Comparison of Virological Efficacy of DTG/ABC/3TG and B/F/TAF Regimens and Discontinuation Patterns in Persons Living with Advanced HIV in the Era of Rapid ART: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study

Introduction International treatment guidelines recommend the rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) with bictegravir (B)/emtricitabine (F)/tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens for treatment-naive persons living with HIV (PLWH) irrespective of their disease stage. However, we lack evidence of the virological efficacy, virological failure, and tolerability of coformulated B/F/TAF and DTG/ABC/3TC regimens in persons living with advanced HIV (PLWAH; defined as persons with a CD4(+) count of < 200 cells/mu L or an AIDS-related opportunistic illness [AOI] at or before ART initiation) in the era of rapid ART. Methods This retrospective multicenter study enrolled treatment-naive PLWAH initiating ART with coformulated DTG/ABC/3TC or B/F/TAF in 2019-2020. Viral suppression at week 48 was analyzed using FDA snapshot analysis. Between-regimen differences in time to viral suppression (< 50 copies/mL), virological failure, and regimen discontinuation were examined using a Cox proportional hazards model. Analysis was also performed using time to regimen discontinuation due to adverse reactions (ARs) as the outcome. Results We enrolled 162 patients, including 61.1% on DTG/ABC/3TC and 38.9% on B/F/TAF. At week 48 after ART initiation, 73.47% on DTG/ABC/3TC and 85.71% on B/F/TAF achieved viral suppression (P = 0.178). We identified no between-regimen differences in time to viral suppression or virological failure, regardless of pre-ART viral load. Compared with the DTG/ABC/3TC group, regimen discontinuation was less prevalent in the B/F/TAF group (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.23, 95% CI 0.06-0.85, P = 0.027). The main reason for discontinuation in both groups was ARs (61.9% in the DTG/ABC/3TC and 50% in the B/F/TAF, P = 0.877), of which skin manifestations were the most common in both groups (69.2% in the DTG/ABC/3TC and 100% in the B/F/TAF, P = 0.485). DTG/ABC/3TC, same-day ART prescription, and AOI were risk factors for AR-related regimen discontinuation. Conclusion In the real world, the risk of regimen discontinuation was higher in PLWAH on coformulated DTG/ABC/3TC than in those on B/F/TAF, with no difference in viral suppression or virological failure. Given the findings concerning the effect of same-day ART prescription and AOIs on AR-related regimen discontinuation, individualized approaches to PLWAH are necessary.

Automated summary

This study found that treatment regimens with DTG/ABC/3TC were more likely to be discontinued in advanced HIV patients compared to B/F/TAF, but there were no significant differences in viral suppression and virological failure between the two regimens. Therefore, individualized treatment approaches are crucial for advanced HIV patients.