ART Intensification Fails to Reduce Residual Viremia in HIV Patients

Intensifying the antiretroviral regimens of patients with on-treatment viral loads <50 copies/mL did not further reduce viremia, according to a study in which a quantitative single-copy assay was used to detect loads <1 copy/mL.

Most HIV-infected patients who achieve virologic suppression on antiretroviral therapy (ART) continue to have viral loads below the 50 copies/mL detection limit of commercially available assays. Why low-level viremia persists in some patients and whether intensified treatment can diminish it remain unclear.

Now, using a quantitative single-copy assay with a lower limit of detection <1 copy/mL, researchers studied viremia before, during, and after ART intensification. For nine patients at one site, the intensified treatment included ritonavir-boosted atazanavir for 8 weeks; for six patients at another site, it included either lopinavir/ritonavir or efavirenz for 30 days. All 15 patients had pre-intensification viral loads <50 copies/mL and CD…

Reviewing Author

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

ART Intensification Fails to Reduce Residual Viremia in HIV Patients

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Reviewing Author