A combined prospective and retrospective comparative study evaluating renal outcomes after switching from TDF + FTC + EFV to TDF/3TC/DTG (TLD) vs. DTG + 3TC in virologically suppressed Thai people with HIV

TDF/3TC/DTG (TLD) has been adopted as the first-line therapy for all people with HIV according to the WHO 2019 and Thai HIV guidelines. As a result, people with HIV in Thailand on TDF/FTC/EFV are switched to TLD. However, increasing data demonstrate the efficacy and renal safety of the TDF-sparing dual therapy with DTG + 3TC compared with TDF-based combination ART (cART) as a switching therapy. A direct comparison of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) among people with HIV treated with TDF-based regimens who switch to TLD vs. DTG + 3TC is yet to be made. We enrolled virologically suppressed people with HIV aged ≥18 years currently on TDF + FTC + EFV to either switch to TLD or DTG + 3TC at two tertiary care hospitals. The switching regimen was chosen at the physicians' discretion. The primary outcome was the change in eGFR, calculated by creatinine at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in LDL, body weight, and BMI at 24 weeks. Among 53 recruited participants, 28 and 15 completed the second follow-up in the TLD and DTG + 3TC groups, respectively. The mean age was higher in the TLD group compared to the DTG + 3TC group (Table 1). The median time from HIV diagnosis to switching was 8.5 years. The eGFR reduction was significantly greater in the TLD group than in the DTG + 3TC group: -17.24 ± 9.24 vs. -8.4 ± 9.03 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p = 0.004). All participants in both groups achieved virological suppression. There was no significant change in CD4 counts between the two groups. Switching to DTG + 3TC was associated with a significantly smaller decline in eGFR post-switch (mean difference: 6.216 mL/min/1.73 m2; 95% CI 0.169-12.263; p = 0.044) compared to those who switched to TLD. There was a significant reduction in eGFR among people with HIV who switched to TLD compared to those switched to DTG + 3TC. Changes in LDL and BMI were comparable between groups. Dual therapy with DTG + 3TC may be a preferred switching option over TLD for individuals with renal safety concerns. Further randomized prospective trials with longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these findings.