Superior Efficacy of Dolutegravir (DTG) Plus 2 Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) Compared with lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) Plus 2 NRTIs in Second-Line Treatment — 48-week Data from the DAWNING Study

Cost-Effectiveness of Three Alternative Boosted Protease Inhibitor-Based Second-Line Regimens in HIV-Infected Patients in West and Central Africa

BACKGROUND

While dolutegravir has been added by WHO as a preferred second-line option for the treatment of HIV infection, boosted protease inhibitor (bPI)-based regimens are still needed as alternative second-line options. Identifying optimal bPI-based second-line combinations is essential, given associated high costs and funding constraints in low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of three alternative bPI-based second-line regimens in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Senegal.

METHODS

We used data collected over 2010-2015 in the 2LADY trial/post-trial cohort. Patients with first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) failure were randomly assigned to tenofovir/emtricitabine + lopinavir/ritonavir (TDF/FTC LPV/r; arm A), abacavir + didanosine + lopinavir/ritonavir (arm B), or tenofovir/emtricitabine + darunavir/ritonavir (arm C). Costs (US dollars, 2016), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were computed for each country over 24 months of follow-up and extrapolated to 5 years using a simulated patient-level Markov model. We assessed uncertainty using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves, scenarios and prices threshold analysis.

RESULTS

In each country, over 24 months, arm A was significantly less costly than arms B and C (incremental costs ranging from US$410-$US721 and US$468-US$546 for B and C vs A, respectively) and offered similar health benefits (incremental QALY: - 0.138 to 0.023 and - 0.179 to 0.028, respectively). Over 5 years, arm A remained the least costly, health benefits not being significantly different between arms. Compared with arms B and C, in each study country, Arm A had a ≥ 95% probability of being cost-effective for a large range of cost-effectiveness thresholds, irrespective of the scenario considered.

CONCLUSIONS

Using TDF/FTC LPV/r as a bPI-based second-line regimen provided the best economic value in the three study countries.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00928187.

Risks and Benefits of Dolutegravir- and Efavirenz-Based Strategies for South African Women With HIV of Child-Bearing Potential: A Modeling Study

BACKGROUND

Dolutegravir is superior to efavirenz for HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) but may be associated with an increased risk for neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns if used by women at conception.

OBJECTIVE

To project clinical outcomes of ART policies for women of child-bearing potential in South Africa.

DESIGN

Model of 3 strategies: efavirenz for all women of child-bearing potential (EFV), dolutegravir for all women of child-bearing potential (DTG), or World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended efavirenz without contraception or dolutegravir with contraception (WHO approach).

DATA SOURCES

Published data on NTD risks (efavirenz, 0.05%; dolutegravir, 0.67% [Tsepamo study]), 48-week ART efficacy with initiation (efavirenz, 60% to 91%; dolutegravir, 96%), and age-stratified fertility rates (2 to 139 per 1000 women).

TARGET POPULATION

3.1 million South African women with HIV (aged 15 to 49 years) starting or continuing first-line ART, and their children.

TIME HORIZON

5 years.

PERSPECTIVE

Societal.

INTERVENTION

EFV, DTG, and WHO approach.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Deaths among women and children, sexual and pediatric HIV transmissions, and NTDs.

RESULTS OF BASE-CASE ANALYSIS

Compared with EFV, DTG averted 13 700 women's deaths (0.44% decrease) and 57 700 sexual HIV transmissions, but increased total pediatric deaths by 4400 because of more NTDs. The WHO approach offered some benefits compared with EFV, averting 4900 women's deaths and 20 500 sexual transmissions while adding 300 pediatric deaths. Overall, combined deaths among women and children were lowest with DTG (358 000 deaths) compared with the WHO approach (362 800 deaths) or EFV (367 300 deaths).

RESULTS OF SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Women's deaths averted with DTG exceeded pediatric deaths added with EFV unless dolutegravir-associated NTD risk was 1.5% or greater.

LIMITATION

Uncertainty in NTD risks and dolutegravir efficacy in resource-limited settings, each examined in sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSION

Although NTD risks may be higher with dolutegravir than efavirenz, dolutegravir will lead to many fewer deaths among women, as well as fewer overall HIV transmissions. These results argue against a uniform policy of avoiding dolutegravir in women of child-bearing potential.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Massachusetts General Hospital; and Harvard University Center for AIDS Research.

Integrase Inhibitors: After 10 Years of Experience, Is the Best Yet to Come?

The era of the integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection began with raltegravir in 2007. Since that time, several other INSTIs have been introduced including elvitegravir, dolutegravir, and, most recently, bictegravir, that have shown great utility as part of antiretroviral regimens in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients. At present, antiretroviral guidelines fully endorse the INSTI class as part of all first-line treatment regimens. After 10 years of experience with INSTIs, newer agents are on the horizon such as cabotegravir and MK-2048 for potential use as either HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis or maintenance therapy. This review provides a brief overview of the INSTI class including agents currently available and those still in development, reviews available data from both completed and ongoing clinical trials, and outlines simplification strategies using INSTIs.