Newswise — Los Angeles, Calif. – The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the world’s largest and longest-established HIV research network, will make three presentations at AIDS 2020: Virtual, the 23rd International AIDS Conference, taking place July 6-10, 2020. ACTG investigators will highlight findings in an oral presentation regarding the efficacy and safety of third-line treatment regimens in resource-limited settings, a poster discussion on viral rebound rates after treatment interruption of modern ART, and a poster presentation assessing whether a standardized frailty score can improve clinicians’ ability to estimate cardiovascular risk among people living with HIV who are aging. 

“The ACTG continues to advance research against HIV on a multitude of fronts and the studies being presented at AIDS 2020 reflect that commitment,” said ACTG Chair Judith Currier, M.D., MSc, the University of California, Los Angeles. “ACTG presentations at AIDS 2020 advance efforts to address three major challenges for the field: second-line treatment failure in resource-limited settings, treatment interruptions for testing HIV remission and cure strategies, and how to improve our predictions for clinical outcomes in people aging with HIV to avoid adverse outcomes.” 

ACTG presentations at AIDS 2020 include the following: 

 

Third-Line Antiretroviral Therapy including Raltegravir, Darunavir/Ritonavir and/or Etravirine Is Well Tolerated and Achieves Durable Virologic Suppression over 144+ Weeks in Resource Limited Settings (A5288; On-Demand Oral Abstracts & Poster Discussions OAB0404: Oral Abstract) Anchalee Avihingsanon, et al ([email protected]) Topic: Antiretrovirals session 2

A5288 is a strategy trial that aimed to address challenges posed by second-line ART failures among people living with HIV in resource-limited settings. Participants with resistance to lopinavir and/or all NRTIs started third-line regimens based on their resistance profiles that included raltegravir, darunavir/ritonavir, and/or etravirine. This presentation reports on long-term outcomes over more than 144 weeks, showing good tolerability and durable virologic suppression. 

 

Time to Viral Rebound After Interruption of Modern Antiretroviral Therapies (A5345; On-Demand Oral Abstracts & Poster Discussions PDB0102: Oral Poster) Jonathan Z. Li, et al ([email protected]) Topic: Achieving virologic suppression

Strategies to achieve ART-free HIV remission will require treatment interruptions (TI). The time to viral rebound with older oral ART regimens is known, but it is unclear if it is the same, longer, or shorter after the interruption of more modern ART regimens. A5345 compares the timing at which viral rebound occurs when interrupting modern ART regimens to data from historic TI studies.   

 

Comparison of the Frailty Score and the Pooled Cohort Equations in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease Among Persons with HIV (A5322; On-Demand E-Poster PEB0215: Poster room B) Frank J. Palella et al ([email protected]) Topic: Comorbidities

The 2013 pooled cohort equations (PCE) for estimating 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk has underestimated CVD events among people living with HIV. Frailty is associated with multiple adverse health consequences, including incident CVD, in both people living with HIV and the general population. This study evaluates whether adding the frailty score to the typical PCE improves its ability to estimate CVD risk among people living with HIV who are aging.

 

About the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG)

Founded in 1987, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) was the world’s first HIV research network. The ACTG conducts groundbreaking studies to improve the treatment of HIV and its complications, reduce new infections and HIV-related illness, and advance new approaches to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure HIV in adults and children. ACTG investigators and research units in 12 countries serve as major resources for HIV/AIDS research, treatment, care, and training/education in their communities. ACTG studies have helped establish current paradigms for managing HIV disease, and have informed HIV treatment guidelines, resulting in dramatic decreases in HIV-related mortality worldwide.