Lopinavir/ritonavir plus nevirapine as a nucleoside-sparing approach in antiretroviral-experienced patients (NEKA study)

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of a nucleoside-sparing approach with a conventional highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen in antiretroviral-experienced patients with prolonged viral suppression. METHODS: Pilot study including 31 antiretroviral-experienced patients with HIV RNA <80 copies/mL. Subjects were randomly assigned to lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/rtv) 400/100 mg BID plus nevirapine (NVP) 200 mg BID (NVP group, n = 16) or LPV/rtv plus the 2 previous NRTIs (NRTI group, n = 15). The primary endpoint was the percentage of subjects who maintained viral suppression at week 48. Changes in lipid metabolism, mitochondrial parameters, and LPV trough levels were also assessed. RESULTS: All patients maintained viral suppression after 48 weeks. No subject discontinued therapy because of adverse events. HDL cholesterol increased by 28% at week 24 (P < 0.0001) and 10% after 48 weeks of follow-up (P = 0.319) in the NVP group. In the NRTI group, LDL cholesterol increased by 14% at week 48 (P = 0.076). Mitochondrial DNA/nuclear DNA ratio and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex IV activity showed a trend toward increasing in the NVP group. Mean (SD) LPV trough levels were 6340 (2129) ng/mL in the NRTI group and 5161 (2703) ng/mL in the NVP group (P = 0.140). CONCLUSIONS: In antiretroviral-experienced subjects with sustained viral suppression, dual therapy with NVP plus LPV/rtv at standard dosage was as potent and safe as standard-of-care HAART at 48 weeks of follow-up. This approach may reduce mitochondrial toxicity and improve LPV/rtv-associated lipid abnormalities. The results of this pilot study support the study of this approach in a larger, randomized trial.     

国产阿德福韦酯治疗HBeAg阳性慢性乙型肝炎患者的疗效及持久性

目的 探讨国产阿德福韦酯(ADV)治疗HBeAg阳性慢性乙型肝炎患者的疗效及持久性.方法 采用前瞻性双盲对照的方法研究初治的HBeAg阳性慢性乙型肝炎患者,随机接受国产ADV10 mg/d或安慰剂治疗12周,此后为开放研究,所有患者接受96周ADV治疗后停止试验,随访观察12周,观察治疗期间以及停药后肝肾功能、乙型肝炎病毒脱氧核糖核酸(HBV DNA)水平、HBeAg变化.结果 (1)54例患者随机接受ADV(38例)或安慰剂(16例)治疗,经治疗12周ADV组ALT由(135.84±10.63)U/L降至(58.92±4.95)U/L(组内P<0.001),优于安慰剂组由(145.56 ±17.19)U/L降至(159.50 ±37.05)U/L(组间P<0.001);lgHBV-DNA下降幅度ADV组为2.51、安慰剂组为1.04(P<0.001);(2)ADV治疗48、96周ALT复常率为63.30%、70.50%,AST复常率为87.80%、88.60%,HBVDNA低于检测值(<103拷贝/ml)比例分别为53.06%、54.55%,96周HBeAg转阴率11.36%;(3)在96周试验中止后17例患者停止ADV治疗,12周的随访过程中HBV DNA全部转阳,伴随88.24%(15/17)患者肝功异常.结论 国产ADV治疗慢性乙型肝炎有效,但96周停药病情极易复发.     

Switching to atazanavir improves metabolic disorders in antiretroviral-experienced patients with severe hyperlipidemia

OBJECTIVE: To describe the efficacy and change in lipid profile in patients with severe hyperlipidemia after switch to an atazanavir-containing highly active antiretroviral therapy regimen. DESIGN AND METHODS: Open-field, 24-week, prospective observational cohort study including 33 HIV-infected, antiretroviral-experienced patients with hyperlipidemia. Changes in lipid profiles were evaluated by analyses of triglycerides, total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL) cholesterol, and efficacy by HIV RNA and CD4 cell changes, both from baseline to week 24. RESULTS: A rapid and significant decrease of 46% (5.81 +/- 4 mmol/L vs. 3.16 +/- 2.6 mmol/L, P = 0.002) in triglyceride levels was shown. Similarly, a sustained improvement of 18% was observed in total cholesterol levels during the first 24 weeks after switching to atazanavir (6.45 +/- 1.9 mmol/L vs. 5.3 +/- 1.3 mmol/L, P = 0.001). After 24 weeks of treatment there was a significant decrease of 22% in non-HDL cholesterol (5.76 +/- 1.9 mmol/L at baseline vs. 4.5 +/- 1.3 mmol/L at 24 weeks; P = 0.003). HDL and LDL cholesterol profiles did not change significantly as did the viral load or CD4 cell count. CONCLUSIONS: Switching to atazanavir results in a significant improvement in HIV therapy-induced hyperlipidemia. A switch to atazanavir is proposed as a valuable option to improve atherogenic lipid profiles while maintaining virologic control.     

