Decay kinetics of HIV-1-RNA in seminal plasma with dolutegravir/lamivudine versus dolutegravir plus emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide in treatment-naive people living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: This was a substudy of a Phase IV, randomized clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04295460) aiming to compare the activity of dolutegravir/lamivudine versus dolutegravir plus tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine (DTG + TAF/FTC) in the male genital tract. METHODS: Participants were asymptomatic adults without sexually transmitted diseases, treatment-naive people living with HIV (PLWH), with CD4+ T cell counts >200 cells/mm3 and plasma HIV-1-RNA levels >5000 and <500 000 copies/mL, randomized (1:1) to DTG + TAF/FTC or dolutegravir/lamivudine. Blood plasma (BP) and seminal plasma (SP) were collected at baseline and Weeks 4, 8, 12 and 24. HIV-1-RNA was measured in BP and SP using the Cobas 6800 system (Roche Diagnostics) with a lower detection limit of 20 copies/mL. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of subjects with undetectable SP HIV-1-RNA at Week 12 by intention-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen participants in the DTG + TAF/FTC and 16 in the dolutegravir/lamivudine arms were analysed, with basal SP viral load of 4.81 (4.30-5.43) and 4.76 (4.09-5.23), P = 0.469, respectively. At Week 12, only one participant in each treatment arm had a detectable SP HIV-1-RNA (DTG + TAF/FTC, 141 copies/mL; dolutegravir/lamivudine, 61 copies/mL). Based on the estimated means, there was no significant difference in the decay of HIV-1-RNA in both BP and SP over time between the two arms of treatment (F = 0.452, P = 0.662, and F = 1.147, P = 0.185, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: After 12 weeks of treatment, there were no differences in the percentage of undetectable SP HIV-1-RNA in naive PLWH who started dolutegravir/lamivudine compared with DTG + TAF/FTC.

Stability of temocillin in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy: is it a real option?

BACKGROUND: Temocillin is an interesting alternative to carbapenems for susceptible Enterobacteriaceae. Although its use in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) programmes has generated interest, this has been hampered by the lack of stability data. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the physical and chemical stability of temocillin at the recommended dose for its use in OPAT programmes, contained in polypropylene infusion bags or polyisoprene elastomeric devices at different temperatures, and to describe a novel LC-MS/MS developed for the quantification of temocillin. METHODS: Temocillin daily dose (6 g) was diluted in 500 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride to obtain a final concentration of 12 g/L. This solution was stored at 4°C, 25°C, 32°C and 37°C for 72 h, both in polypropylene infusion bags and in polyisoprene elastomeric pumps. Physical and chemical stability were evaluated during 72 h after manufacturing. Solutions were considered stable if colour, clearness and pH remained unchanged and if the percentage of intact drug was ≥90%. RESULTS: Temocillin attained the chemical stability criterion of ≥90% of the original concentration for the whole experiment in both devices at 4°C, 25°C and 32°C. At 37°C, temocillin was stable for 24 h but its concentration dropped below 90% from that timepoint. No precipitation occurred and minor colour changes were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Temocillin is stable under OPAT conditions and it would be an appropriate candidate for the treatment of patients who can be discharged to complete therapy in an OPAT programme. For this study, an LC-MS/MS method was developed.

Association between Vancomycin Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Clinical and Microbiological Efficacy in a Cohort of Neonatal Patients.

