Sex and Gender Differences in Rilpivirine based ART - Data from the HIVCENTER Frankfurt

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Virology
• Public Health

Background:

• Rilpivirine (RPV) demonstrates high efficacy in treatment-naïve HIV patients, with no observed sex-based differences in clinical trials.
• Limited sex- and gender-specific data exist for RPV in treatment-experienced individuals.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for optimizing HIV treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the 48-week efficacy and safety of RPV in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced men and women with HIV.
• To investigate potential sex- and gender-specific differences in RPV treatment outcomes.
• To identify factors influencing treatment discontinuation and virologic response.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 194 patients receiving RPV-based regimens from March 2011 to December 2015.
• Primary endpoint: proportion of patients with any discontinuation by week 48.
• Secondary endpoint: virologic response rates (HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL) assessed via FDA snapshot analysis at week 48.

Main Results:

• Overall discontinuation rate was 15.9% (31/194 patients).
• Women showed a significantly higher discontinuation rate (24.2%) compared to men (11.7%; p=0.024).
• Virologic failure was low at 4.1% (8/194 patients).

Conclusions:

• RPV-based ART shows high virologic response rates in both treatment-naïve and experienced patients.
• Higher discontinuation rates in women necessitate close monitoring and tailored interventions.
• Addressing the specific needs of women living with HIV is essential for successful RPV treatment.