Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (Virtual CROI 2021)

Extended duration dapivirine vaginal ring shows promise for HIV prevention

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20210402180001

The use of a 90-day extended duration vaginal ring containing 100 or 200 mg of the antiretroviral drug dapivirine appeared safe, effective, and acceptable among HIV-negative women, according to results of a phase I trial presented at CROI 2021.

Hope in sight for an oral antiviral pill against COVID-19

Elvira Manzano, 20210324132000

The oral antiviral drug molnupiravir, given for 5 days, eliminated SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharynx of patients with COVID-19, interim results of a phase IIa study have shown, boosting hopes for its potential use in the outpatient setting.

Minimal monitoring approach of HCV treatment delivers acceptable SVR

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20210322150001

A minimal monitoring (MINMON) approach to treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with sofosbuvir/velpatasvir appeared to render an acceptable sustained virological response (SVR), according to results of the phase IV ACTG* A5360 trial.

Intranasal insulin boosts attention, memory in people with HIV

Stephen Padilla, 20210322120000

Treatment with intranasal insulin (INI) improves the performance of virally suppressed people with HIV (VS-PWH) on neuropsychological tests related to memory and attention, according to a study presented at the virtual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2021.

Inflammation strongly signals CV events in treated female vs male HIV patients

Jairia Dela Cruz, 20210319140000

For HIV patients treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers help predict non-AIDS cardiovascular (CV) events more strongly in women than men, according to a study.

ART initiation improves long-term depression symptoms in acute HIV

Stephen Padilla, 20210319120000

Improvements in depression symptoms remain stable at 6 years in individuals who maintain viral suppression after antiretroviral therapy (ART) during acute HIV-1 infection (AHI), according to a Thai study presented at the virtual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2021.

Dolutegravir-lamivudine shows durable efficacy for HIV across patient subgroups

Audrey Abella, 20210319100000

Treatment-naïve individuals with HIV continued to benefit from the dolutegravir-lamivudine regimen for nearly 3 years regardless of baseline disease characteristics and demographics, as shown by its noninferiority to dolutegravir plus tenofovir and emtricitabine observed in the subgroup analyses of the GEMINI trials presented at CROI 2021.

People with HIV at high risk of CVD

Tristan Manalac, 20210319090000

Even without a history of dyslipidaemia, hypertension, or diabetes, people with HIV (PWH) suffer from a nearly 30-percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study presented at the 2021 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2021).

Novel TB regimen shortens treatment time for HIV-infected patients

Jairia Dela Cruz, 20210318140000

A 4-month regimen containing the combination of rifapentine (RPT) and moxifloxacin (MOX) can effectively treat tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-positive patients, performing just as well as the 6-month standard of care, according to a subgroup analysis of the landmark phase III S31/A5349 trial.

Switching to B/F/TAF maintains high viral suppression in elderly with HIV

Sex modifies link between inflammation, vascular events in ART-treated HIV

Stephen Padilla, 20210318120000

Sex appears to have a strong influence on many discrete pathways of inflammation that independently predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) events in patients with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to a study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2021.