Vancomycin pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets have not been validated in the neonatal population as no specifically designed studies are available. The main goal of this study was to analyze the therapeutic vancomycin regimen, the 24-h area under the curve (AUC24), and the trough plasma concentration (Ct) obtained that achieved clinical and microbiological effectiveness in a cohort of neonates. This was an observational, prospective, single-center study covering a period of 2 years. Eligible patients were neonates and young infants who were undergoing treatment with intravenous vancomycin for ≥72 h with ≥1 Ct available. The primary outcome was the association of Ct and AUC24 with clinical and microbiological efficacy at the beginning (early clinical evolution [ECE]) and the end (late clinical evolution [LCE]) of treatment with vancomycin. A total of 43 patients were included, 88.4% of whom were cured. In ECE, the cutoff points of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were 238 mg · h/L (sensitivity of 61% and specificity of 88%) for AUC24 and 6.8 µg/mL (sensitivity of 61% and specificity of 92%) for Ct. In LCE, the Ct value was 11 µg/mL, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 92%. In this analysis, AUC24 was not considered a good predictor. Logistic regression showed that a vancomycin Ct of ≤6.8 µg/mL was associated with an unfavorable ECE (P = 0.001), being 18 times more likely to progress poorly compared to those with higher levels. AUC24 and Ct are good predictors of ECE in this population. Concentrations close to 7 µg/mL and an AUC24 of around 240 mg · h/L 48 h after antibiotic initiation seem to be sufficient to achieve clinical cure in most cases.

Is Once-Daily High-Dose Ceftriaxone plus Ampicillin an Alternative for Enterococcus faecalis Infective Endocarditis in Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Programs?

Ceftriaxone administered as once-daily high-dose short infusion combined with ampicillin has been proposed for the treatment of Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis in outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy programs (OPAT). This combination requires synergistic activity, but the attainment of ceftriaxone synergic concentration (Cs) with the regimen proposed for OPAT has not been studied. This phase II pharmacokinetic study enrolled healthy adult volunteers who underwent two sequential treatment phases. During phase A, volunteers received 2 g of ceftriaxone each 12 h during 24 h followed by a 7-day wash-out. Then the participants received phase B, which consisted of a single dose of 4 g of ceftriaxone. Throughout both phases, each volunteer underwent intensive pharmacokinetic (PK) sampling over 24 h. Ceftriaxone total and unbound concentrations were measured. Twelve participants were enrolled and completed both phases. Mean ceftriaxone total and free concentrations 24 h after the administration of 2 g each 12 h were 86.44 ± 25.90 mg/liter and 3.59 ± 1.35 mg/liter, respectively, and after the 4-g single dose were 34.60 ± 11.16 mg/liter and 1.40 ± 0.62 mg/liter, respectively. Only 3 (25%) patients in phase A maintained unbound plasma concentrations superior to the suggested Cs = 5 mg/liter during 24 h, and none (0%) in phase B. No grade 3 to 4 adverse events or laboratory abnormalities were observed. Ceftriaxone optimal exposure combined with ampicillin to achieve maximal synergistic activity against E. faecalis required for the treatment of infective endocarditis remains unknown. However, the administration of a single daily dose of 4 g of ceftriaxone implies a reduction in the time of exposure to the proposed Cs. (This study has been registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials [EudraCT] database under identifier 2017-003127-29.).

Modulation of Monocyte Activation and Function during Direct Antiviral Agent Treatment in Patients Coinfected with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus.

The activation phenotypes and functional changes in monocyte subsets during hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients were evaluated. Twenty-two HIV/HCV-coinfected patients on suppressive combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) achieving HCV elimination after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy and 10 HIV-monoinfected patients were included. The activation phenotype (10 markers) and polyfunctionality (intracellular interleukin-1α [IL-1α], IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], and IL-10 production) in three monocyte subsets (classical, intermediate, and nonclassical) were evaluated by flow cytometry before and at the end of treatment. Cell-associated HIV DNA levels were assayed by droplet digital PCR. After HCV clearance, there was a significant increase in classical monocyte and decreases in intermediate and nonclassical monocyte levels. The levels of the activation markers CD49d, CD40, and CX3CR1 were decreased after treatment in the monocyte subsets, reaching the levels in HIV-monoinfected patients. After lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, although polyfunctionality significantly decreased in intermediate and nonclassical monocytes, some combinations, such as the IL-1α- (IL-1α-negative) IL-1ß- IL-6+ (IL-6-producing) IL-8- TNF-α- IL-10- combination, were remarkably increased at the end of treatment compared to the control group. Cell-associated HIV DNA levels correlated with activation markers before but not after treatment. HCV clearance after DAA treatment in patients on cART exerts an anti-inflammatory profile on monocyte subsets, activation phenotypes, and polyfunctionality. However, there is not a complete normalization compared with HIV-monoinfected patients.

