Chronic ulcerative herpes simplex virus infection of the vulva.

Herpes simplex virus infections in HIV-infected individuals can be clinically unusual and difficult to treat due to underlying problems with cell-mediated immunity and the occurrence of antiviral resistance. Additionally, partial or incomplete restoration of immune function may result in chronic ulcerations that require rotational treatments. In this report, we describe the case of a 38-year-old HIV-positive woman who developed the ulcerative form of chronic herpes simplex infection despite highly active antiretroviral therapy and valacyclovir prophylaxis. Repeated intravenous courses of foscarnet and topical cidofovir finally controlled her erosions as her cell-mediated immunity was slowly restored. This case highlights the challenges that still exist in diagnosing and managing this rare presentation of herpes simplex virus.

TORO: ninety-six-week virologic and immunologic response and safety evaluation of enfuvirtide with an optimized background of antiretrovirals.

The additional 48-week optional treatment extension of the T-20 versus Optimized Regimen Only (TORO) studies evaluated long-term safety and efficacy of enfuvirtide (ENF) through week 96 in patients receiving ENF plus optimized background (OB) and patients switching to ENF plus OB from OB alone. Patient randomization was 2:1 to ENF plus OB (n = 663) and OB (n = 334), of which 89.7% and 89.8% were male, 89.3% and 88.6% were Caucasian, and median age was 41 and 42 years, respectively. HIV risk factors were comparable between the ENF plus OB and OB groups with the major factors being 65.2% versus 66.2% homosexual contact, 17.8% versus 19.8% heterosexual contact, 4.1% versus 4.8% bisexual contact, respectively, and 6.9% injection drug use in both groups. OB patients were allowed to switch to ENF plus OB at virologic failure before week 48 and required to switch at week 48 to continue in the study (n = 230). Efficacy and safety assessments were conducted for each group. At week 96, 55% of ENF plus OB subjects completed the study and 26.5% achieved a viral load of less than 400 copies per milliliter (17.5% achieved less than 50 copies per milliliter). Viral load and CD4 mean change from baseline was -2.1 and -1.1 log(10) HIV-1-RNA copies per milliliter and +166 and +116 CD4 cells/mm(3) for ENF plus OB and switch patients, respectively. No new ENF-related safety issues emerged in weeks 48-96. Injection site reactions led to discontinuation in 7% and 10% of ENF plus OB and switch patients, respectively. In conclusion, these data demonstrate durable efficacy and safety of ENF over 96 weeks and that early use of ENF in combination with other agents for the treatment of antiretroviral-experienced HIV-infected subjects is beneficial.

Durable efficacy of enfuvirtide over 48 weeks in heavily treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected patients in the T-20 versus optimized background regimen only 1 and 2 clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: The T-20 Versus Optimized Background Regimen Only (TORO) 1 and TORO 2 clinical trials are open-label, controlled, parallel-group, phase 3 studies comparing enfuvirtide plus an optimized background (OB) of antiretrovirals (n = 661) with OB alone (n = 334) in treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected patients. METHODS: The primary objective at week 48 was to investigate durability of efficacy, as measured by the percentage of patients maintaining their week 24 response or improving. Efficacy analyses used the intent-to-treat population. RESULTS: A total of 73.7% of patients randomized to the enfuvirtide group remained on treatment through week 48 versus 21.3% originally randomized to the control group. At week 48, a higher proportion of week 24 responders maintained their response or were new responders in the enfuvirtide group than in the control group in each responder category: HIV-1 RNA level > or =1.0 log(10) change from baseline, <400 copies/mL and <50 copies/mL (37.4%, 30.4%, and 18.3% in the enfuvirtide group vs. 17.1%, 12.0%, and 7.8% in the control group, respectively; P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). CD4 cell count increases from baseline were twice as great in the enfuvirtide group as in the control group. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate durable efficacy of enfuvirtide plus OB over 48 weeks.

