Quality of life improvement in HIV-1 patients treated with raltegravir in a real-life observational study: RACING

Real word outcomes associated with use of raltegravir in older people living with HIV: results from the 60 months follow-up of the RAL-age cohort

Objective: In people living with HIV (PLWH), antiretroviral treatments have increased the median life expectancy. Raltegravir (RAL) represents a long-term safe regimen used both in the first-line antiretroviral treatments and in the optimization strategies. Aim of the study was to evaluate the real-life efficacy, tolerability, and safety of the long-term RAL use in a multicenter cohort of elderly PLWH.Methods: A 60-month follow-up observational study was carried out in the RAL-AGE Cohort including aged PLWH (≥60 years old) treated with RAL-based regimens (n = 96). The control group was a cohort of PLWH aged less than 60 years (n = 50).Results: RAL treated aged HIV population experiences an increase of CD4⁺ cells and a stable control of viral load at 60 months of follow-up. A significant improvement in lipid metabolism profile, a decrease of platelet count and a reduction in cardiovascular risk levels were observed in the older population. Immune activation markers expressed on CD4⁺ T cells decreased compared to baseline, but this difference was greater in the control group.Conclusion: A 60-month treatment with RAL-containing regimens is safe and highly effective in the older PLWH and these data give new insights on the elderly population.Clinical trial registration: NCT02765776 and NCT03579485.

Patient-Reported Outcomes in First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy: Results From NEAT001/ANRS143 Trial Comparing Darunavir/Ritonavir in Combination With Tenofovir/Emtricitabine or Raltegravir

BACKGROUND

There are few data comparing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in randomized trials of initial antiretroviral therapy. We present results from a substudy of the NEAT001/ANRS143 trial.

METHODS

The randomized trial compared first-line DRV/r 800/100 mg once daily plus RAL 400 mg twice daily and DRV/r plus TDF/FTC 245/200 mg once daily. Changes in PROs were assessed with 3 questionnaires: EuroQoL 5 domains (EQ-5D), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, and HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire. Major depressive disorder (MDD) was defined as CES-D ≥ 16. General estimating equations were used to model change over 96 weeks in PROs from baseline.

RESULTS

Of the 805 participants, 797 (99%) contributed to the substudy. Baseline PRO data were similar for the 2 randomized groups. Health status improved over time with a mean increase in EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) of 8.0 by W96 [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.5 to 9.4; P < 0.001], and no statistically significant differences between groups (difference of 0.3 on VAS score (95% CI: -1.7 to 2.3); P = 0.7, global P value ≥0.05 for all domains over follow-up). There was no significant difference between groups on CES-D [difference of -0.1 (95% CI: -1.3 to 1.1); P = 0.9], or MDD during follow-up, adjusted for baseline MDD (odds ratio = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.18; P = 0.9). RAL + DRV/r group had lower level of convenience (P = 0.03) and fitted less well into patients' lifestyle (P = 0.007) than the TDF/FTC + DRV/r regimen, and was associated with lower treatment satisfaction [median score: 53 RAL + DRV/r vs 55 TDF/FTC + DRV/r (P = 0.001)].

CONCLUSION

PROs improved after starting antiretroviral therapy, with no statistically significant difference between groups. The lower satisfaction with RAL + DRV/r may be explained by twice-daily administration.

Association of raltegravir use with long-term health outcomes in HIV-infected patients: an observational post-licensure safety study in a large integrated healthcare system

BACKGROUND

Raltegravir became the first integrase inhibitor to gain FDA approval; but with limited evidence documenting long-term risks in real world care, especially for major health outcomes of interest.

OBJECTIVE

Assess raltegravir safety in clinical practice within an integrated health system.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study of HIV-infected adults within Kaiser Permanente California from 2005 to 2013. We compared patients initiating raltegravir during the study period with two groups; a historical cohort (started new antiretroviral regimen [ART] 2005-2007) and a concurrent cohort that did not initiate raltegravir (2007-2013). We used multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression to obtain hazard ratios (HR) for pre-specified incident health outcomes, employing propensity scores to adjust for potential confounding.

RESULTS

The population included 8,219 HIV-infected adults (raltegravir cohort N = 1,757; 4,798 patient-years), with greater years known HIV-infected among raltegravir patients. The raltegravir cohort had increased HR for AIDS-defining (HR 2.69 [1.53-4.71]; HR 1.85 [1.21-2.82]) and non-AIDS-defining malignancies (HR 2.26 [1.29-3.94]; HR 1.88 [1.26-2.78]) relative to both comparison cohorts. Compared to the historical cohort we found no significant difference in all-cause mortality; the raltegravir cohort experienced increased HR for all-cause mortality compared to concurrent (HR 1.53 [1.02-2.31]). Raltegravir appeared protective of lipodystrophy when compared to the historical cohort but associated with increased incidence compared to concurrent. There were no significant differences in the incidence of hepatic, skin, or cardiovascular events.

CONCLUSIONS

The potentially elevated risk for malignancy and mortality with raltegravir and residual confounding merits further investigation. We demonstrate the value of observational cohorts for monitoring post-licensure medication safety.

Quality of life improvement in resource-limited settings after one year of second-line antiretroviral therapy use among adult men and women

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated improvement of quality of life (QoL) after 1 year of second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) use in resource-limited settings (RLS) among adult men and women, comparing two randomized treatment arms.

DESIGN

The AIDS Clinical Trial Group A5273 was a randomized clinical trial of second-line ART comparing lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) + raltegravir with LPV/r + nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in participants failing a non-NRTI-containing regimen at 15 sites in nine RLS. Participants completed the AIDS Clinical Trial Group short-form-21 which has eight QoL domains with a standard score ranging from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

METHODS

Differences in QoL by randomized arm, as well as by demographic and clinical variables, were evaluated by regression models for baseline and week 48 QoL scores fitted using the generalized estimating equations method.

RESULTS

A total of 512 individuals (49% men, median age 39 years) were included. A total of 512 and 492 participants had QoL assessments at baseline and week 48, respectively. QoL improved significantly from baseline to week 48 (P < 0.001 for all domains). There was no significant difference between treatment arms for any domain. Individuals with higher viral load and lower CD4 cell count at baseline had lower mean QoL at baseline but larger improvements such that mean QoL was similar at week 48.

CONCLUSION

Improvements in QoL were similar after starting second-line ART of LPV/r combined with either raltegravir or NRTIs in RLS. QoL scores at baseline were lower among participants with worse disease status prior to starting second-line, but after 1 year similar QoL scores were achieved.

Quality of life of people living with HIV compared with that of the general population in Japan

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of people living with HIV (PLWH) in Japan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted between June and December 2016 on PLWH. HRQOL was assessed using the Japanese version of the Short Form-36 Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36), and the three-component model of SF-36 scores was used. The values from the present study were compared with the published general Japanese values. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify the independent factors associated with the HRQOL of PLWH.

RESULTS

A total of 151 PLWH were enrolled in the present study. Six out of the eight subscales were significantly lower than the normative data. With respect to the summary scores, compared with those in the general population, the physical component summary score (PCS) was significantly higher in PLWH, although the mental and social/role component summary scores (MCS and RCS, respectively) were lower. Older Age was independently related to lower PCS; formal employment and higher CD4 counts were independently related to higher PCS. The factor associated with lower MCS was taking psychoactive drug(s). Formal employment was independently associated with higher RCS; taking psychoactive drug(s) was independently associated with lower RCS.

CONCLUSIONS

The physical HRQOL of PLWH was slightly higher; however, the mental and social/role HRQOL were slightly lower than in the general population in Japan.