Is immune recovery different depending on the use of integrase strand transfer inhibitor-, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase- or boosted protease inhibitor-based regimens in antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected patients?

OBJECTIVES: To analyse whether integrase inhibitor (InSTI)-based regimens achieve better immunological recovery than NNRTI- or boosted PI (bPI)-based regimens as initial ART. METHODS: In a retrospective analysis, we selected patients who initiated ART with two NRTIs plus an InSTI, an NNRTI or a bPI and maintained both the same 'third drug' and an HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL in ≥95% of determinations once undetectable viral load had been achieved. We compared CD4+ count, %CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratio recovery over 2 years. Data were analysed using mixed-effects regression models for repeated measures. RESULTS: Of the 836 patients included, 208, 481 and 147 initiated with InSTI, NNRTI and bPI, respectively. For CD4+, %CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ two main slopes were identified: from month 0 to month 6, with the highest increments; and from month 6 to month 24, with smaller increases every semester. Although the patients on InSTI achieved undetectable viral load faster, for CD4+ and %CD4+ there were no differences in the slopes of change according to the third drug either for the first phase (P=0.137 and P=0.393, respectively) or from month 6 onwards (P=0.834 and P=0.159, respectively). The increase in CD4+/CD8+ was slightly higher for bPI compared with InSTI (difference of 0.0119, 95% CI 0.0020-0.0205; P=0.018), but clinically negligible. From month 6 onwards, no differences were found between treatment groups (P=0.176). CONCLUSIONS: Immune restoration measured as CD4+ count, %CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ increases was independent of the third antiretroviral drug class used when given with two NRTIs.

Genetic diversity of HIV in seminal plasma remains higher than in blood after short-term antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To provide insight on viral kinetics and genetic diversity of HIV in seminal plasma at baseline and 1 month after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood and seminal samples from patients with newly diagnosed HIV were obtained before ART initiation (T0) and 1 month after ART initiation (T1). HIV env genetic diversity was studied using deep sequencing Nextera and V3 chemistry in a MiSeq Illumina platform. The number of viral quasispecies (5% cut-off) and Shannon Index were used to analyse diversity. RESULTS: Forty-seven ART-naive patients were recruited between September 2016 and November 2018. At enrolment, the number of quasispecies in blood (median 4 (IQR 2-5)) was lower than in the seminal compartment (median 6, (IQR 4-8)) (p<0.01); the Shannon Index was also higher (p<0.001) in the seminal compartment than in blood (1.77 vs 0.64). At T1, for the 13 patients with detectable HIV in both blood/seminal plasma, viral diversity remained higher (p=0.139) in seminal plasma (median 2 (IQR 1-4.5)) than in blood (median 1 (IQR 1-1.5)) Integrase inhibitors (INI)-based regimens achieved higher levels of undetectability and led more frequently to lower variability (p<0.001) than protease inhibitors (PI) or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI). CONCLUSION: We provide here further evidence of a larger genetic diversity in seminal plasma, both at diagnosis and short term after ART initiation. Our results strengthen previous findings on HIV diversity in seminal plasma. In addition, INIs decrease variability more rapidly than PI and NNRTI in both blood and seminal plasma.

Incidence of lymphoma in HIV-HCV-infected patients. Modifications in function of the anti-hepatitis C virus therapy.