Dynamics of HIV-1 DNA level in highly antiretroviral-experienced patients receiving raltegravir-based therapy

To assess dynamics of HIV-1 DNA in highly antiretroviral (ARV)-experienced HIV-infected patients successfully treated with raltegravir (RAL)-containing therapy. Nineteen patients with virological failure whose ARV treatment was switched to a RAL-based salvage regimen with virological success were included (Group I). Ten patients in virological failure and responding to ARV salvage therapy not containing RAL were also included (Group II). The HIV-1 DNA level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was assessed by real-time PCR at baseline, W12, W24, W36 or W48. In group I, a marked decrease in the HIV-1 DNA level was observed at W12 both in PBMC (median decrease = 0.38 log₁₀copies/10⁶PBMC; P < 0.001) and in CD4 T cells (0.85 log₁₀copies/10⁶CD4 T cells; P < 0.001). Plasma HIV-1 RNA decrease was correlated with HIV-1 DNA decrease expressed as copies/10⁶CD4 T cells (r = 0.55, P = 0.03). HIV-1 DNA level reached a steady state by W24. Thus, RAL-containing treatment in highly ARV-experienced patients was associated with a rapid HIV-1 DNA decrease, mainly in the circulating CD4 T cells compartment. Group II patients showed an early decrease in the HIV-1 DNA load until W12, which was 2.5-fold less pronounced in the CD4 T cells compartment than in the RAL-treated patients. The potent action of RAL-containing treatment observed in the CD4 T cells compartment may suggest a pronounced reduced inhibition in the pool of regenerating CD4 T cells on a RAL-based therapy.     

Effectiveness of enfuvirtide in a cohort of highly antiretroviral-experienced HIV-1-infected patients in Mexico

Background

Treatments in patients with multidrug resistance often involve the use of multiple agents with partial antiviral activity and overlapping metabolic toxicities. Enfuvirtide is therefore a welcome addition to the antiretroviral management of patients with multiclass resistant virus, given the low risk of systemic toxicities and novel mechanism of action relative to existing drug classes.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ENF plus optimized background regimen (OBR) in a Mexican cohort of highly HIV-1 ARV-experienced patients.

Methods

Prospective cohort of treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected adults with virological failure who started therapy with an ENF-containing regimen. The effectiveness of ENF treatment was evaluated with percentages of undetectable HIV-1 RNA viral load after 24 and 48 weeks of treatment, and changes in CD4+ cell counts.

Results

Forty patients >18 years were included. After 24 weeks of treatment, 91% of patients had HIV-1 RNA viral load <400 copies/mL and 65.8% had <50 copies/mL. At week 48 of treatment, 81.4% of the patients had HIV-1 RNA <400 copies/mL and 55.5% had <50 copies/mL; in both cases p <0.0001 compared to baseline. Increase CD4+ cells were also statistically significant at weeks 24 and 48 with respect to the baseline. Pain at the site of injection was the main adverse event in 100% of patients.

Conclusion

Our study provides clinically important evidence of the effectiveness and safety of ENF in highly ARV-experienced HIV-1-infected patients. These findings strengthen the results of previous randomized controlled trials with this agent.

     

Long-term follow-up of antiretroviral-naive HIV-positive patients treated with nevirapine

This article reports on the extended follow-up of 125 antiretroviral (ARV)-naive patients treated with nevirapine (NVP) in the United Kingdom. The patients have been observed for a median of 1.8 years after starting NVP (range, 4 days-2.7 years). Baseline CD4 counts and HIV RNA levels were 210 (interquartile range, 130 - 335) cells/mm3 and 4.86 (range, 4.52-5.26) log10 copies/ml, respectively. Eleven patients (9.0%) developed a rash thought to be related to NVP, of whom 4 permanently discontinued NVP. Twenty-four months after starting NVP, RNA levels had dropped by a median of 2.32 log10 copies/ml and CD4 counts increased by a median of 143 cells/mm3. In all, 96 patients had at least one viral load measured <500 copies/ml, a median of 2.8 months after starting NVP. RNA levels rebounded >500 copies/ml in 37 of these patients, on average 2 years after initial response. In conclusion, in ARV-naive patients, NVP is generally well tolerated and long-term response rates are good.     

Pharmacokinetic interaction between nevirapine and rifampicin in HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis.

To determine whether rifampicin reduces serum concentrations of nevirapine and whether nevirapine modifies serum concentrations of rifampicin, levels of these agents were determined at steady state by high-performance liquid chromatography in 10 HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis. The median area under the curve (AUC) 0-12h of nevirapine before and after rifampicin was 56.2 and 32.8 microg/ml per hour, respectively ( p =.04). This represents a 31% reduction in serum nevirapine concentrations. The C(max) decreased from 5.6 to 4.5 microg/ml ( p =.04), which represented a 36% reduction. A 21% decrease in the C(min) was not statistically significant. Exposure to rifampicin did not significantly differ between those patients who were receiving and were not receiving nevirapine. However, our study shows that rifampicin reduces serum exposure to nevirapine. The clinical implications for this reduction remain to be established. Given that the lowest trough serum concentration of nevirapine exceeded by more than 40 times the protein binding adjusted median infective dose (IC(50)) of wild-type HIV in all patients, we suggest that there is no need to increase nevirapine dosage when it is given with rifampicin.     

Experience with nevirapine taken once daily in 93 HIV-infected patients]

Due to its long half-life (25-30 hours) the once daily administration of nevirapine would appear logical but we do not have data regarding the tolerability and efficacy of this schedule. We have therefore tried to evaluate this schedule in 93 HIV-infected patients beginning a treatment containing nevirapine. The tolerability of once daily nevirapine was similar to the usual schedule with 15% of mucocutaneous allergy. The immunologic and virologic efficacy of once daily nevirapine was confirmed with a mean RNA HIV decrease of 1.4 log, 1.3 log, 1.1 log and 1.3 log at M1, M3, M6 and M9 respectively. The best results were observed in na?ve patients. Residual plasma concentration of nevirapine was performed in 35 patients with a mean value of 3.8 mg/l.