Raw research findings for this medication. Mostly single studies, not curated or confirmed robust.
Abacavir is an HIV medicine of the NRTI group (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors): it is built into the viral DNA as it is copied and stops the chain from growing. It is taken together with other HIV medicines. It is sold as Ziagen and is part of several combination tablets.
Abacavir is the best-known example of a gene test before a prescription. About 5 to 8 in 100 people of European ancestry carry HLA-B*57:01, an immune-system gene version that makes a serious hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir much more likely; it is rarer in people of African and East Asian ancestry. CPIC and DPWG have published guidelines on HLA-B*57:01 and abacavir, and the US drug label requires screening before treatment. Very few other genes have been studied.
Clinical guidelines that name a gene for Abacavir. They sort people into groups by the gene copies they carry.
CPIC guideline: HLA-B. *57:01 negative · *57:01 positive. Strong. 2014.
DPWG guideline: HLA-B. *57:01 positive. 2011.
US FDA: HLA-B. *57:01 positive.
US FDA: HLA-B. *57:01 positive. Data that Support Therapeutic Management Recommendations.
Every published finding on gene variants and Abacavir. Upload your DNA file to see which of these rows apply to you.
PharmGKB weighs all studies of a variant and rates how strong the evidence is, from 1A (strongest) to 4.
HLA-B HLA-B*57:01: Level 1A · replicated. Toxicity: Drug Hypersensitivity, HIV infectious disease. 11.
LST1;LTA;LTB rs3093726: Level 3. Toxicity: Drug Hypersensitivity. 1.
Study findings and evidence levels: PharmGKB (CC BY-SA 4.0). Guidelines: CPIC and DPWG, as bundled in PharmCAT. Most studies were done mainly in people of European ancestry.
More drugs from the same category
Not a prescribing recommendation. This page is educational information about pharmacogenomic research and clinical guidelines - it is not medical or dosing advice, and not a prediction of how any medication will work for you. Never start, stop, or change a medication or dose based on it; talk to your doctor or pharmacist, who can order clinical-grade testing if appropriate.
Content updated September 2026.
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