The change in the incidence of lymphomas in function of the presence or absence of sustained virological response after anti-hepatitis C therapy in a cohort of human immunodeficiency (HIV)-hepatitis C (HCV) viruses coinfected patients was analyzed. A prospective cohort of 755 HIV-HCV coinfected patients who received their first anti-HCV therapy, based on interferon + ribavirin schemas, was evaluated. Incidence and histologic types of lymphomas were analyzed in two periods: (1) before administration of anti-HCV therapy and (2) after anti-HCV therapy. The association between lymphoma incidence and demographic, HIV- (minimum CD4+ cell count and CD4+ cell count at diagnosis of lymphoma, antiretroviral therapy, maximal HIV load and HIV load at diagnosis of lymphoma) and HCV-related variables (HCV load, genotype, sustained viral response to anti-HCV therapy) were analyzed. A total of 13 lymphomas [incidence rate (95% confidence interval), 0.72 (0.33-1.11) × 1000 person-years, time from HIV diagnosis to lymphoma diagnosis (median, interquartile range), 15 (11-19) years] were diagnosed. Nine of them were non-Hodgkin and four Hodgkin lymphomas. The median CD4+ T cell count at diagnosis of lymphoma was 457/mm3, with only two cases with values lower than 200/mm3. The incidence rate of non-Hodgkin lymphomas was similar pre- and post-anti HCV therapy [0.33 (0.00-0.65) vs 0.68 (0.08-1.26) × 1000 person-years, respectively, p > 0.05]. Patients with sustained virologic HCV response showed similar incidence rate of lymphomas than that of those without anti-HCV response. In conclusion, anti-HCV therapy does not modify the incidence rate of lymphomas in HIV-HCV coinfected patients.

Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Reduces Immune Activation, Microbial Translocation, and the HIV DNA Level in HIV/HCV-Coinfected Patients.

Background: There are contradictory data about the influence that hepatitis C virus (HCV) has on immune activation and inflammation in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV. Methods: HIV/HCV-coinfected patients receiving antiretroviral treatment who achieved a sustained virological response with interferon-free regimens were consecutively enrolled in a prospective study. The following factors were assessed before, immediately after the end of, and 1 month after the end of therapy: expression of HLA-DR/CD38, PD-1, and CD57 on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells; measurement of the total HIV DNA load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells; and determination of plasma levels of soluble CD14 (sCD14), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA), interleukin 6 (IL-6), D-dimers, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Results: Ninety-seven patients were consecutively included. At the end of therapy and 1 month later, there were significant reductions in the expression of HLA-DR and CD38 in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as levels of proviral HIV DNA, sCD14, LPS, 16S rDNA, and D-dimer (P < .001). By contrast, the expression of PD-1 and CD57 in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and levels of IL-6 and hsCRP did not change. The improvement in levels of immune activation markers, proviral HIV DNA, and microbial translocation markers did not translate into an increased CD4+ T-cell count or increased ratio of the CD4+ T-cell count to the CD8+ T-cell count. Conclusions: HCV eradication in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients results in significant decreases in levels of immune activation markers, proviral HIV DNA load, microbial translocation markers, and D-dimers. These findings support the use of HCV treatment for all HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, even those with low-grade fibrosis.

Viral Kinetics in Semen With Different Antiretroviral Families in Treatment-Naive Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: There are several regimens for starting antiretroviral treatment, but it remains unknown whether either of them is more advantageous regarding the time course and magnitude of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA decay in semen. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the differential effect of different antiretroviral drug families on viral kinetics in seminal plasma (SP) of treatment-naive HIV-infected patients. METHODS: Phase II, randomized, open-label study in which participants were randomized 1:1:1 to receive tenofovir-disoproxil fumarate (DF) plus emtricitabine, and either cobicistat-boosted elvitegravir (EVGcobi), rilpivirine (RPV), or ritonavir-boosted darunavir (DRVrtv). The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants with undetectable HIV-RNA in SP at week 12. HIV type 1 (HIV-1) RNA was measured in paired SP and blood plasma (BP) at baseline and after 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18, and 24 weeks. Elvitegravir (EVG), RPV, and darunavir (DRV) concentrations were quantified by the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. RESULTS: In SP, the HIV-RNA decay rate with RPV was as fast as with EVGcobi; by week 12, all participants in the RPV and the EVGcobi groups reached an undetectable viral load but only 58.3% in the DRVrtv arm (P = .003). The highest SP/BP drug concentration ratio was for EVG (0.43), followed-up by RPV (0.19), and DRV (0.10). For both EVG and RPV, the SP concentrations exceeded >2-fold the protein binding-adjusted EC90 for wild-type HIV-1; for DRV, only 33.7% of the SP showed concentrations above the protein binding-adjusted EC90. CONCLUSIONS: In SP, both RPV and EVGcobi, associated to tenofovir-DF and emtricitabine, behave similarly and achieve an undetectable viral load much faster than DRVrtv. REGISTRATION: European Medical Agency (No. EudraCT: 2014-001348-39).

