HIV DNA Decay in a Treatment-Naive Patient Starting Dolutegravir Plus Lamivudine with Resistance Mutations to Integrase Inhibitors: A Case Report

Short Communication: Efficacy and Safety of Dolutegravir Plus Lamivudine as a First-Line Regimen in Clinical Practice

The GEMINI trials have showed that the two drugs regimen of dolutegravir+lamivudine (DTG +3TC) was noninferior to a three-drug regimen as a first line regimen for treatment-naive people living with HIV. The aim of our study was to confirm, in a real-life setting, the efficacy of this regimen. We conducted a retrospective, observational study enrolling treatment-naive patients starting a first-line regimen with lamivudine plus dolutegravir. We evaluated the virological efficacy and the immunological and metabolic profiles. Changes from baseline were evaluated through linear-mixed models for repeated measures. Linear regression analyses were performed to explore variables associated to significant changes in laboratory parameters. We analyzed a total of 20 patients: 15 (75%) were men with a median age of 34.5 years. During a cumulative time of 15.4 patients years of follow up (PYFU), we did not observe any adverse event or treatment discontinuation and all patients achieved virological suppression in the first 6 months from treatment initiation. Increase in CD4⁺ cells was significant at both week 24 (p = .003) and week 48 (p = .007) of follow-up. Moreover, CD4/CD8 ratio also significantly improved [median increase of +0.22 (p = .028) after 48 weeks of follow-up]. As to metabolic parameters, we observed no significant changes in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In a subgroup of 11 patients, we further investigate HIV-1 DNA variations. Our results are in line with the findings of the GEMINI trials, confirming the efficacy and safety of DTG +3TC in treatment-naive patients.

Dolutegravir Plus Lamivudine Two-Drug Regimen: Safety, Efficacy and Diagnostic Considerations for Its Use in Real-Life Clinical Practice-A Refined Approach in the COVID-19 Era

The diagnostic and therapeutic management of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the HIV population brought some known criticalities (and opportunities) to the forefront, for both those who are facing their first therapeutic line today, and for those already well viro-suppressed. The clinical, socioeconomic, and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic should not affect the long-term care of people living with HIV, which creates an urgent need to optimize the diagnostic and treatment approach to the first-line or switch regimens. The use of dolutegravir plus a lamivudine two-drug regimen is one of the most promising solutions to ease the management of HIV treatment in this difficult period. In this review, we report the most salient features related to the use of this regimen from real-life cohorts, meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials, and studies presented at international conferences up to March 2021. We focused on the diagnostic and clinical-management implications of its use in real life, and how these comply with the contingent historical situation. The issue of the timing and type of diagnostic procedures and the relevance of classical diagnostic tests (such as genotype for resistance detection) is also discussed. According to the currently available results, dolutegravir plus a lamivudine two-drug regimen represents an outstanding tool, whose expected advantages fulfill the current requirements for optimal daily care of our HIV patients.

Dolutegravir plus lamivudine for the treatment of HIV-1 infection

Introduction: Recent data on the 2-drug regimen (2DR) with dolutegravir (DTG) plus lamivudine (3TC) have shown high efficacy and tolerability both in treatment-naïve and experienced HIV-positive patients. Current guidelines recommend DTG+3TC as an alternative to triple antiretroviral therapy (ART) in selected patients to reduce long-term toxicity and costs.Areas covered: This review is intended to provide insight about the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a 2DR with DTG+3TC in naïve and treatment-experienced patients.Expert opinion: Data from clinical trials and from real-life show that DTG+3TC is an effective and safe switch option for the treatment of experienced patients. In treatment-naïve patients, DTG+3TC has shown non-inferiority compared to standard 3-drug regimens but is less effective in severely immunocompromised naïve patients (i.e. with a CD4+ cell count below 200 cell/mm3); furthermore, current guidelines have upgraded this dual regimen to recommended first-line strategy, but indicate that it should not be used without genotypic resistance results. Moreover, this regimen is not feasible for HBV-coinfected individuals and should not be used during pregnancy. Currently, out of 2-drug regimens, DTG+3TC is one of clinicians' preferred option as it requires no pharmacokinetic booster, has a low risk of drug interaction, and does not require food intake.