Objective: Schizoaffective disorder is a complex illness for which optimal treatment is not well established. Results of the first controlled, relapse-prevention study of paliperidone palmitate once-monthly injectable (paliperidone monthly) in schizoaffective disorder are presented. Method:The study was conducted between September 20, 2010, and October 22, 2013. Patients with schizoaffective disorder (confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders) experiencing acute exacerbation of psychotic and depressive/manic symptoms were stabilized with paliperidone monthly as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy to mood stabilizers or antidepressants and randomly assigned (1:1) to paliperidone monthly or placebo in a 15-month, double-blind, relapse-prevention phase. Randomization was stratified by administration as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy and by study center. The primary endpoint was time to relapse.Results: 334 patients were evaluated. Paliperidone monthly significantly delayed time to relapse for psychotic, depressive, and manic symptoms compared with placebo (P < .001, log-rank test). Relapse risk was 2.49 times greater for placebo (hazard ratio = 2.49; 95% CI, 1.55 to 3.99; P < .001, Cox proportional hazards model). Overall relapse rates were 33.5% for placebo and 15.2% for paliperidone monthly. For monotherapy, relapse risk was 3.38 times greater with placebo (P = .002), and for adjunctive treatment it was 2.03 times greater with placebo (P = .021). Paliperidone monthly was superior to placebo in maintaining functioning as measured by the Personal and Social Performance scale (P = .014, mixed-model repeated-measures analysis). The most common adverse events (placebo, paliperidone monthly) were increased weight (4.7%, 8.5%), insomnia (7.1%, 4.9%), schizoaffective disorder (5.9%, 3.0%), headache (3.5%, 5.5%), and nasopharyngitis (3.5%, 5.5%). Incidence of any extrapyramidal-related adverse event was 7.1% for placebo and 8.5% for paliperidone monthly.Conclusions: Paliperidone monthly as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy significantly delayed psychotic, depressive, and/or manic relapses; reduced their risk; and better maintained functioning in patients with schizoaffective disorder. Results support the value of maintenance treatment with paliperidone monthly in schizoaffective disorder.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01193153 Clin Psychiatry 2015;76(3):253-262 J

Background Most guidelines recommend rapid treatment initiation for patients with newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, but prospective US data are limited. The DIAMOND (NCT03227861) study using darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (D/C/F/TAF) 800/150/200/10 mg is a phase 3 prospective study evaluating efficacy/safety of a single-tablet regimen in a rapid-initiation model of care. Methods Adults aged ≥18 years began D/C/F/TAF ≤14 days from diagnosis without screening/baseline results; as results became available, participants not meeting predefined safety/resistance stopping rules continued. Primary endpoint was virologic response (HIV-1 RNA &lt;50 copies/mL; intent-to-treat; US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] snapshot) at week 48; participant satisfaction was measured via the HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire status version (HIVTSQs). Results Of 109 participants, 87% were male, 32% black/African American, median (range) age was 28 (range, 19–66) years, 25% of participants had HIV-1 RNA ≥100 000 copies/mL, 21% had CD4+ cell count &lt;200 cells/µL, and 31% enrolled ≤48 hours from diagnosis. At week 48, 97 (89%) participants completed the study and 92 (84%) achieved HIV-1 RNA &lt;50 copies/mL (FDA snapshot). There were no protocol-defined virologic failures; incidences of adverse events (AEs) and adverse drug reactions (33%) were low, no serious AEs were study drug related, and 1 (&lt;1%) participant discontinued due to study drug related AE(s). The overall HIVTSQs score at week 48 was 58 (maximum: 60). Conclusions At week 48, a high proportion of participants starting D/C/F/TAF achieved HIV-1 RNA &lt;50 copies/mL and very few discontinued therapy. D/C/F/TAF was well tolerated, no participants discontinued due to baseline resistance stopping criteria, and high treatment satisfaction among participants was recorded. Clinical Trials Registration NCT03227861.

Darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (D/C/F/TAF) is an oral once‐daily single‐tablet regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus‐1 infection. Different administration modalities for the D/C/F/TAF fixed‐dose combination tablet were explored in this phase 1 randomized, open‐label, 3‐period, 3‐treatment crossover study enrolling 30 healthy adults. The primary objective was to assess the relative bioavailability of each component after a single dose of D/C/F/TAF (800/150/200/10 mg) administered as a split or crushed tablet (tests) versus swallowed whole (reference). Pharmacokinetic parameters (noncompartmental analysis; logarithm‐transformed) for each component were compared using linear mixed‐effects modeling. For the split versus whole tablet, the bioavailabilities (maximum plasma concentration [Cmax] and area under the plasma concentration‐time curve [AUClast]) of each D/C/F/TAF component were comparable. For the crushed versus whole tablet, the bioavailabilities of darunavir, cobicistat, and emtricitabine were comparable, except for a 17% decrease in emtricitabine Cmax; the relative bioavailability of tenofovir alafenamide decreased by 29% and 19% for Cmax and AUClast, respectively. All intakes were safe and generally well tolerated. In summary, there was no clinically relevant impact on the bioavailability of D/C/F/TAF components when administered as a split tablet compared with a tablet swallowed whole. Administration of a crushed tablet resulted in a modest decrease in tenofovir alafenamide bioavailability; the clinical relevance of this change has not been assessed but is expected to be minimal based on the wide therapeutic window for this agent.

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BackgroundRapid initiation of ART requires that clinicians start therapy prior to having baseline laboratory Results. High rates of virologic suppression and retention were reported in the DIAMOND trial. Efficacy and safety are presented, according to baseline disease characteristics.MethodsDIAMOND (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03227861), a phase 3, single-arm, open-label, prospective, multicenter study, assessed efficacy/safety of D/C/F/TAF in rapid initiation. Adults enrolled within 14 days of diagnosis and started D/C/F/TAF without baseline laboratory results; investigators reviewed results as they became available. Primary endpoint was virologic suppression (HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies[c]/mL; intent-to-treat (ITT); Food and Drug Administration [FDA] snapshot) at Week 48. Virologic suppression <50 c/mL and <200 c/mL were also assessed via an observed analysis, excluding patients with missing data.ResultsOverall, 109 patients were enrolled; 25% had HIV-1 RNA ≥100,000 c/mL and 21% had CD4+ < 200 cells/μL (Table 1). 21% of patients started therapy within 24 hours of diagnosis. At Week 48, 84%, and 88% of patients had HIV-1 RNA <50 c/mL and <200 c/mL (FDA snapshot), respectively. In the observed analysis, 96% and 100% of patients had HIV-1 RNA <50 c/mL and <200 c/mL, respectively, at Week 48. Earlier ART initiation, HIV-1 RNA <100,000 c/mL, and CD4+ >200 cells/μLwere associated with numerically higher virologic suppression rates (ITT-FDA snapshot; Table 2). No patient discontinued due to lack of efficacy or met protocol-defined virologic failure (PDVF) criteria. In the observed analysis, virologic suppression rates were consistent across all subgroups; all patients were suppressed <200 c/mL at Week 48. One patient discontinued due to an adverse event (AE); incidences of grade 3/4 (10%) and serious (9%) AEs were low, with no serious AEs related to study drug and no deaths.ConclusionIn the first phase 3 study of an STR in a rapid initiation model, no patients rapidly starting D/C/F/TAF discontinued therapy due to lack of efficacy or had PDVF through 48 weeks. High rates of virologic suppression were achieved and maintained with a variety of baseline characteristics, and treatment was safe and well tolerated, indicating D/C/F/TAF as a preferred ART option for patients rapidly starting treatment. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.