BackgroundSince eradication of HIV is unlikely, long-term management of the disease necessitates careful evaluation of the combinations of currently available drugs to determine the most potent and useful rational sequencing of regimens.
ObjectiveTo determine the antiretroviral ef®cacy and tolerability of saquinavir soft gelatin capsule (SQV-SGC) plus zalcitabine (ddC) and stavudine (d4T), as ®rst-line treatment in HIV-infected patients.
DesignMulticentre, open-label, non-comparative study.
Patients and methodsThirty-®ve asymptomatic, HIV-infected adults with no prior antiretroviral treatment, a CD4 count b 250 cells/mL and baseline b 5000 HIV RNA copies/mL were included in the study. Patients received SQV-SGC 1200 mg three times a day (tid), ddC 0.75 mg tid and d4T 30 or 40 mg twice a day (bid) for 24 weeks. Plasma HIV RNA, CD4 and CD8 cell counts, HIV reverse transcriptase and protease resistance genotypes, SQV plasma concentration and tolerability were evaluated.
ResultsAt baseline, median HIV RNA (interquartile range) was 4.99 (4.81±5.48) log 10 copies/mL, and median CD4 count was 370 (318±504) cells/mL (n = 35). At week 24, the median decrease in HIV RNA was 3.05 (2.19±3.68) log 10 copies/mL. A viral load below the level of quanti®cation (200 copies/mL and 20 copies/mL) was achieved in 63% and 34% of patients, respectively (intent-to-treat analysis). The only mutations detected were L90M substitutions in two patients. At week 24, the median CD4 count increased (P < 0.0001), and CD8 cell counts decreased (P < 0.0001), relative to baseline. In total, there were ®ve cases of peripheral neuropathy (14%). Mean triglyceride and cholesterol levels remained within normal ranges.
ConclusionsTriple therapy with SQV-SGC plus ddC and d4T is a reasonably well tolerated regimen that markedly and rapidly reduces viral load with immunological improvement. This combination is an effective (d4T) have not been combined in therapy regimens. One explanation for this is the suggestion that they may cause neurological toxicity [2,9]. This pilot study was designed therefore to determine the ef®cacy and tolerability of SQV-SGC, plus an NRTI backbone of ddC and d4T, in antiretroviral-naive individuals.
Patients and methods
Study designThis multicentre, phase III, open-label, non-comparative study was conducted in nine centres in France for 24 weeks, with visits scheduled every 4 weeks. Local ethical committees approved the protocol and patients were required to provide written informed consent before enrolling.
Inclusion criteriaAsymptomatic, adult HIV-infected patients with no previous antiretroviral treatment, a CD4 count b 250 cells/mL and a plasma viral load of b 5000 HIV RNA copies/mL at baseline were included in the study. The baseline characteristics of the study patients are presented in Table 1.
Treatment regimensPatients received SQV-SGC (Fortovase q ; Roche Pharmaceuticals, Basel, Switzerland) 1200 mg three times a day (tid), ddC (Hivid q ; Roche Pharmaceuticals) 0.75 mg tid and d4T (Zerit q ; Bristol-Myers Squibb Europe...