Pharmacokinetic interactions between cobicistat-boosted elvitegravir and darunavir in HIV-infected patients.

Objectives: To evaluate if there are significant drug-drug interactions between cobicistat-boosted elvitegravir and 800 mg darunavir once daily taken simultaneously, as has been suggested previously. Methods: The study population consisted of three groups of unselected volunteers taking a regimen of elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (150, 150, 200 and 300 mg, respectively) co-formulated in a single tablet plus 800 mg darunavir (group A); only co-formulated elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (group B); and cobicistat-boosted darunavir (800 mg darunavir + 150 mg cobicistat) plus two nucleos(t)ide analogues (group C). Elvitegravir, cobicistat and darunavir concentrations at the end of the dosing interval ( C 24 ) were quantified using a validated LC with tandem MS method. Results: A total of 170 samples were obtained from 24, 32 and 32 patients in groups A, B and C, respectively. In group A, the elvitegravir C 24 were similar to those in group B (233.67 versus 250.39 ng/mL) ( P = 0.406) and the darunavir C 24 were similar to those in group C (1293.54 versus 1319.34 ng/mL) ( P = 0.908). The cobicistat C 24 were comparable in groups A and B (20.2 versus 20.9 ng/mL) and slightly higher in group C (27.7 ng/mL) ( P = 0.059). Conclusions: The results provide evidence of similar elvitegravir and darunavir C 24 concentrations when these drugs are co-administered as co-formulated elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate plus 800 mg darunavir or dosed separately.

HIV-1 p24 and CD4+ T cell count during boosted protease-inhibitor monotherapy in HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Plasma HIV p24 is considered a significant predictor of CD4+ T cell decline and progression to AIDS in HIV-infected patients. We evaluated the p24 levels in patients on triple therapy and after switching to ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor monotherapy (mtPI/rtv), as well as the relationships with virological and immunological evolution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma samples from patients participating in two studies of simplification to mtPI/rtv were analysed for presence of p24, using a boosted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for mature p24. Only patients with available samples at baseline (on triple therapy) and during a follow-up of at least 12 months after switching to mtPI/rtv were included. RESULTS: A total of 233 samples from 51 patients were analysed. After switching to mtPI/rtv and a median follow-up of 24 months, 14 patients maintained continuous undetectable viraemia, and 37 patients experienced a total of 49 transient viraemic episodes. Unexpectedly, the evolutionary p24 patterns were uniform for most patients, both before and after switching to mtPI/rtv, independently of the virological behaviour, fitting into one of three categories: persistent undetectable p24 levels, positive p24, matching only with the viraemic episodes, and persistent detectable p24 levels. The last group showed lower CD4+ T cell counts and percentages, as well as lower CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratios after 12 and 24 months of follow up. CONCLUSION: Treatment simplification to mtPI/rtv does not influence the behaviour of p24 in plasma. Patients with continuous positive p24, despite undetectable viraemia, showed worse immunological evolution.

Telaprevir and ribavirin interaction: higher ribavirin levels are not only due to renal dysfunction during triple therapy.

