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Tolerability of Lopinavir Versus Dolutegravir for Children and Adolescents Living With HIV

Completed
Conditions
HIV
Registration Number
NCT05426421
Lead Sponsor
Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute
Brief Summary

Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy is set to be increasingly replace ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based regimens for the treatment of paediatric HIV. This prospective cohort study aims to compare tolerability, adverse effects, and virological outcomes between the two regimen types using a before-after design. The study is conducted in Lesotho, southern Africa, and includes children and adolescents transitioning from ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy. It aims to provide detailed information on treatment tolerability and to inform paediatric treatment programmes.

Detailed Description

Dolutegravir, an antiretroviral drug to treat HIV, has recently been rolled out on a large scale across much of Africa. With paediatric formulations becoming increasingly available, dolutegravir is set to replace ritonavir-boosted lopinavir as the core agent in paediatric treatment regimens in many countries. While both drugs are well-studied and highly effective, they reportedly differ with regards to their tolerability at least in adults, with ritonavir-boosted lopinavir typically associated with gastrointestinal adverse effects and dolutegravir mostly associated with neuropsychiatric adverse effects including insomnia. Resistance patterns also differ between these two treatment options. However, studies focusing specifically on the tolerability of and adverse effects associated with either drug in children and adolescents are scarce.

This prospective cohort study aims to i) compare treatment satisfaction, health-related quality of life, tolerability, and symptoms or side-effects associated with either drug option, ii) specifically compare sleep outcomes quantified through actigraphy with either drug option, and iii) provide observational evidence on virological outcomes in a resource-limited setting using a before-after design.

The study is conducted at several sites in Lesotho, southern Africa. It enrols children and adolescents \<18 years of age who are taking ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based therapy at enrolment and routinely due to transition to dolutegravir-based therapy as per the national roll-out plan. On the day of transitioning to dolutegravir as well as four weeks thereafter, participants will complete questionnaires on treatment satisfaction, gastrointestinal symptoms, depressive symptoms, and sleep habits. A subset of participants fulfilling additional inclusion criteria will additionally use actigraphy sensors to monitor sleep duration and sleep fragmentation; these individuals will have study visits two weeks before transition to dolutegravir to initiate actigraphy, at transition, as well as two and four weeks after transition, with questionnaires at all but the pre-transition visit and actigraphy (target: at least seven nights with high-quality data) between all visits. For all participants, medical records will be assessed and additional clinical and sociodemographic data collected. A viral load test will be done on the day of transitioning to dolutegravir, and subsequent routine viral load test results (every six months as per national guidelines) will be assessed. Dried blood spots will be taken at all visits, barring the pre-transition visit for those with actigraphy.

This study aims to inform the continued roll-out of dolutegravir replacing ritonavir-boosted lopinavir in paediatric antiretroviral therapy regimens, notably assessing the suitability of a one-size-fits-all approach and providing detailed information on tolerability and adverse effects of either regimen.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
258
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Sleep duration during monitoring period 3 (2-4 weeks post-transition) versus monitoring period 1 (0-2 weeks pre-transition)[2-4 weeks post-transition] vs [0-2 weeks pre-transition]

Sleep will be monitored using actigraphy sensors for a subset of participants. There will be three sleep monitoring periods: 0-2 weeks before transition from ritonavir-boosted lopinavir- to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (period 1), 0-2 weeks after transition, and 2-4 weeks after transition). We will conduct a before-after analysis.

Change in treatment satisfaction, assessed using the HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (HIVTSQ) change version (HIVTSQ-c)4 weeks post-transition

10-item scale with each item scored from -3 to +3 (overall range -30 to +30), with higher scores indicating increases in treatment satisfaction

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Viral suppression rate among those with virological data6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after transition

Proportion of participants with a viral load \<50 copies/mL among all participants with virological data

Health-related quality of life after vs before transition, assessed using the KINDL questionnaire4 weeks post-transition vs at transition

24-item scale with each item scored from 1 to five, with higher scores indicating higher health-related quality of life

Engagement in care with viral suppression6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after transition

Proportion of participants with a viral load \<50 copies/mL among all participants

Sleep duration during monitoring period 2 (0-2 weeks post-transition) versus monitoring period 1 (0-2 weeks pre-transition)[0-2 weeks post-transition] vs [0-2 weeks pre-transition]

Sleep will be monitored using actigraphy sensors for a subset of participants. There will be three sleep monitoring periods: 0-2 weeks before transition from ritonavir-boosted lopinavir- to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (period 1), 0-2 weeks after transition, and 2-4 weeks after transition). We will conduct a before-after analysis.

Gastrointestinal symptoms after vs before transition, assessed using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale adapted for protease inhibitors (GSRS-PI)4 weeks post-transition vs at transition

13-item scale with each item scored from 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating greater discomfort. Two time points compared in a before-after analysis.

Sleep outcomes after vs before transition, assessed using the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) or Adolescent Sleep Habits Questionnaire (ASHQ)4 weeks post-transition vs at transition

33-item scale (2 items used in two subscales) with each item scored from 1 to 3, with higher scores indicating more sleep problems. Two time points compared in a before-after analysis.

Sleep fragmentation[2-4 weeks post-transition] vs [0-2 weeks pre-transition], and [0-2 weeks post-transition] vs [0-2 weeks pre-transition]

Sleep will be monitored using actigraphy sensors for a subset of participants. There will be three sleep monitoring periods: 0-2 weeks before transition from ritonavir-boosted lopinavir- to dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (period 1), 0-2 weeks after transition, and 2-4 weeks after transition). We will conduct a before-after analysis.

Treatment satisfaction after vs before transition, assessed using the HIVTSQ status version (HIVTSQ-s)4 weeks post-transition vs at transition

10-item scale with each item scored from 0 to 6 (overall range 0 to 60), with higher scores indicating higher treatment satisfaction. Two time points compared in a before-after analysis.

Depressive symptoms after vs before transition, assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC)4 weeks post-transition vs at transition

20-item scale with each item scored from 0 to 3 (overall range 0 to 60), with higher scores indicating higher depressive symptoms. Two time points compared in a before-after analysis.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Baylor Center of Excellence Maseru

🇱🇸

Maseru, Lesotho

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