No difference in effectiveness of treatment simplification to boosted or unboosted atazanavir plus lamivudine in virologically suppressed in HIV-1-infected patients

HIV-1-specific T-cell responses and exhaustion profiles in people with HIV after switching to dual therapy vs. maintaining triple therapy based on integrase inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Dual therapy (DT) has shown comparable results to triple therapy (TT) in efficacy and other immunological aspects. However, there are still some concerns about DT, including several immunological features. Therefore, we evaluated whether HIV-1-specific memory T-cell responses and exhaustion phenotypes are adversely influenced after simplification to DT.

METHODS

HIV-1-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses were assessed by intracellular cytokine and degranulation marker staining, and polyfunctionality indexes after stimulation with a Gag peptide pool. Exhaustion phenotypes were evaluated by PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3 expression in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

RESULTS

Forty participants in the TRIDUAL trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03447873) who were randomized to continue integrase inhibitor-based TT (n = 20) or to switch to DT (dolutegravir or darunavir/cobicistat plus lamivudine) (n = 20). After 96 weeks, the magnitude of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses was similar in both treatment arms (p = 0.221 and p = 0.602, respectively). The CD4+ polyfunctionality index decreased in the TT arm (p = 0.013) and remained stable in the DT arm, while the polyfunctionality of CD8+ T cells was unchanged in both arms. There was a significant decrease in the expression of PD-1, TIM-3, and the co-expression of PD-1+TIM-3+LAG-3+, and PD-1 +TIM-3 + in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. However, the decrease in the expression of exhaustion markers did not improve HIV-1-specific T-cell responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that simplification to DT does not negatively influence the HIV-1-specific T-cell response or the exhaustion phenotype after 96 weeks of follow-up.

Immunological and inflammatory changes after simplifying to dual therapy in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients through week 96 in a randomized trial

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate whether simplification of antiretroviral treatment to dual therapy (DT) negatively impacts immune recovery (IR), immune activation and inflammation (IA/I), and HIV reservoir.

METHODS

An open-label, single-centre, randomized controlled trial conducted in adult virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients on triple therapy (TT) with elvitegravir-cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide or dolutegravir (DTG), abacavir, and lamivudine (3TC). Participants were randomized to continue TT or switch to DTG, or darunavir/cobicistat (DRVc) plus 3TC. IR was assessed by CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio at 48 and 96 weeks. Changes in immune activation, proliferation, exhaustion, senescence, and apoptosis in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, plasma sCD14, hsCRP, D-dimers, β2-microglobulin, IL-6, TNF-α and IP-10 levels, cell-associated HIV-DNA (CA-DNA), and unspliced HIV-RNA (usRNA) were also analysed.

RESULTS

One hundred and fifty-one participants were enrolled. Fourteen patients did not complete the follow up. In the ITT and PP analysis, the IR was similar between the treatment arms. In the ITT analysis, the median increase in CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio was 0.10, 0.04, and 0.07 at week 48, and 0.09, 0.05, and 0.08 at week 96 for TT, DTG/3TC, and DRVc/3TC, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, the slopes of changes in CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio over time were independent of treatment (F = 1.699; p = 0.436) and related only to baseline values (F = 756.871; p = 0.000). There were no differences in IA/I, CA-DNA, or usRNA between treatment arms.

DISCUSSION

Both IR and IA/I, CA-DNA, and usRNA were similar in the three treatment groups, regardless of maintaining TT or simplifying to DTG/3TC or DRVc/3TC in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients.

Risks and benefits of reducing the number of drugs to treat HIV-1 infection

Introduction: Despite the efficacy and safety of antiretroviral therapy, new treatment options are needed to address the concerns of patients and physicians regarding long-term toxicities, costs, and convenience of lifelong antiretroviral therapy. To achieve this goal, one strategy is to reduce the number of drugs in the antiretroviral regimen.Areas covered: We review the recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of reduced drug regimens and their potential risks and benefits. There is currently strong evidence showing that some two-drug regimens have a comparable efficacy and short-term safety compared to standard three-drug regimens. The fixed-dose combination of dolutegravir/lamivudine is already an alternative for many treatment-naïve and virologically suppressed HIV-1 infected adults supported by large randomized clinical trials. The co-formulation dolutegravir plus rilpivirine is also a switch strategy for maintenance therapy. Long-acting injectable cabotegravir plus rilpivirine has already regulatory approval, and islatravir plus doravirine is an expected option in the near future. Some two-drug regimens have not been as successful.Expert opinion: Long-term safety issues of these two-drug regimens remain to be determined, but with the overwhelming evidence available in virological control and short-term safety, the potential benefits of some of these two-drug regimens appear to outweigh the risks.