Disease Screening Increases with More Frequent HIV Visits | ID Week 2024

The more frequent interactions with healthcare professions required for HIV treatment with Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine) allows for earlier detection and management of chronic health conditions, according to a poster at ID Week 2024, which is being held this week in Los Angeles.

Developed by ViiV Healthcare, Cabenuva is a long-acting therapy for patients 12 years and older with HIV to maintain virus suppression. It is approved by the FDA to be given as an intramuscular injection and can be given monthly or every two months.

People living with HIV tend to develop more chronic illnesses at younger ages, including cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, liver and renal disease. Guidelines suggest regular screening for chronic conditions in people with HIV.

In this study, which was led by Philip C. Lackey, M.D., assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, researchers looked at routine clinical data from electronic health records in the United States.

Researchers reviewed the medical records to assess the care received by people with HIV who were 18 years of age or older who had initiated treatment with either Cabenuva or a new oral antiretroviral medication between Jan. 21, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Matched groups were followed until regimen discontinuation, loss to follow up, death or end of study. The analysis included 730 patients who received Cabenuva and 2,178 who had received oral antiretroviral medication.

Patients’ records were reviewed to see which patients had received metabolic testing and risk score calculations were made for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, estimated glomerular filtration rate (assesses the risk of kidney disease), fibrosis-4 (an index for liver fibrosis) or the Veterans Aging Cohort Study mortality index (which estimates the risk of five-year all-cause mortality in patients with HIV or hepatitis C).

Researchers found that 81% of patients had at least one comorbidity.

A greater proportion of patients receiving Cabenuva received lipid and glucose testing within in one to three months of starting therapy. Risk scores for cardiovascular disease and for liver and renal health were able to be calculated among a greater proportion of patients receiving Cabenuva than those receiving oral treatments.

Researchers indicated in the poster that this was because lab values were updated sooner after baseline. These findings, they said, suggest that there are ancillary benefits of increased interaction with healthcare professions because of receiving injections with Cabenuva.

This study was sponsored by ViiV Healthcare.