Switching to Doravirine in cART-Experienced Patients: An Effective and Highly Tolerated Option With Substantial Cost Savings.

BACKGROUND: Doravirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with demonstrated efficacy as a third agent in treatment-naive and treatment-experienced people living with HIV (PLWH) in registration studies. However, limited real-world data are available. METHODS: By searching electronic health care records, PLWH using doravirine-based regimens were selected with at least 1 year of follow-up after their first prescription. All stable PLWH who were switched to a doravirine-based regimen were included in the analysis. The primary outcome was the durability of a doravirine-based regimen 1 year after prescription. Reasons for stopping were also collected. Secondary outcomes for PLWH continuing a doravirine-based regimen after 1 year were routine laboratory assessment, body mass index, and differences in medication costs compared with their previous cART. RESULTS: A total of 687 patients (92% men) were included from September 2019 to August 2022: 97.7% switched to doravirine/tenofovir/lamivudine (DOR/TDF/3TC). After 1 year, 94/687 (13.6%) PLWH stopped this therapy. The main reason for discontinuation was patient-reported adverse events in 70/687 (10.2%). Medical reasons for discontinuation included increased alanine tranaminase levels in 6/687 (0.9%), decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate in 3/687 (0.4%), and precautions after diagnosis of osteoporosis in 2/687 (0.3%) patients. Virologic failure occurred in 4/687 cases (0.6%), and 1 case demonstrated resistance mutations. The secondary outcomes demonstrated a statistically significant increase in alanine tranaminase levels and decrease in LDL-c levels. The switch to a doravirine-based regimen in the Netherlands reduced medication costs by 27%. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that switching to a doravirine-based regimen, mostly DOR/TDF/3TC, was highly effective and generally well tolerated, with substantial cost savings.

Role of Self-Stigma in Pathways from HIV-Related Stigma to Quality of Life Among People Living with HIV.

This study examined the relationships between perceived public stigma, experienced stigma, and quality of life in people living with HIV (PLHIV), and whether self-stigma mediates these relationships. Cross-sectional data were analyzed from 1704 PLHIV in care at OLVG hospital in the Netherlands. We measured different types of stigma (perceived public stigma, experienced stigma, and self-stigma), and various quality-of-life outcomes (disclosure concerns, depression, anxiety, sexual problems, sleeping difficulties, self-esteem, general health, and social support). Structural equation modeling was used to test the paths from different types of stigma to quality-of-life outcomes. All direct effects of self-stigma on quality-of-life outcomes were significant. The final mediation model showed that the effects of both perceived public and experienced stigma on quality-of-life outcomes were mediated by self-stigma. These findings highlight the importance of addressing self-stigma in PLHIV, and call for (psychosocial) interventions that reduce the harmful effects of HIV-related stigma.