The safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profiles of lopinavir and ritonavir in pediatric patients below the age of 14 days have not been established. Lopinavir and ritonavir should not be administered once daily in pediatric patients.

  


An open-label, multi-center, dose-finding trial was performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile, tolerability, safety and efficacy of lopinavir and ritonavir oral solution containing lopinavir 80 mg/mL and ritonavir 20 mg/mL at a dose of 300/75 mg/m2 twice daily plus two NRTIs in HIV-infected infants ≥14 days and < 6 months of age. Results revealed that infants younger than 6 months of age generally had lower lopinavir AUC12 than older children (6 months to 12 years of age), however, despite the lower lopinavir drug exposure observed, antiviral activity was demonstrated as reflected in the proportion of subjects who achieved HIV-1 RNA <400 copies/mL at Week 24 [see Adverse Reactions (6.2), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3), Clinical Studies (14.4)]. 

  


Safety and efficacy in pediatric patients > 6 months of age was demonstrated in a clinical trial in 100 patients. The clinical trial was an open-label, multicenter trial evaluating the pharmacokinetic profile, tolerability, safety, and efficacy of lopinavir and ritonavir oral solution containing lopinavir 80 mg/mL and ritonavir 20 mg/mL in 100 antiretroviral naïve and experienced pediatric patients ages 6 months to 12 years. Dose selection for patients 6 months to 12 years of age was based on the following results. The 230/57.5 mg/m2 oral solution twice daily regimen without nevirapine and the 300/75 mg/m2 oral solution twice daily regimen with nevirapine provided lopinavir plasma concentrations similar to those obtained in adult patients receiving the 400/100 mg twice daily regimen (without nevirapine) [see Adverse Reactions (6.2), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3), Clinical Studies (14.4)].

  


A prospective multicenter, open-label trial evaluated the pharmacokinetic profile, tolerability, safety and efficacy of high-dose lopinavir and ritonavir with or without concurrent NNRTI therapy (Group 1: 400/100 mg/m2 twice daily + ≥ 2 NRTIs; Group 2: 480/120 mg/m2 twice daily + ≥ 1 NRTI + 1 NNRTI) in 26 children and adolescents ≥ 2 years to < 18 years of age who had failed prior therapy. Patients also had saquinavir mesylate added to their regimen. This strategy was intended to assess whether higher than approved doses of lopinavir and ritonavir could overcome protease inhibitor cross-resistance. High doses of lopinavir and ritonavir exhibited a safety profile similar to those observed in previous trials; changes in HIV-1 RNA were less than anticipated; three patients had HIV-1 RNA <400 copies/mL at Week 48. CD4+ cell count increases were noted in the eight patients who remained on treatment for 48 weeks [see Adverse Reactions (6.2), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].

  


A prospective multicenter, randomized, open-label study evaluated the efficacy and safety of twice-daily versus once-daily dosing of lopinavir and ritonavir tablets dosed by weight as part of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in virologically suppressed HIV-1 infected children (n=173). Children were eligible when they were aged < 18 years, ≥ 15 kg in weight, receiving cART that included lopinavir and ritonavir, HIV-1 ribonucleic acid (RNA) < 50 copies/mL for at least 24 weeks and able to swallow tablets. At week 24, efficacy (defined as the proportion of subjects with plasma HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies per mL) was significantly higher in subjects receiving twice daily dosing compared to subjects receiving once daily dosing. The safety profile was similar between the two treatment arms although there was a greater incidence of diarrhea in the once daily treated subjects.