Cost-effectiveness of public-health policy options in the presence of pretreatment NNRTI drug resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: a modelling study

Supportive interventions to improve retention on ART in people with HIV in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

Objectives

To determine whether supportive interventions can increase retention in care for patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

We used Cochrane Collaboration methods. We included randomised controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies with comparators conducted in LMIC. Our principal outcomes were retention, mortality and the combined outcome of lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) or death.

Results

We identified seven studies (published in nine articles); six of the studies were from Sub-Saharan Africa. We found four types of interventions: 1) directly observed therapy plus extra support (“DOT-plus”), 2) community-based adherence support, 3) adherence clubs and 4) extra care for patients with low CD4 count. One RCT of a community-based intervention showed significantly improved retention at 12 months (RR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.27), and three observational studies found significantly improved retention for paediatric patients followed for 12 to 36 months (RR 1.07, 95 CI 1.03 to 1.11), and for adult patients at 12 (RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.70) and 60 months (RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.08). One observational study of adherence clubs showed significantly reduced LTFU or mortality (RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.33). A cluster RCT of an extra-care intervention for high-risk patients also showed a significant increase in retention (RR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10), and an observational study of extra nursing care found a significant decrease in LTFU or mortality (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.87).

Conclusions

Supportive interventions are associated with increased ART programme retention, but evidence quality is generally low to moderate. The data from this review suggest that programmes addressing psychosocial needs can significantly help retain patients in care.

HIV drug resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: public health questions and the potential role of real-world data and mathematical modelling

The prevalence of pretreatment resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) is >10% in many low-income countries. As a consequence, several sub-Saharan African countries have implemented, or are considering the introduction of, non-NNRTI-based first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients. This is occurring at a time when ART programmes are expanding, in response to the World Health Organization guidelines, which recommend ART initiation regardless of CD4 cell count. Both those developments raise important questions regarding their potential impact on HIV drug resistance and the impact of HIV drug resistance on clinical outcomes. Those issues are particularly relevant to sub-Saharan Africa, where standardised ART regimens are used and where viral load monitoring and resistance testing are often not done routinely. It is therefore essential to forecast the impact of the implementation of universal ART, and the introduction of drugs such as dolutegravir to first-line regimens, on HIV drug resistance in order to inform future policies and to help ensure sustainable positive long-term outcomes. We discuss important public health considerations regarding HIV drug resistance, and describe how mathematical modelling, combined with real-world data from the four African Regions of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS consortium, could provide an early warning system for HIV drug resistance in sub-Saharan Africa.

CYP1A1 and 1B1-mediated metabolic pathways of dolutegravir, an HIV integrase inhibitor

Dolutegravir (DTG), a potent integrase inhibitor, is part of a recommended initial regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Prior reports demonstrated that the clearance of DTG was higher in current smokers than non-smokers, but the mechanism remains unclear. Using a metabolomic approach, M4 (an aldehyde) was identified as a novel metabolite of DTG. In addition, the formation of M4 was found to be mediated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 and 1B1, the enzymes that can be highly induced by cigarette smoking. CYP1A1 and 1B1 were also identified as the major enzymes contributing to the formation of M1 (an N-dealkylated metabolite of DTG) and M5 (an aldehyde). Furthermore, the production of M1 and M4 was significantly increased in the lung of mice treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, an inducer of CYP1A1 and 1B1. In summary, the current study uncovered the CYP1A1 and 1B1-mediated metabolic pathways of DTG. These data suggest that persons with HIV infection receiving DTG should be cautious to cigarettes, and drugs, or exposure to environmental chemicals that induce CYP1A1 and 1B1.

HIV drug resistance in low-income and middle-income countries

After 15 years of global scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART), rising prevalence of HIV drug resistance in many low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) poses a growing threat to the HIV response, with the potential to drive an increase in mortality, HIV incidence, and costs. To achieve UNAIDS global targets, enhanced strategies are needed to improve quality of ART services and durability of available ART regimens, and to curb resistance. These strategies include roll out of drugs with greater efficacy and higher genetic barriers to resistance than those that are currently widely used, universal access to and improved effectiveness of viral load monitoring, patient-centred care delivery models, and reliable drug supply chains, in conjunction with frameworks for resistance monitoring and prevention. In this Review, we assess contemporary data on HIV drug resistance in LMICs and their implications for the HIV response, highlighting the potential impact and resistance risks of novel ART strategies and knowledge gaps.

