Safety of darunavir and atazanavir in HIV-infected children in Europe and Thailand

Repurposing HIV Protease Inhibitors Atazanavir and Darunavir as Antifungal Treatments against Candida albicans Infections: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Candida albicans is the chief etiological agent of candidiasis, a mycosis prevalent in individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In recent years, the introduction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors (HIV-PI) has reduced the prevalence of candidiasis in these patients. Seeking new therapeutic strategies based on the perspective of drug repositioning, we evaluated the effects of two second-generation HIV-PIs, atazanavir (ATV) and darunavir (DRV), on virulence factors of C. albicans and experimental candidiasis. For this, clinical strains of C. albicans were subjected to in vitro and in vivo treatments with ATV or DRV. As a result, ATV and DRV exhibited antifungal activity against fungal cells at 512 μg/mL, reduced the viability and biomass of biofilms, and inhibited filamentation of C. albicans. In addition, these HIV-PIs downregulated the expression of SAP2 and BRC1 genes of C. albicans. In an in vivo study, prophylactic use of ATV and DRV prolonged the survival rate of Galleria mellonella larvae infected with C. albicans. Therefore, ATV and DRV showed activity against C. albicans by reducing cell growth, biofilm formation, filamentation, and expression of virulence genes. Furthermore, ATV and DRV decreased experimental candidiasis, suggesting the repurposing of HIV-PIs as antifungal treatments for C. albicans infections.

Effectiveness and Safety of Atazanavir Use for the Treatment of Children and Adolescents Living With HIV: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Atazanavir/ritonavir is recommended as a preferred second-line antiretroviral regimen in children older than 3 months, alternatively to lopinavir/ritonavir. We performed a systematic review to assess safety and effectiveness of atazanavir use in children and adolescents.

METHODS

We searched observational studies and clinical trials on Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL database between 2009/01/01 and 2020/10/01; as well as grey literature. We extracted safety (adverse events, grade 3 or 4 adverse events, treatment discontinuation) and effectiveness (CD4 cell counts and HIV viral load) outcomes. We estimated weighted summary pooled incidence with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Out of the 1,085 records screened, we included five studies (one comparative cohort, three single phase 2-3 trial arms, one retrospective cohort) reporting 975 children and adolescents, of whom 56% (544) received atazanavir. Three studies reported all-cause treatment discontinuation rates, yielding a pooled incidence of 19% [15-22] at 12 months. The comparative cohort compared atazanavir to darunavir, with few grade 3-4 adverse events, except transient hyperbilirubinemia, occurring in half (92/188) of the atazanavir patients. No death occurred (two studies reporting). Four studies described increased CD4 cell counts and decreased HIV viral load at 6 or 12 months.

CONCLUSION

Few safety and effectiveness data were available for children and adolescents exposed to atazanavir. Transient grade 3-4 hyperbilirubinemia was the main adverse outcome reported. Immune and viral responses were descriptive. The use of atazanavir/ritonavir in children and adolescents needs further investigation, but remains a suitable option for a preferred second-line antiretroviral regimen.

PROSPERO NUMBER

CRD42022309230.

Using Observational Data to Inform HIV Policy Change for Children and Youth

Observational data characterizing the pediatric and adolescent HIV epidemics in real-world settings are critical to informing clinical guidelines, governmental HIV programs, and donor prioritization. Global expertise in curating and analyzing these data has been expanding, with increasingly robust collaborations and the identification of gaps in existing surveillance capacity. In this commentary, we describe existing sources of observational data for children and youth living with HIV, focusing on larger regional and global research cohorts, and targeted surveillance studies and programs. Observational data are valuable resources to cross-validate other research and to monitor the impact of changing HIV program policies. Observational studies were among the first to highlight the growing population of children surviving perinatal HIV and transitioning to adolescence and young adulthood, and have raised serious concerns about high rates of treatment failure, loss to follow-up, and death among older perinatally infected youth. The use of observational data to inform modeling of the current global epidemic, predict future patterns of the youth cascade, and facilitate antiretroviral forecasting are critical priorities and key end products of observational HIV research. Greater investments into data infrastructure are needed at the local level to improve data quality and at the global level to faciliate reliable interpretation of the evolving patterns of the pediatric and youth epidemics. Although this includes harmonized data forms, use of unique patient identifiers to allow for data linkages across routine data sets and electronic medical record systems, and competent data managers and analysts are essential to make optimal use of the data collected.

Moving forward with treatment options for HIV-infected children

INTRODUCTION

Current international guidelines recommend to treat all HIV-1 infected patients regardless of CD4 cell count. Despite the remarkable worldwide progress for universal access to antiretroviral during the last decade, the pediatric population remains fragile due to lack of randomized studies, inappropriate antiretroviral formulations, adherence difficulties, drug toxicity and development of resistance.

AREAS COVERED

This review summarizes the latest recommendations and advances for the treatment of HIV-infected children and highlights the potential complications of a lifelong antiretroviral treatment initiated early in life.

EXPERT OPINION

International guidelines recommend to start combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) as fast as possible in all children diagnosed with HIV-1. The principal goal is to improve survival and reduce mortality as well as rapidly decrease HIV reservoirs. This remains a challenge in resource-limited settings were diagnostic tools and treatment access may be limited. Different new strategies are in the pipeline such as immunotherapy in combination with very early cART initiation to seek remission or functional cure. For the time being and awaiting for long term remission or cure, there is a need for further pharmacokinetics studies, more pediatric formulations with improved palatability and implementation of randomized trials for the newer antiretroviral drugs.

Safety of zidovudine/lamivudine scored tablets in children with HIV infection in Europe and Thailand

Background

Zidovudine (ZDV) has been associated with risk of haematological toxicity. Safety data from clinical trials is generally limited to 48 weeks. We assessed the short- and mid-term toxicity of ZDV/lamivudine (3TC) fixed-dose combination scored tablets in HIV-infected children followed in the European Pregnancy and Paediatric HIV Cohort Collaboration (EPPICC) network.

Methods

Fourteen cohorts provided data on patients <18 years of age taking ZDV/3TC scored tablets between 2008 and 2012. Rates of Division of AIDS (DAIDS) grade ≥3 laboratory adverse events (AEs) for hepatobiliary and haematological disorders were estimated by duration on drug (<12, 12–24, >24 months). Clinical adverse events and reasons for tablet discontinuation were described.

Results

Of 541 patients on ZDV/3TC, 388 (72%) had weight and dose data available, of whom 350 (90%) weighed ≥14 kg and were eligible for tablet use; 161 (41%) were aged <10 years on an approved dose, 189 (49%) aged ≥10 years on an approved dose, and 30 (8%) were on an unapproved dose. Median age at ZDV/3TC start was 10 years, and 79% had taken ART previously (60% had prior exposure to ZDV/3TC). Overall rates of grade ≥3 AEs for absolute neutrophil counts, bilirubin, haemoglobin, platelet counts, white blood cell counts (WBC), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were ≤2/100 person years (PY) for patients taking approved doses. Two hundred thirty-three (43%) patients were not on ZDV/3TC tablets at most recent follow-up; a small number (17 (7%)) discontinued due to AEs (17 (7%)), and the most common reason for discontinuation was treatment simplification (73 (31%)).

Conclusions

Scored ZDV/3TC tablets, both approved and taken off-label, appear to be well tolerated with few side effects. Few patients discontinued treatment due to toxicity. As ZDV/3TC tablets are taken with other antiretrovirals, it is difficult to infer association between toxicities and specific agents, highlighting the importance of widening long-term pharmacovigilance to a broader spectrum of drug combinations.