Severe skin rash with lamivudine in HIV infected patients: Some unusual case reports

Lamivudine (3TC) is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) licensed for as a first line drug in Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and also in the treatment of hepatitis B. It is relatively nontoxic in nature and potentiates the antiviral effects of other NRTIs like zidovudine. Although lamivudine is well-tolerated, certain dermatological side effects like severe skin rash may appear. We report a case series of severe skin rashes in four HIV-infected patients, probably due to lamivudine.