Cardiovascular, Anthropometric, and Skeletal Effects of ART Initiation with FTC/TDF plus ATV/r: Metabolic Substudy of A5257 (ACTG A5260s)

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Investigator: Diane Havlir, MD
Sponsor: Social & Scientific Systems, Inc.

Location(s): United States

Description

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidelines recommend that HIV-infected people who have never received anti-HIV therapy be treated with a triple drug regimen. The most commonly prescribed and successful regimen contains the medication efavirenz (EFV). However, this regimen has been shown to cause undesirable side effects for some patients and is therefore not an option for them. Alternative regimens are needed for these patients.

The main study will look at how well different combinations of anti-HIV drugs work to decrease the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load) of and allow immune system recovery in people who have never received anti-HIV therapy. It will also examine drug tolerability and safety for the various drug combinations.This substudy of A5257 will further examine the effects of these new regimens on metabolic, skeletal, and cardiovascular factors.

Of the five anti-HIV drug classes, three are recommended as first-line regimens for patients who have never received anti-HIV treatment before (treatment naive): nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidelines recommend that treatment-naive HIV- infected people be treated with a triple drug regimen that includes two NRTIs + one NNRTI or two NRTIs + one PI as their initial treatment regimen.

According to data, an efavirenz (EFV)-containing regimen (two NRTIs + one NNRTI, with EFV as the NNRTI) requires fewer pills for the patient, has mild and few side effects, and is more effective in reducing viral load than other regimens, making it the preferred choice for most patients. However, for some patients, an EFV-containing regimen is not possible due to dangerous side effects, acquired NNRTI-resistant HIV virus, or other undesirable effects. For these patients, it is necessary to find alternative regimens with comparable safety and efficacy. The main study will examine how well different combinations of anti-HIV drugs work, including safety and drug tolerability for various combinations.

Some participants of A5257 will be asked to participate in this optional metabolic substudy of A5257. The need for this substudy stems from data showing an increasing number of HIV -infected patients with metabolic, skeletal, and cardiovascular diseases, which may be directly related to the effects of antiretroviral therapy. Conventional understanding of disease development, risk factors, and consequences pertain to persons receiving older antiretroviral drugs. Consequently, it is necessary to examine the impact of newer antiretroviral drugs on metabolic, skeletal, and cardiovascular factors. The purpose of this substudy is to understand the contributions of HIV disease-related factors and antiretroviral therapy to the development of metabolic, skeletal, and cardiovascular disease among HIV -infected patients.