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Updated: Jan 9, 2026

Rapid Screening of HIV Reverse Transcriptase and Integrase Inhibitors
Published on: April 9, 2014
Melanocortin-4 Receptor Gene Variants and Weight Change Following Switch to Integrase Inhibitor-Based Antiretroviral
Todd Hulgan1, Kristine M Erlandson2, Yuki Bradford3
1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
None:
Given the melanocortin-4 receptor's (MC4R) importance in obesity, we examined associations between MC4R gene variants and weight following a switch to integrase inhibitor-containing antiretroviral therapy among participants in Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally studies. Among 529 persons with HIV (median age: 50 years, 29% non-Hispanic Black, 22% female), 62% were overweight or obese at integrase strand transfer inhibitor switch, and 62% switched to raltegravir. In adjusted linear models, three variants were associated (P < .05) with weight change after switch in all participants or in prespecified subgroups. These exploratory findings are consistent with the role of melanocortins in appetite and weight and suggest a neuroendocrine contribution to integrase inhibitor-related weight gain.
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