A higher incidence of anemia has been observed during the treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (HCV-1) infection with pegylated alpha interferon (pegIFN-α), ribavirin, and telaprevir. We assessed the impacts that concomitant administration of telaprevir and changes in the glomerular filtration rate have on ribavirin plasma levels. The minimum concentrations of ribavirin in plasma (ribavirin Cmin) determined during triple therapy including telaprevir were compared with those observed after telaprevir withdrawal and those observed in the same subjects and in a large cohort during a previous course of pegIFN-α plus ribavirin. Intensive pharmacokinetic sampling for ribavirin was performed at steady state during the triple-therapy phase. Ribavirin levels were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Twenty-seven HCV-1/HIV-coinfected patients were enrolled. The median ribavirin Cmin for triple therapy (4.08 µg/ml; range, 2.14 to 5.56 µg/ml) was higher than that observed after telaprevir withdrawal (1.96 µg/ml; range, 0.41 to 3.45 µg/ml) (P < 0.001) and that observed for 125 HCV-1/HIV-coinfected patients treated only with pegIFN-α plus ribavirin (1.65 µg/ml; range, 0.41 to 5.56 µg/ml) (P < 0.001). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreased >20% from the baseline value in 11 of 27 patients and became normal after telaprevir removal in almost all cases. There was a negative correlation between eGFR and ribavirin clearance (r(2) = 0.257; P = 0.064) but not the ribavirin area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 12 h (AUC0-12) (r(2) = 0.001; P = 0.455). Thus, there is a significant pharmacokinetic interaction between telaprevir and ribavirin that results in very high ribavirin levels, which explains the excess of toxicity observed with this drug combination. A blockade of the proximal tubular transporters might be implicated in both the increase in plasma creatinine and the high ribavirin levels. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01818856.).

Role of ritonavir in the drug interactions between telaprevir and ritonavir-boosted atazanavir.

BACKGROUND: Detrimental bidirectional pharmacokinetic interactions have been observed when telaprevir (TVR) and ritonavir (RTV)-boosted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors are coadministered in healthy volunteers. Our aim was to evaluate the role of RTV in the bidirectional TVR and atazanavir (ATV) interactions. METHOD: An open-label, sequential study was carried out in hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV-coinfected patients on a RTV-boosted ATV-based (ATVr) antiretroviral regimen (300/100 mg every 24 hours) and triple therapy for chronic C hepatitis genotype 1 (TVR, 1125 mg every 12 hours, pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin). Pharmacokinetic profiles were acquired before and after switching from ATVr to unboosted ATV (200 mg every 12 hours). The plasma levels of both drugs were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental analysis and compared by geometric mean ratios and their 90% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Fourteen white HCV/HIV-coinfected males were enrolled in this study. After RTV was withdrawn, the TVR AUC(0-12) (area under the concentration-time curve), maximum concentration (C(max)), and minimum concentration (C(min)) values increased by 19% (7%-30%), 12% (0.9%-29%), and 18% (2%-34%), respectively, without any changes in the TVR terminal half-life. The ATV AUC(0-12), C(max), and C(min) values were 39% (13%-66%), 19% (8%-59%), and 48% (1%-96%) higher, respectively, with a significantly shorter terminal half-life (22.6 hours vs 10.4 hours). CONCLUSIONS: RTV is responsible for the adverse interactions that occur when TVR and ATVr are administered together, possibly by influencing either the absorption phase or first-pass metabolism of TVR. The boost effect of TVR on ATV exposure is higher than on RTV, despite its shorter terminal half-life. The coadministration of TVR and unboosted ATV results in increased exposure of both drugs compared with their coadministration with RTV. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01818856. European Medicines Agency EudraCT no. 2012-002515-25.

Long-term effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of doravirine in antiretroviral-experienced people with HIV in real life.

Real-life data on doravirine (DOR) in different drug combinations are limited. We evaluated the effectiveness of DOR plus two nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), mainly abacavir/lamivudine, and dual therapies in people with HIV (PWH), mostly virologically suppressed. Ambispective observational study that enrolled adults PWH who initiated a DOR-based regimen from September 2020 to February 2022 at a referral center in Spain. Participants were grouped as follows: A, received DOR plus two NRTI; B, dual therapy (DT) with DOR plus dolutegravir (DTG) or darunavir/cobicistat (DRVc); C, DOR plus ≥two antiretroviral drugs. The primary endpoints were treatment effectiveness at week 48 by intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol analysis (OT). A cohort of 187 participants, 91% virologically suppressed, were analyzed after a median follow-up of 112 weeks (80-136). Group A received DOR plus abacavir/lamivudine (ABV/3TC) (n = 109) or tenofovir/emtricitabine (TFV/3TC) (n = 45). At week 48, the effectiveness of DOR plus ABV/3TC by ITT was 90.8% (CI95, 88.0-93.6), better than with TFV/FTC [73.3% (66.7-79.9); P = 0.003]. Only one virologic failure was observed. Mild adverse effects were the cause of treatment discontinuation in 7.8%, followed by switching to a single-tablet regimen. In group B, the effectiveness by ITT was 92.9% (CI95, 88.0-97.8) at week 48. No adverse effects or virologic failure were registered in this group. DOR plus two NRTI or DT have long-term effectiveness and safety as a switching option for PWH, mostly virologically suppressed. The DOR plus ABV/3TC combination has shown even better effectiveness than TFV/FTC.IMPORTANCEDOR-based regimens have shown long-term effectiveness and safety in PWH, mostly virologically suppressed. The combination of DOR plus ABV/3TC has shown even better safety and effectiveness than TFV/FTC. DOR plus two NRTI offers cost benefits compared to other regimens.

