A randomized study of intensified antiretroviral treatment monitoring versus standard-of-care for prevention of drug resistance and antiretroviral treatment switch.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Standard-of-care antiretroviral treatment (ART) monitoring in low and middle-income countries consists of annual determination of HIV-RNA viral load with confirmatory viral load testing in case of viral rebound. We evaluated an intensified monitoring strategy of three-monthly viral load testing with additional drug exposure and drug resistance testing in case of viral rebound.

Methods

We performed an open-label randomized controlled trial (RCT) at a rural South African healthcare clinic, enrolling adults already receiving or newly initiating first-line ART. During 96 weeks follow-up, intervention participants received three-monthly viral load testing and sequential point-of-care drug exposure testing and DBS-based drug resistance testing in case of rebound above

SUBMITTER: Hermans LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9612712 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature