Switching antiretroviral therapy to minimize metabolic complications

Concomitant medications, functional foods, and supplements: An Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) Clinical Practice Statement (CPS) 2022

Background

This Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) Clinical Practice Statement (CPS) is intended to provide clinicians an overview of the body weight effects of concomitant medications (i.e., pharmacotherapies not specifically for the treatment of obesity) and functional foods, as well as adverse side effects of supplements sometimes used by patients with pre-obesity/obesity.

Methods

The scientific information for this CPS is based upon published scientific citations, clinical perspectives of OMA authors, and peer review by the Obesity Medicine Association leadership.

Results

This CPS outlines clinically relevant aspects of concomitant medications, functional foods, and many of the more common supplements as they relate to pre-obesity and obesity. Topics include a discussion of medications that may be associated with weight gain or loss, functional foods as they relate to obesity, and side effects of supplements (i.e., with a focus on supplements taken for weight loss). Special attention is given to the warnings and lack of regulation surrounding weight loss supplements.

Conclusions

This Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) Clinical Practice Statement (CPS) on concomitant medications, functional foods, and supplements is one of a series of OMA CPSs designed to assist clinicians in the care of patients with the disease of pre-obesity/obesity. Implementation of appropriate practices in these areas may improve the health of patients, especially those with adverse fat mass and adiposopathic metabolic consequences.

Cost-savings and potential cost-savings through the distribution of generic antiretroviral drugs within the statutory health insurance market of Germany between January 2017 and June 2019

Abstract

Background

Recent patent losses for antiretroviral drugs (ARV) have led to the debate of cost-saving through the replacement of patented drugs with generic drugs. The split of recommended single-tablet regimens (STR) into their single substance partners is one of the considerations mentioned in said debate. Particularly, generic tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) is expected to hold untapped cost-saving potential, which may curb increasing overall expenditures for combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) within the statutory health insurance (SHI) of Germany.

Methods

Data of ARV reimbursed by the SHI were used to describe the trends of defined daily doses (DDD) as well as the revenue within the German ARV market. They were also used to determine the cost-savings of moving to generic drugs. The time period observed was between January 2017 and June 2019. The potential cost-savings were determined with following assumption in mind: the maximum possible use of generic ARV, including 1) the split of STR and replacing all substance partners with generic ones, and 2) replacing patented tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine (TAF/FTC) with generic TDF/FTC.

Results

Throughout the observation period, the DDD of generic ARV increased nearly five-fold while their revenue increased more than four-fold. Total cost-saving showed a sharp increase over the same period, with generic TDF/FTC accounting for a share of around 70%. The largest potential cost-saving could have been achieved through replacing patented TAF/FTC with generic TDF/FTC, peaking at nearly 10% of total revenue, but showing decreasing trends in general.

Conclusion

The progressive distribution of generic ARV ensured increasing cost-savings_, but consequently curbed the potential cost-savings. Unique price reductions of generic TDF/FTC have played a pivotal role for these effects. In any case, substituting with generic ARV should not fail to adhere to the treatment guidelines and continue to consider the medical requirements for the treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-021-07390-4.

Antiretroviral switching and bedaquiline treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis HIV co-infection

Bedaquiline, a potent new therapy for drug-resistant tuberculosis, results in improved survival including in HIV patients with multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. In line with WHO recommendations, in South Africa and other low-income and middle-income settings, antiretroviral therapy is switched from generic fixed-dose combination efavirenz-containing regimens to twice-daily nevirapine with separate companion pills because of interactions between efavirenz and bedaquiline. Early data suggest a signal for low antiretroviral therapy adherence after this antiretroviral therapy switch. Mortality and other tuberculosis-specific benefits noted with bedaquiline treatment in multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis HIV might be compromised by HIV viral failure, and emergent antiretroviral resistance. Programmatic responses, such as adherence support and dual pharmacovigilance, should be instituted; antiretroviral therapy initiation with fixed-dose combinations without bedaquiline drug interactions should be strongly considered.

Update on HIV integrase inhibitors for the treatment of HIV-1 infection

It has been over 30 years since the first antiretroviral agent was approved for treatment of HIV-1 infection and its impact on morbidity and mortality has been dramatic. However, early treatments were hindered by short- and long-term toxicity, poor tolerability, high pill burden, drug interactions and development of drug resistance. A major breakthrough in HIV therapeutics occurred over a decade ago with a new class of drugs that not only are preferred by HIV treatment guidelines but also are changing the HIV treatment paradigm. This new class of drugs are called HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitors and they have established a role in almost every aspect of HIV treatment.