Lopinavir plasma concentrations and virological outcome with lopinavir-ritonavir monotherapy in HIV-1-infected patients.

There is significant intra- and intersubject variability in lopinavir (LPV) plasma concentrations after standard dosing; thus, this prospective study was conducted to determine whether low plasma LPV concentrations could be associated with virological outcome throughout lopinavir-ritonavir maintenance monotherapy (mtLPVr) in the clinical practice setting. If this hypothesis would be confirmed, LPV drug monitoring could improve the efficacy of mtLPVr regimens. Patients with previous virological failure (VF) on protease inhibitor-based regimens were also included if the genotypic resistance tests showed no major resistance mutation associated with reduced susceptibility to lopinavir-ritonavir. VF was defined as 2 consecutive determinations of HIV RNA levels of >200 copies/ml. Efficacy was analyzed by per-protocol analysis. Plasma LPV trough concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography using a UV detector. A total of 127 patients were included (22% with previous failure on protease inhibitors). After 96 weeks, the efficacy rate was 82.3% (95% confidence interval [CI(95)], 75.3 to 89.3%). Virological efficacy was independent of LPV plasma concentrations even when LPVr was given once daily. An adherence of <90% (HR, 4.4 [CI(95), 1.78 to 10.8; P = 0.001]) and the presence of blips in the preceding 12 months (HR, 3.06 [CI(95), 1.17 to 8.01; P = 0.022]) were the only variables independently associated with time to VF. These findings suggest that the LPV concentrations achieved with the standard doses of LPVr are sufficient to maintain virological control during monotherapy and that measurement of LPV concentrations is not useful for predicting virological outcome. Tight control of viral replication in the previous months and strict adherence throughout the mtLPVr regimen could improve the virological efficacy of this maintenance regimen.

HIV-1-specific T-cell responses and exhaustion profiles in people with HIV after switching to dual therapy vs. maintaining triple therapy based on integrase inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Dual therapy (DT) has shown comparable results to triple therapy (TT) in efficacy and other immunological aspects. However, there are still some concerns about DT, including several immunological features. Therefore, we evaluated whether HIV-1-specific memory T-cell responses and exhaustion phenotypes are adversely influenced after simplification to DT. METHODS: HIV-1-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses were assessed by intracellular cytokine and degranulation marker staining, and polyfunctionality indexes after stimulation with a Gag peptide pool. Exhaustion phenotypes were evaluated by PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3 expression in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. RESULTS: Forty participants in the TRIDUAL trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03447873) who were randomized to continue integrase inhibitor-based TT (n = 20) or to switch to DT (dolutegravir or darunavir/cobicistat plus lamivudine) (n = 20). After 96 weeks, the magnitude of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses was similar in both treatment arms (p = 0.221 and p = 0.602, respectively). The CD4+ polyfunctionality index decreased in the TT arm (p = 0.013) and remained stable in the DT arm, while the polyfunctionality of CD8+ T cells was unchanged in both arms. There was a significant decrease in the expression of PD-1, TIM-3, and the co-expression of PD-1+TIM-3+LAG-3+, and PD-1 +TIM-3 + in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. However, the decrease in the expression of exhaustion markers did not improve HIV-1-specific T-cell responses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that simplification to DT does not negatively influence the HIV-1-specific T-cell response or the exhaustion phenotype after 96 weeks of follow-up.