Etravirine (ETR) is a next generation non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). The studies for ETR EMA approval were almost exclusively performed together with the protease inhibitor (PI) darunavir. However the fact that ETR can be active against NNRTI‐pretreated HIV variants and that it is well tolerated suggests its application in PI‐free antiretroviral combination therapies. Although approved only for PI‐containing therapies, a number of ETR treatments without PIs are performed currently. To evaluate the performance of ETR in PI‐free regimens, we analyzed the EURESIST database. We observed a total of 70 therapy switches to a PI‐free, ETR containing antiretroviral combination with detectable baseline viral load. 50/70 switches were in male patients and 20/70 in females. The median of previous treatments was 10. The following combinations were detected in the EURESIST database: ETR+MVC+RAL (20.0%); ETR+FTC+TDF (18.6%); 3TC+ETR+RAL (7.1%); 3TC+ABC+ETR (5.7%); other combinations (31.4%). A switch was defined as successful when either ≤50 copies/mL or a decline of the viral load of 2 log10, both at week 24 (range 18–30) were achieved. The overall success rate (SR) was 77% (54/70), and for the different combinations: ETR+MVC+RAL=78.6% (11/14); ETR+FTC+TDF=92.3% (12/13); 3TC+ETR+RAL =80.0% (4/5), 3TC+ABC+ETR=100% (SR 4/4); and for other combinations=67.6% (23/34). These SR values are comparable to those for other therapy combinations in such pretreated patients.
Purpose of the studySince X4/DM HIV‐1 tropism is associated with poorer prognosis and worse response to treatment, the aim of this study was to assess whether X4/DM HIV‐1 tropism is also related with a higher accumulation of resistance in patients experiencing treatment failure.MethodsHIV protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) resistance mutations and tropism test results were extracted from a national database. Viral tropism data included enhanced sensitivity Trofile assay (ESTA) and geno2pheno results at 10% false positive rate. Historical resistance mutations (HRM) for PI, NRTI and NNRTI, detected in all genotypic tests performed during patient treatment history, were selected according to IAS‐USA indications.Summary of resultsOverall, 1280 patients were included: males 65%, median age 45 years (IQR: 40–50), median CD4 nadir 116 (IQR: 34–272), median past regimens 7 (IQR: 3–12), median previous NRTI used 5 (IQR: 4–7), median previous NNRTI used 1 (IQR 1–2) and median previous PI used 3 (IQR 1–5). HIV tropism was assessed by ESTA in 271 patients (21.2%) and by geno2pheno in 1009 patients (78.8%). Four hundred and fifteen patients (32.4%) carried X4/DM virus and 321 (25.1%) had ≥1 HRM for each antiretroviral class. The mean number of HRM was higher in patients harboring X4/DM virus than in patients harboring R5 virus (5.1±6.4 vs. 4.3±5.9, p = 0.02 at ANOVA test). X4/DM strains also harbored a higher mean number of PI‐related HRM (1.8±2.8 vs. 1.5±2.6, p = 0.003) and NNRTI‐related HRM (1.2±1.6 vs. 0.9±1.4, p = 0.001), but not of NRTI‐related HRM (2.2±2.6 vs. 2.0±2.6). At logistic regression, patients with HRM for all the 3 classes had a significant higher risk of also harboring X4/DM virus (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0–2.4, p = 0.04). Moreover, X4/DM virus was found to be associated with previous use of NNRTI‐containing regimens (OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1–9, p = 0.03) and lower CD4 nadir (OR: 0.9, 95% CI: 0.9–1.0, p = 0.001, per 50‐CD4 increase). The analysis was adjusted by number of genotypic tests, number of treatment lines, age and HV subtype. Single mutations significantly associated with X4/DM tropism were: for PI, V32I and L76V; for NRTI: M41L, K70R, L74V and T215Y and for NNRTI: E138G and V179T.ConclusionsOur data suggest that X4/DM tropism is associated with accumulation of resistance mutations during treatment history. X4/DM tropism is also confirmed to be a marker of a more compromised clinical and immune‐virological condition.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was discovered in the early 1980s when the virus had already established a pandemic. For at least three decades the epidemic in the Western World has been dominated by subtype B infections, as part of a sub-epidemic that traveled from Africa through Haiti to United States. However, the pattern of the subsequent spread still remains poorly understood. Here we analyze a large dataset of globally representative HIV-1 subtype B strains to map their spread around the world over the last 50 years and describe significant spread patterns. We show that subtype B travelled from North America to Western Europe in different occasions, while Central/Eastern Europe remained isolated for the most part of the early epidemic. Looking with more detail in European countries we see that the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland exchanged viral isolates with non-European countries than with European ones. The observed pattern is likely to mirror geopolitical landmarks in the post-World War II era, namely the rise and the fall of the Iron Curtain and the European colonialism. In conclusion, HIV-1 spread through specific migration routes which are consistent with geopolitical factors that affected human activities during the last 50 years, such as migration, tourism and trade. Our findings support the argument that epidemic control policies should be global and incorporate political and socioeconomic factors.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was discovered in the early 1980s when the virus had already established a pandemic. For at least three decades the epidemic in the Western World has been dominated by subtype B infections, as part of a sub-epidemic that traveled from Africa through Haiti to United States. However, the pattern of the subsequent spread still remains poorly understood. Here we analyze a large dataset of globally representative HIV-1 subtype B strains to map their spread around the world over the last 50 years and describe significant spread patterns. We show that subtype B travelled from North America to Western Europe in different occasions, while Central/Eastern Europe remained isolated for the most part of the early epidemic. Looking with more detail in European countries we see that the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland exchanged viral isolates with non-European countries than with European ones. The observed pattern is likely to mirror geopolitical landmarks in the post-World War II era, namely the rise and the fall of the Iron Curtain and the European colonialism. In conclusion, HIV-1 spread through specific migration routes which are consistent with geopolitical factors that affected human activities during the last 50 years, such as migration, tourism and trade. Our findings support the argument that epidemic control policies should be global and incorporate political and socioeconomic factors.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was discovered in the early 1980s when the virus had already established a pandemic. For at least three decades the epidemic in the Western World has been dominated by subtype B infections, as part of a sub-epidemic that traveled from Africa through Haiti to United States. However, the pattern of the subsequent spread still remains poorly understood. Here we analyze a large dataset of globally representative HIV-1 subtype B strains to map their spread around the world over the last 50. years and describe significant spread patterns. We show that subtype B travelled from North America to Western Europe in different occasions, while Central/Eastern Europe remained isolated for the most part of the early epidemic. Looking with more detail in European countries we see that the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland exchanged viral isolates with non-European countries than with European ones. The observed pattern is likely to mirror geopolitical landmarks in the post-World War II era, namely the rise and the fall of the Iron Curtain and the European colonialism. In conclusion, HIV-1 spread through specific migration routes which are consistent with geopolitical factors that affected human activities during the last 50. years, such as migration, tourism and trade. Our findings support the argument that epidemic control policies should be global and incorporate political and socioeconomic factors. . . .