Epidemiology and management of antiretroviral-associated cardiovascular disease

Risk and manifestations of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will continue to evolve as improved treatments and life expectancy of these patients increases. Although initiation of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy has been shown to reduce this risk, some ARV medications may induce metabolic abnormalities, further compounding the risk of CVD. In this patient population, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies should be employed to treat and reduce further risk of CVD. This review summarizes epidemiology data of the risk factors and development of CVD in HIV and provides recommendations to manage CVD in HIV-infected patients.

Echocardiography and carotid intima-media thickness among asymptomatic HIV-infected adolescents in Thailand

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in perinatally HIV-infected adolescents and factors associated with cardiovascular abnormalities.

DESIGNS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in perinatally HIV-infected adolescents who had no known cardiovascular condition and healthy controls.

METHODS

Transthoracic echocardiogram and cIMT measurements were taken by pediatric cardiologists. Serum lipid profiles, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were measured.

RESULTS

Hundred HIV-infected and 50 healthy adolescents were enrolled. Echocardiograms revealed overall normal systolic function (median left-ventricular ejection fraction 66 vs. 66%; P = 0.825). The mean overall cIMTs of common carotid arteries and internal carotid arteries were not different between the groups (0.373 vs. 0.371; P = 0.744). Among the HIV-infected adolescents, those who had been receiving protease inhibitor-containing regimens had an increased cIMT (0.364 vs. 0.381 mm; P = 0.009). Hypertriglyceridemia was found in 52% of those who had received protease inhibitors for more than 6 months, but only in 21% of those who had never received protease inhibitors (odds ratio 4.0, 95% confidence interval 1.6-9.7, P = 0.002). Current HIV-RNA, CD4, BMI, sex, cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were not associated with increased cIMT. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were not different between the groups and not associated with cardiac abnormalities.

CONCLUSIONS

Perinatally HIV-infected adolescents had comparable myocardial function and similar cIMT measurements to healthy adolescents. However, hypertriglyceridemia and increased cIMT were found in HIV-infected adolescents receiving protease inhibitor-based regimens. Longer-term follow-up is needed to evaluate HIV-associated cardiovascular disease risk in this population.

Metabolic disease in HIV infection

The treatment of metabolic disease is becoming an increasingly important component of the long-term management of patients with well controlled HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Metabolic diseases probably develop at the intersection of traditional risk factors (such as obesity, tobacco use, and genetic predisposition) and HIV-specific and ART-specific contributors (including chronic inflammation and immune activation). This Review discusses present knowledge on adipose tissue dysfunction, insulin-glucose homoeostasis, lipid disturbances, and cardiovascular disease risk in people with HIV on ART. Although new antiretroviral drugs are believed to induce fewer short-term metabolic perturbations than do older drugs, the long-term effects of these drugs are not fully understood. Additionally, patients remain at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other metabolic comorbidities. Research and treatment should focus on selection of ART that is both virologically effective and has minimum metabolic effects, minimisation of traditional risk factors for metabolic disease, and development of novel therapies to treat metabolic disease in patients with HIV, including use of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory drugs.

Dyslipidaemia in HIV-1-infected patients receiving protease inhibitors after initial treatment with first-line-based non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Lipid abnormalities associated with antiretroviral therapy in people with HIV infection are more frequent with protease inhibitors (PI)-based regimens. Whether effects extend to patients receiving a PI subsequent to failure on non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI)-based regimen is still unknown. We investigated the effects of secondary treatment with a PI on the lipid profile in a group of patients with HIV infection in Cameroon.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study.

SETTING

This study was carried out at the registered centre for HIV treatment of the Yaounde Jamot Hospital in Cameroon.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were consecutively recruited between November 2009 and January 2010. There were 138 HIV-1 patients on initial treatment with an NNRTI regimen and 66 HIV patients on secondary treatment with a PI for at least 12 months. Lipid abnormalities were based on the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Levels of lipid parameters among patients on PI and NNRTI.

RESULTS

Median (IQR) levels (mg/dl), NNRTI-treated versus PI-treated patients were 185 (149-225) and 189 (147-244) for total cholesterol, 46 (27-66) and 42 (28-82) for high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, 121 (90-169) and 126.9 (71-176) for low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, 134 (98-174) and 138 (111-167) for triglycerides, and 4.3 (2.9-6.2) and 5.1 (2.6-7.9) for total/HDL-cholesterol ratio (all p>0.32). The most frequent lipid abnormality in the two groups was high LDL-cholesterol (46.4% (NNRTI) vs 54.5% (PI)). The occurrence of lipid abnormalities was similar in the two groups (all p>0.29).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of PI does not appear to deteriorate the lipid profile of HIV patients above and beyond abnormalities induced by an unsuccessful initial treatment with NNRTI. Monitoring of lipid profile during HIV treatment regardless of the regimens would improve timely detection and management of abnormalities, to mitigate related risks.