In the latest Clinical Therapeutics review, a 52-year-old man with a history of HIV-1 infection and poor medication adherence presents for evaluation. A single-pill regimen is considered. For some patients with HIV-1 infection, combination regimens consisting of one pill to be taken daily can improve adherence.

With the advent and refinement of combination ART [antiretroviral therapy], the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients has risen dramatically. In addition to benefiting infected persons, ART almost completely blocks HIV-1 transmission to uninfected sexual partners. If we were able to treat most or all HIV-infected patients and thereby prevent new infections, “the beginning of the end of AIDS” would be in sight.

Clinical Pearls

• What are the currently available single-pill combinations marketed for HIV-1 treatment?

There are currently three single-pill combinations marketed for HIV-1 treatment, each containing the same combination of one nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitor and one nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTIs): tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) at a dose of 300 mg and emtricitabine (FTC) at a dose of 200 mg, respectively. The first agent (Atripla, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences), released in 2006, is a single pill that combines TDF-FTC with 600 mg of the nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz (EFV). The second agent (Complera, Gilead Sciences), approved in 2011, combines TDF-FTC with 25 mg of the NNRTI rilpivirine (RPV). The third agent (Stribild, Gilead Sciences), released in 2012, consists of TDF-FTC combined with 150 mg of the integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI) elvitegravir (EVG) and 150 mg of the pharmacoenhancer cobicistat (which boosts serum EVG levels). A fourth single-pill combination has not yet been approved for clinical use. This agent would combine two NRTIs — abacavir (ABC) at a dose of 600 mg and lamivudine (3TC) at a dose of 300 mg — with 50 mg of the recently approved INSTI dolutegravir DTG).

• In which patient populations should single-pill combinations be generally avoided?

Single-pill combinations should be avoided in patients with clinically significant renal disease because TDF, TC, and FTC all require dose reductions or elimination when the estimated creatine clearance is less than 50 ml per minute. The inability to adjust the dose of individual drug components in patients with renal insufficiency is an important limitation of single-pill combinations. In addition, patients who have drug-resistant HIV-1 infection often require agents that are not included in single-pill combinations.

Morning Report Questions

Q: When should a regimen containing a protease inhibitor be used?

A: None of the current single-pill combinations contain protease inhibitors, which should be used in patients with known viral resistance to NNRTIs or INSTIs. In addition, because transmitted resistance to protease inhibitors is uncommon and resistance to this class emerges relatively slowly, protease inhibitors are often favored when treatment decisions are required before resistance-testing results are available — for example, in the case of patients with acute HIV-1 infection or opportunistic infections. Protease inhibitors are also sometimes considered in patients with inconsistent adherence because multiple viral mutations are required to compromise the activity of these agents.

Q: How do currently available anchor medications for once daily regimens compare?

A: EFV, the anchor drug in EFV-TDF-FTC, is potent and, in recent years, the drug to which every newly developed anchor antiretroviral agent has been compared. EFV may cause neuropsychiatric effects (e.g., vivid dreams, insomnia, somnolence, and depression) or rash, although symptoms typically diminish over time. EFV is the preferred NNRTI during pregnancy, when initiated 8 weeks after conception. Rilpivirine (RPV)-based regimens are not recommended for patients whose pretherapy HIV-1 RNA level is more than 100,000 copies per milliliter or whose CD4+ T-cell count is 200 per cubic millimeter or less. RPV must be taken with a solid meal (greater than or equal to 390 kcal) and requires stomach acid for adequate absorption, precluding the concomitant use of proton-pump inhibitors. In addition to its use in initial therapy, RPV-TDF-FTC may have a role in patients with virologic suppression during treatment with a protease inhibitor-containing regimen who have a reason to change medications: in a recent trial, switching such patients to RPV-TDF-FTC maintained high rates of virologic suppression and improved lipid levels. Cobicistat-boosted EVG does not have neuropsychiatric effects and does not commonly cause rash. However, cobicistat inhibits tubular secretion of creatinine without reducing the creatine clearance. As a result, patients may have a mild increase in the serum creatinine level, typically less than 0.4 mg per deciliter (35 micromoles per liter), with this medication initially.