A report in next month's issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases links the HIV medication Ziagen to Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Authored by French physicians from Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, the article analyzes the case of a 37-year-old HIV-infected man who contracted Stevens-Johnson 13 days after beginning treatment with antibiotics and Ziagen (Abacavir).

According to the report, Ziagen therapy was immediately discontinued and symptoms of Stevens-Johnson syndrome resolved. The disorder did not reappear when antibiotic treatment was resumed. Researchers involved in the case believe it is the first report of Ziagen causing the skin disorder.