Similar efficacy of raltegravir when used with or without a protease inhibitor in treatment-experienced patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with multiclass-resistant HIV-1 have limited treatment options. Raltegravir, an inhibitor of integrase, has shown excellent efficacy when used with protease inhibitors (Pis) in patients with drug-resistant HIV-1. Limited data are available however about the outcomes when using raltegravir without Pis in this population. METHODS: Medical records of subjects who received raltegravir as part of the Merck EAP study 0518 were reviewed and abstracted at participating sites. Eligibility criteria included HIV positivity, age ≥ 16 years, limited or no treatment options due to resistance or intolerance to multiple antiretroviral regimens, detectable viremia on current treatment regimen, and documented resistance to at least one drug in each antiretroviral class (PI, NNRTI, and nucleoside analogue). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected locally using a standardized collection form. Genotypic susceptibility scores (GSS) were determined from the most recent genotypic resistance test available prior to the initiation of raltegravir. The main objective was to compare virologic results in patients who received raltegravir with a PI versus those who received raltegravir without a PI. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-two subjects were evaluated from the respective sites in the EAP trial, of whom 340 were evaluable. The baseline mean HIV RNA was 4.6 log copies/ mL, and the mean CD4 cell count was 159 cells/µL. The median number of total and new antiretroviral agents in the background regimen was 4 and 2, respectively. Among the 254 patients who received a PI, the most common PI used was darunavir (89%). Etravirine was commonly used in both groups: 39% of the PI group and 67% of the non-PI group. At week 12, 67% of PI patients and 64% of non-PI patients achieved HIV RNA <75 copies/mL and 85% and 86%, respectively, achieved HIV RNA <400 copies/mL GSS, which was similar in both groups at baseline, predicted achieving an HIV RNA of <400 and 75 copies/mL at week 12 (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In treatment-experienced patients, the combination of raltegravir with a regimen not containing a PI (used with etravirine in two-thirds of patients) had similar virologic activity when compared to more standard regimens using raltegravir with a PI. The main determinant of efficacy was the number of active drugs as measured by GSS. These data expand the potential utility of raltegravir in patients with multidrug-resistant HIV.

Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of etravirine with and without darunavir/ritonavir or raltegravir in treatment-experienced patients: analysis of the etravirine early access program in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Etravirine, a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, was provided through an international early access program (EAP) prior to regulatory approval. METHODS: The Phase III, nonrandomized, open-label EAP investigated etravirine 200 mg twice daily plus a background regimen (BR) in patients who had failed multiple antiretroviral regimens. Efficacy and safety are reported for HIV-infected adults from the United States through week 48, including subgroups receiving etravirine +/- darunavir/ritonavir and/or raltegravir. RESULTS: The intent-to-treat population included 2578 patients; 62.4% and 56.7% of patients received darunavir/ritonavir and raltegravir, respectively, in their BR. At week 48, 62.3% of patients achieved viral loads <75 copies per milliliter; responses across subgroups were similar. Median CD4 count increase from baseline was >100 cells per cubic millimeter. No unexpected safety concerns emerged; serious AEs and deaths due to AEs, considered possibly related to etravirine, occurred in 2.0% and 0.3% of patients, respectively. Discontinuations due to AEs were low overall (4.4%) and comparable across subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Etravirine combined with a BR, often including other new antiretrovirals, such as darunavir/ritonavir and/or raltegravir, provided an effective treatment option in treatment-experienced patients with HIV-1.

Immunotherapy with canarypox vaccine and interleukin-2 for HIV-1 infection: termination of a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether immunotherapy of chronic HIV-1 infection can prevent or attenuate viremia upon antiviral discontinuation. DESIGN: This was a Phase II randomized, partially double blinded, 2x2 factorial study of three steps of 12 wk/step. Step I involved four groups: (1) vaccine placebo, (2) vaccine (ALVAC, vCP1452), (3) placebo + interleukin 2 (IL-2), and (4) vaccine + IL-2. Step II involved a 12-wk diagnostic treatment interruption (DTI). Step III involved an extension of the DTI for an additional 12 wk. SETTING: The Weill-Cornell General Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Chronically infected HIV-1 positive adults with undetectable HIV-1 levels and > 400 CD4+ T cells/microl. INTERVENTIONS: An HIV canarypox vaccine (vCP1452) and vaccine placebo, administered every 4 wk for four doses, and low-dose IL-2 administered daily for 12-24 wk. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary endpoints: (1) Proportion of participants with undetectable plasma HIV RNA during trial Step II, (2) mean log10 HIV RNA copies/ml ([HIV]) from weeks 21-25, and (3) proportion of individuals eligible for trial Step III. RESULTS: 44 participants were randomized, but 16 withdrew or were withdrawn before completing Step II. As all participants underwent viral relapse in Step II, the study was terminated after 28 participants completed Step II. Among the four groups, there was no difference in mean [HIV] or the proportion of individuals with < log10 4.48 HIV; no difference between the mean [HIV] of the two groups that received ALVAC (n = 17) versus placebo (n = 11); and no significant difference between the mean [HIV] of the two groups that received IL-2 (n = 11) versus placebo (n = 17). CONCLUSIONS: Neither ALVAC (vCP1452) nor low-dose daily IL-2 nor their combination prevented the relapse of viremia upon discontinuation of antiviral therapy.

Role of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose in the Work-up of Febrile AIDS Patients. Experience with Dual Head Coincidence Imaging.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This study was undertaken to find the role of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F18-FDG) in the diagnostic work-up of febrile Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients. Forty-seven (42 male and 5 female; mean age = 40.3 years) febrile patients with AIDS underwent imaging with F18-FDG by Dual Head Coincidence Imaging (DHCI). Findings were correlated with other imaging modalities.RESULTS: Our data show good sensitivity for scanning with F18-FDG by DHCI in determining the extent of Castleman's disease, lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), adenocarcinoma, and germ cell carcinoma. Various opportunistic infections also manifest with increased F18-FDG uptake.CONCLUSION: Total-body imaging can be done with F18-FDG with better resolution and a shorter procedure time compared to imaging with Gallium-67 (Ga-67). Furthermore, F18-FDG is more sensitive than Ga-67 for evaluating extent of involvement in various pathologies affecting AIDS patients. The new technology of DHCI is a good alternative for hospitals with no dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) scanner.