Effectiveness of Switching to Darunavir/Cobicistat in Virologically Suppressed HIV-Positive Patients Receiving Ritonavir-Boosted Protease Inhibitor-Based Regimen: The "STORE" Study

Cardiac and Renal Comorbidities in Aging People Living With HIV

Contemporary World Health Organization data indicates that ≈39 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus. Of these, 24 million have been reported to have successfully accessed combination antiretroviral therapy. In 1996, the World Health Organization endorsed the widespread use of combination antiretroviral therapy, transforming human immunodeficiency virus infection from being a life-threatening disease to a chronic illness characterized by multiple comorbidities. The increased access to combination antiretroviral therapy has translated to people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) no longer having a reduced life expectancy. Although aging as a biological process increases exposure to oxidative stress and subsequent systemic inflammation, this effect is likely enhanced in PLWH as they age. This narrative review engages the intricate interplay between human immunodeficiency virus associated chronic inflammation, combination antiretroviral therapy, and cardiac and renal comorbidities development in aging PLWH. We examine the evolving demographic profile of PLWH, emphasizing the increasing prevalence of aging individuals within this population. A central focus of the review discusses the pathophysiological mechanisms that underpin the heightened susceptibility of PLWH to renal and cardiac diseases as they age.

Outcome of Darunavir-Cobicistat-Based Regimens in HIV-Infected People Who Have Experienced Virological Failure

Objective

To evaluate the virological outcome of darunavir-cobicistat (DRVc)-based regimens in adults living with HIV who had experienced virological failure (VF) on any previous drug combination.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study (CSLHIV Cohort) of adults living with HIV who started a DRVc-based regimen with HIV-RNA >50 copies/mL after VF on any previous drug combination. Data on demographics, antiretroviral treatment since HIV diagnosis, and immunological and metabolic parameters from baseline (start of DRVc) to 48 weeks were analyzed in order to assess the cumulative proportion of those who achieved virological success (VS), defined as at least one instance of HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL within 12 months from baseline. Follow-up lasted from the start of the DRVc-based regimen (baseline) to the first instance of HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL, last available visit, or loss to follow-up or death, whichever occurred first. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazard regression models were used to identify baseline factors associated with VS.

Results

A total of 176 individuals were included, and 120 (68.2%) achieved <50 HIV-RNA copies/mL within 12 months since baseline. On multivariate analysis, baseline HDL cholesterol was independently associated with the occurrence of VS (adjusted HR 1.021, 95% CI 1.004-1.038; p=0.014). Among the 120 subjects with VS, 27 (22.5%) had had VF during a median follow-up of 20.8 months since the first undetectable HIV-RNA. Resistance testing after VF was available in two cases, which harboured the HIV variant-bearing protease inhibitor-resistance mutations D30N, I50V, and N88D. During a median follow-up of 38.4 months, 65 of 176 (36.9%) individuals discontinued DRVc for any reason (37 of 120, 30.8%) and achieved VS vs. 28 of 56 (50%) without VS (p=0.019). Time to discontinuation was longer in people with VS (41.5 vs. 23.0 months, p=0.0007). No statistically significant changes were observed in immunological or lipid profiles during follow-up.

Conclusion

Most individuals in this study achieved VS within 12 months from the beginning of a DRVc-based regimen; therefore, this treatment represent a viable option for people who have experienced VF on other regimens.

Immune recovery among Romanian HIV/AIDS patients receiving darunavir/ritonavir or darunavir/cobicistat regimens in cART management: A three-year study

Approximately two-thirds of Romanian HIV patients were parenterally infected with the F subtype of HIV in early childhood. They are now in the context of immunological aging, with immunosuppression posing an additional challenge in developing the most effective and well-tolerated regimens. The risk of an improper immune recovery is higher in these patients than in newly diagnosed patients. The primary goal of this retrospective study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the immune recovery, measured at three time points, on 462 HIV-infected patients who were registered at the "Matei Balş National Institute of Infectious Diseases", Bucharest, Romania, between 2018 and 2021, as follows: darunavir (DRV) 600 mg plus ritonavir (RTV) 100 mg (twice daily) was given to 384 patients, while DRV 800 mg plus cobicistat (COBI) 150 mg was given to 78 patients (once daily). The immune response was assessed by counting T lymphocytes, CD4 count cells/mm³, and the CD4/CD8 lymphocyte count ratio. Additionally, the study assessed the relationship between the immune and virological responses to therapy. Using various statistical tests, the results revealed that the immune response is normal in both groups, but with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) for the DRV/c group. Statistical associations between RNA viral plasma load and immune response (CD4 count and CD4/CD8 ratio) were assessed at all three visits and showed an insignificant association for the first two time points; however, at the final visit, the outcomes changed and reached statistical significance for both groups.

Predictors of Virological Failure Among People Living with HIV Switching from an Effective First-Line Antiretroviral Regimen

Aim of this study was to assess the predictors of virological failure (VF) among patients living with HIV (PLWHIV) switching from an effective first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen, and to evaluate the emergence of resistance-associated mutations. All adult patients enrolled in the Antiviral Response Cohort Analysis cohort who started ART after 2010, with at least 6 months of virological suppression (VS) before ART switch and with an available genotypic resistance test (GRT) at baseline were included. Thirty-two patients out of the 607 PLWHIV included (5.3%) experienced VF after a median of 11 months from ART switch. Younger age (adjusted Hazard Ratio [aHR] 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92-0.99, p = .023), being male who have sex with male (aHR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.69, p = .014), and longer time from VS to ART switch (aHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-1.00, p = .021) resulted protective toward VF, while receiving a first-line regimen containing a backbone other than ABC/3TC or TXF/FTC (aHR 3.61, 95% CI 1.00-13.1, p = .050) and a boosted protease inhibitor as anchor drug (aHR 3.34, 95% CI 1.20-9.28, p = .021) were associated with higher risk of VF. GRT at the moment of VF was available only for 13 patients (40.6%). ART switch in patients with stable control of HIV infection is a safe practice, even if particular attention should be paid in certain cases of patients switching from regimens containing low-performance backbones or protease inhibitors.