Safety of enfuvirtide in combination with an optimized background of antiretrovirals in treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected adults over 48 weeks.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral tolerability is a critical factor contributing to treatment outcome. The T-20 Versus Optimized Background Regimen Only (TORO) studies assessed the safety and efficacy of enfuvirtide in treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected patients. METHODS: A total of 997 patients were randomized at a 2:1 ratio to an optimized background antiretroviral regimen plus enfuvirtide (n = 663) or an optimized background regimen alone (control group; n = 334). Control patients could switch to enfuvirtide on virologic failure. RESULTS: In total, 26.5% of patients randomized to enfuvirtide and 36.6% to the control group discontinued study treatment before week 48; the percentage of patients withdrawn for safety reasons (including adverse events [AEs], deaths, and laboratory abnormalities) was 14.0% in the enfuvirtide group and 11.6% in the control group. Injection site reactions (ISRs) occurred in 98% of enfuvirtide patients and led to treatment discontinuation in 4.4%. Treatment-related (defined as possibly, probably, or remotely) AE rates per 100 patient-years were lower with enfuvirtide (96.2) than in the control group (149.9); diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue, the most frequently reported AEs, were significantly less frequent with enfuvirtide than in the control group. Pneumonia was significantly more frequent in patients treated with enfuvirtide (6.7 vs. 0.6 events per 100 patient-years), although the incidence was within expected ranges for this population. Lymphadenopathy was also higher in enfuvirtide-treated patients (7.1 vs. 1.2 events per 100 patient-years) for control patients. CONCLUSION: The addition of enfuvirtide to an optimized background regimen does not exacerbate AEs commonly associated with antiretrovirals. ISRs limited treatment in <5% of patients.

Fatal lactic acidosis and acute renal failure after addition of tenofovir to an antiretroviral regimen containing didanosine.

We describe a 49-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus infection and stable chronic renal insufficiency who developed acute oliguric renal failure and severe lactic acidosis and who died several weeks after tenofovir was added to an antiretroviral regimen that included didanosine. Although the role of tenofovir in precipitating acute renal failure is unclear, progressive accumulation of the drug and pharmacologic interaction that caused increased levels of didanosine were the likely antecedents of increased mitochondrial toxicity that led to lactic acidosis.

Enfuvirtide, an HIV-1 fusion inhibitor, for drug-resistant HIV infection in North and South America.

BACKGROUND: The T-20 vs. Optimized Regimen Only Study 1 (TORO 1) was a randomized, open-label, phase 3 study of enfuvirtide (T-20), a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) fusion inhibitor. METHODS: Patients from 48 sites in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil with at least six months of previous treatment with agents in three classes of antiretroviral drugs, resistance to drugs in these classes, or both, and with at least 5000 copies of HIV-1 RNA per milliliter of plasma were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive enfuvirtide plus an optimized background regimen of three to five antiretroviral drugs or such a regimen alone (control group). The primary efficacy end point was the change in the plasma HIV-1 RNA level from base line to week 24. RESULTS: A total of 501 patients underwent randomization, and 491 received at least one dose of study drug and had at least one measurement of plasma HIV-1 RNA after treatment began. The two groups were balanced in terms of the median base-line HIV-1 RNA level (5.2 log10 copies per milliliter in both groups), median CD4+ cell count (75.5 cells per cubic millimeter in the enfuvirtide group, and 87.0 cells per cubic millimeter in the control group), demographic characteristics, and previous antiretroviral therapy. At 24 weeks, the least-squares mean change from base line in the viral load (intention-to-treat, last observation carried forward) was a decrease of 1.696 log10 copies per milliliter in the enfuvirtide group, and a decrease of 0.764 log10 copies per milliliter in the control group (P<0.001). The mean increases in CD4+ cell count were 76 cells per cubic millimeter and 32 cells per cubic millimeter, respectively (P<0.001). Reactions at the site of the injections were reported by 98 percent of patients receiving enfuvirtide. There were more cases of pneumonia in the enfuvirtide group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of enfuvirtide to an optimized antiretroviral regimen provided significant antiretroviral and immunologic benefit through 24 weeks in patients who had previously received multiple antiretroviral drugs and had multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection.