New anti-HIV Drug: Dolutegravir

An investigative integrase inhibitor, dolutegravir, suppresses viral load and is safe, according to results of a two-year study.

The once-daily drug doesn’t require any boosting and has no food restrictions. It appears unlikely to interact with other anti-HIV drugs and has a good resistance profile.

The study was intended to find the optimum dose of the drug for investigation in further trials. It involved 205 people, who hadn’t previously taken HIV treatment.

Participants were randomised to take either one of four doses of dolutegravir or efavirenz (Sustiva or Stocrin), with an NRTI backbone – either Truvada or Kivexa.

After a year, 88 to 91% of people treated with dolutegravir (depending on the dose they were taking) had an undetectable viral load, compared to 82% in the efavirenz arm – the difference was not statistically significant.

The best responses were seen in people taking a 50mg dose of dolutegravir, which will now be investigated in a phase III study.

The incidence of side-effects was comparable for dolutegravir and efavirenz. However, mild kidney dysfunction was associated with dolutegravir.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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