Dolutegravir for first-line antiretroviral therapy in low-income and middle-income countries: uncertainties and opportunities for implementation and research

A new first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen containing dolutegravir is being rolled out in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). In studies from predominantly high-income settings, dolutegravir-based regimens had superior efficacy, tolerability, and durability compared with existing first-line regimens. However, several questions remain about the roll out of dolutegravir in LMICs, where most people with HIV are women of reproductive age, tuberculosis prevalence can be high, and access to viral load and HIV drug resistance testing is limited. Findings from cohort studies suggest that dolutegravir is safe when initiated in pregnancy, but more data are needed to determine the risk of adverse birth outcomes when dolutegravir-based regimens are initiated before conception. Increasing access to viral load testing to monitor the effectiveness of dolutegravir remains crucial, but the best strategy to manage patients with viraemia is unclear. Furthermore, evidence to support the effectiveness of dolutegravir when given with tuberculosis treatment is scarce, particularly in programmatic settings in LMICs. Lastly, whether nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance will affect the long-term efficacy of dolutegravir-based regimens in first-line, and potentially second-line, ART is unknown. Clinical trials, cohorts, and surveillance of HIV drug resistance will be necessary to answer these questions and to maximise the benefits of this new regimen.

The Acceptability of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: Beliefs of Health-Care Professionals Working in Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinics and HIV Treatment Centers

Background

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective for preventing HIV infections, but is not yet implemented in the Netherlands. As the attitudes of health-care professionals toward PrEP can influence future PrEP implementation, we studied PrEP knowledge and beliefs and their association with PrEP acceptability among professionals in clinics for sexually transmitted infection (STI professionals) and HIV treatment centers (HIV specialists). In addition, we examined preferred regimens, attitudes toward providing PrEP to key populations and to reimbursement of PrEP costs.

Methods

An online questionnaire was distributed among 24 public health STI clinics and 27 HIV treatment centers nationwide in the Netherlands between January and August 2015. The acceptability of PrEP was measured on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = low to 7 = high acceptability. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to explore associations between demographic characteristics, PrEP knowledge, beliefs about PrEP, and PrEP acceptability.

Results

In total, 209 people (143 STI professionals and 66 HIV specialists) completed the questionnaire. The mean acceptability of PrEP implementation was 4.28 (SD 1.68) among STI professionals and 4.42 (SD 1.67) among HIV specialists. The mean score on self-perceived knowledge related to PrEP efficacy was 3.90 (SD 1.57) among STI professionals and 5.68 (SD 1.08) among HIV specialists (p-value of <0.001). Beliefs associated with lower PrEP acceptability among both groups were the fear that PrEP use will lead to a decrease in condom use and an increase in STI, the high costs of PrEP and ethical issues regarding prescribing antiretroviral medication to healthy individuals. No preference for a daily or an event-driven regimen was detected. Most participants deemed the following groups to be eligible for PrEP: men who have sex with men (MSM) who regularly get post-exposure prophylaxis, MSM who never used condoms with casual partners and MSM with an HIV-positive partner with a detectable viral load. Over half of the participants indicated that PrEP users should partly (54.1%) or fully (35.4%) pay the costs of PrEP.

Conclusion

In 2015, PrEP acceptability was only moderate among Dutch STI professionals and HIV specialists, which is far from an optimal setting. Addressing barriers to PrEP acceptability in educational programs for various types of health-care professionals is needed to successfully implement PrEP in the Netherlands.

Genotypic and Phylogenetic Insights on Prevention of the Spread of HIV-1 and Drug Resistance in "Real-World" Settings

HIV continues to spread among vulnerable heterosexual (HET), Men-having-Sex with Men (MSM) and intravenous drug user (IDU) populations, influenced by a complex array of biological, behavioral and societal factors. Phylogenetics analyses of large sequence datasets from national drug resistance testing programs reveal the evolutionary interrelationships of viral strains implicated in the dynamic spread of HIV in different regional settings. Viral phylogenetics can be combined with demographic and behavioral information to gain insights on epidemiological processes shaping transmission networks at the population-level. Drug resistance testing programs also reveal emergent mutational pathways leading to resistance to the 23 antiretroviral drugs used in HIV-1 management in low-, middle- and high-income settings. This article describes how genotypic and phylogenetic information from Quebec and elsewhere provide critical information on HIV transmission and resistance, Cumulative findings can be used to optimize public health strategies to tackle the challenges of HIV in “real-world” settings.