Research Spotlight
Dr. Chris Rathbun
R. Chris Rathbun, Pharm.D., BCPS, AQ-ID, AAHIVE
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy: Clinical and Administrative Sciences
Dr. Chris Rathbun joined the College of Pharmacy in 1991 and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy: Clinical and Administrative Sciences in Oklahoma City. His research interests include new HIV therapies, medication adherence, and infectious diseases. For the past 20 years, he has been actively involved in HIV research.
When asked about changes he has observed in regard to HIV therapy over the years, Dr. Rathbun stated that the introduction of protease inhibitors (PIs) has been one of the most significant advances in therapy.
The high activity of protease inhibitors in combination with other HIV medications helps slow the progression of the disease by allowing the patient’s immune system a chance to recover, thus extending life expectancy. Most newly diagnosed patients with HIV infection can now have a normal life expectancy with proper treatment. Dr. Rathbun is currently conducting a study entitled: “The Pharmacokinetics of Lopinar/Ritonavir in Combination with Atazanavir in HIV-Infected Subjects.” This project targets a specific sub-population of HIV patients that have displayed extensive resistance to current, standard of care treatment, which represents approximately 5 to 10% of the total HIV population. Since protease inhibitors can be associated with deleterious drug interactions, characterization of interactions with other HIV drugs as well as other medications patients commonly receive becomes important for the delivery of safe and effective therapy. The project has generated several other potential research avenues including examining the causal relationship between specific HIV drug combinations and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities.
In conjunction, the issue of effective medication adherence is extremely important for HIV patients’ therapy. One avenue of monitoring patient adherence is the use of an electronic monitoring device that keeps track of the number of times a medication bottle is opened. Dr. Rathbun has conducted several studies using this technology to assess the impact of various pharmacist interventions to improve adherence and to determine adherence rates associated with specific HIV therapies.