Browsing by Author "Romo, Matthew L."

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    Disparities in Dolutegravir Uptake Affecting Females of Reproductive Age With HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries After Initial Concerns About Teratogenicity : An Observational Study
    (American College of Physicians, 2022) Romo, Matthew L.; Patel, Rena C.; Edwards, Jessie K.; Humphrey, John M.; Musick, Beverly S.; Bernard, Caitlin; Maina, Mercy W.; Brazier, Ellen; Castelnuovo, Barbara; Penner, Jeremy; Wyka, Katarzyna; Wagner Cardoso, Sandra; Ly, Penh Sun; Kunzekwenyika, Cordelia; Cortés, Claudia P.; Panczak, Radoslaw; Kelvin, Elizabeth A.; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara K.; Nash, Denis; International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA); Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: The transition to dolutegravir-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) was complicated by an initial safety signal in May 2018 suggesting that exposure to dolutegravir at conception was possibly associated with infant neural tube defects. On the basis of additional evidence, in July 2019, the World Health Organization recommended dolutegravir for all adults and adolescents living with HIV. Objective: To describe dolutegravir uptake and disparities by sex and age group in LMICs. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting: 87 sites that began using dolutegravir in 11 LMICs in the Asia-Pacific; Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet); and sub-Saharan African regions of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. Patients: 134 672 patients aged 16 years or older who received HIV care from January 2017 through March 2020. Measurements: Sex, age group, and dolutegravir uptake (that is, newly initiating ART with dolutegravir or switching to dolutegravir from another regimen). Results: Differences in dolutegravir uptake among females of reproductive age (16 to 49 years) emerged after the safety signal. By the end of follow-up, the cumulative incidence of dolutegravir uptake among females 16 to 49 years old was 29.4% (95% CI, 29.0% to 29.7%) compared with 57.7% (CI, 57.2% to 58.3%) among males 16 to 49 years old. This disparity was greater in countries that began implementing dolutegravir before the safety signal and initially had highly restrictive policies versus countries with a later rollout. Dolutegravir uptake was similar among females and males aged 50 years or older. Limitation: Follow-up was limited to 6 to 8 months after international guidelines recommended expanding access to dolutegravir. Conclusion: Substantial disparities in dolutegravir uptake affecting females of reproductive age through early 2020 are documented. Although this disparity was anticipated because of country-level restrictions on access, the results highlight its extent and initial persistence.
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    Real-world use and outcomes of dolutegravir-containing antiretroviral therapy in HIV and tuberculosis co-infection: a site survey and cohort study in sub-Saharan Africa
    (Wiley, 2022) Romo, Matthew L.; Brazier, Ellen; Mahambou-Nsondé, Dominique; De Waal, Reneé; Sekaggya-Wiltshire, Christine; Chimbetete, Cleophas; Muyindike, Winnie R.; Murenzi, Gad; Kunzekwenyika, Cordelia; Tiendrebeogo, Thierry; Muhairwe, Josephine A.; Lelo, Patricia; Dzudie, Anastase; Twizere, Christelle; Rafael, Idiovino; Ezechi, Oliver C.; Diero, Lameck; Yotebieng, Marcel; Fenner, Lukas; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara K.; Shah, N. Sarita; Nash, Denis; International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA); Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Dolutegravir is being scaled up globally as part of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but for people with HIV and tuberculosis co-infection, its use is complicated by a drug-drug interaction with rifampicin requiring an additional daily dose of dolutegravir. This represents a disadvantage over efavirenz, which does not have a major drug-drug interaction with rifampicin. We sought to describe HIV clinic practices for prescribing concomitant dolutegravir and rifampicin, and characterize virologic outcomes among patients with tuberculosis co-infection receiving dolutegravir or efavirenz. Methods: Within the four sub-Saharan Africa regions of the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS consortium, we conducted a site survey (2021) and a cohort study (2015-2021). The cohort study used routine clinical data and included patients newly initiating or already receiving dolutegravir or efavirenz at the time of tuberculosis diagnosis. Patients were followed from tuberculosis diagnosis until viral suppression (<1000 copies/ml), a competing event (switching ART regimen; loss to program/death) or administrative censoring at 12 months. Results: In the survey, 86 of 90 (96%) HIV clinics in 18 countries reported prescribing dolutegravir to patients who were receiving rifampicin as part of tuberculosis treatment, with 77 (90%) reporting that they use twice-daily dosing of dolutegravir, of which 74 (96%) reported having 50 mg tablets available to accommodate twice-daily dosing. The cohort study included 3563 patients in 11 countries, with 67% newly or recently initiating ART. Among patients receiving dolutegravir (n = 465), the cumulative incidence of viral suppression was 58.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.3-63.3%), switching ART regimen was 4.1% (95% CI: 2.6-6.2%) and loss to program/death was 23.4% (95% CI: 19.7-27.4%). Patients receiving dolutegravir had improved viral suppression compared with patients receiving efavirenz who had a tuberculosis diagnosis before site dolutegravir availability (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR]: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.28-1.68) and after site dolutegravir availability (aSHR 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08-1.51). Conclusions: At a programmatic level, dolutegravir was being widely prescribed in sub-Saharan Africa for people with HIV and tuberculosis co-infection with a dose adjustment for the drug-drug interaction with rifampicin. Despite this more complex regimen, our cohort study revealed that dolutegravir did not negatively impact viral suppression.
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    Viral Load Status Before Switching to Dolutegravir-Containing Antiretroviral Therapy and Associations With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Treatment Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa
    (Oxford University Press, 2022) Romo, Matthew L.; Edwards, Jessie K.; Semeere, Aggrey S.; Musick, Beverly S.; Urassa, Mark; Odhiambo, Francesca; Diero, Lameck; Kasozi, Charles; Murenzi, Gad; Lelo, Patricia; Wyka, Katarzyna; Kelvin, Elizabeth A.; Sohn, Annette H.; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara K.; Nash, Denis; International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA); Biostatistics, School of Public Health
    Background: Dolutegravir is being rolled out globally as part of preferred antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, including among treatment-experienced patients. The role of viral load (VL) testing before switching patients already on ART to a dolutegravir-containing regimen is less clear in real-world settings. Methods: We included patients from the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS consortium who switched from a nevirapine- or efavirenz-containing regimen to one with dolutegravir. We used multivariable cause-specific hazards regression to estimate the association of the most recent VL test in the 12 months before switching with subsequent outcomes. Results: We included 36 393 patients at 37 sites in 5 countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda) who switched to dolutegravir from July 2017 through February 2020, with a median follow-up of approximately 11 months. Compared with those who switched with a VL <200 copies/mL, patients without a recent VL test or with a preswitch VL ≥1000 copies/mL had significantly increased hazards of an incident VL ≥1000 copies/mL (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99-4.19 and aHR, 6.60; 95% CI, 4.36-9.99, respectively) and pulmonary tuberculosis or a World Health Organization clinical stage 4 event (aHR, 4.78; 95% CI, 2.77-8.24 and aHR, 13.97; 95% CI, 6.62-29.50, respectively). Conclusions: A VL test before switching to dolutegravir may help identify patients who need additional clinical monitoring and/or adherence support. Further surveillance of patients who switched to dolutegravir with an unknown or unsuppressed VL is needed.