Original Article Patient-reported outcomes among virally suppressed people living with HIV after switching to Co-formulated bictegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide

Background: While some evidence has suggested the benefits of co-formulated bic-tegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in improving the quality of life of people living with HIV (PLWH), patient-reported outcome studies that focus on Asian popula-tion remain scarce. We aimed to determine the changes in HIV-related symptom burden in virally-suppressed PLWH switching to B/F/TAF in a real-world setting. Methods: PLWH on stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) for >6 months with plasma HIV RNA <200 copies/mL who decided to switch to B/F/TAF were eligible for the study. Participants' experience with 20 symptoms were assessed using HIV Symptom Index at baseline and weeks 24 and 48. Responses were dichotomized in two ways: 1) present vs. not present; and 2) both-ersome vs. not bothersome, and compared across time points. Results: Six hundred and thirty participants (prior regimen, 94.4% integrase inhibitor-based) who completed week 48 visit were included in the analysis. Forty-eight weeks after switching to B/F/TAF, six symptoms were significantly less prevalent, and seven symptoms were signif-icantly less bothersome. Improvement was more pronounced in participants whose prior

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the improvement in HIV-related symptom burden among people living with HIV (PLWH) who switched to the co-formulated bic-tegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in a real-world setting. The results showed that after 48 weeks of switching to B/F/TAF, there was a significant reduction in the prevalence and bothersomeness of certain symptoms.