Background
Darunavir (TMC114) is a new HIV protease inhibitor (PI).
DesignThis Phase I, randomized, open-label trial compared the effects of darunavir plus low-dose ritonavir (RTV) (darunavir/RTV) with those of atazanavir/RTV on lipid and glucose parameters.
MethodsForty-nine HIV-negative, healthy male volunteers received RTV 100 mg once a day (qd) for 7 days, followed by either darunavir/RTV 800/100 mg qd (n 5 25) or atazanavir/RTV 300/100 mg qd (n 5 24) for 21 days. Mean changes in fasting lipid and glucose parameters at day 28 were calculated using post-RTV alone (day 7) and baseline (day À 1) values as references. Short-term safety, tolerability and RTV pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated.
ResultsAfter 7 days of RTV treatment, the mean triglyceride concentration increased by approximately 30 mg/dL in both groups, changes in other lipid and glucose parameters were relatively small. Mean concentrations of lipids and glucose over the treatment period were mostly similar between the treatment groups. Mean changes from day 7 to day 28 for the darunavir/RTV and atazanavir/RTV groups, respectively, were À 3.6 and À 0.5 mg/dL for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 5.0 and 5.3 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 4.9 and 1.2 mg/dL for total cholesterol; 6.4 and 14.0 mg/dL for triglycerides; À 1.7 and À 2.4 mg/dL for glucose; and À 1.4 and 0.3 mg/dL for insulin. No grade 3 or 4 lipid or glucose laboratory abnormalities were reported. Treatmentemergent hyperbilirubinaemia was reported for all volunteers (including five grade 4 cases) during atazanavir/RTV treatment.
ConclusionsCo-administration of darunavir or atazanavir with low-dose RTV resulted in minor and similar changes in lipid and glucose parameters in HIV-negative healthy volunteers.
IntroductionThe introduction of HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has drastically reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV infection [1]. A new PI, darunavir (TMC114), has recently been shown to have considerable antiretroviral (ARV) activity in treatment-experienced patients. Darunavir boosted with low-dose ritonavir (RTV) (darunavir/RTV) led to significantly higher 24-and 48-week virological and immunological responses compared with currently available PIs in the POWER 1 and 2 (TMC114-C213 and TMC114-C202) studies in treatment-experienced HIVinfected patients, and was well tolerated [2][3][4].Given the need for lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART), consideration of long-term toxicities is becoming increasingly important when choosing among different treatment regimens. It is therefore important to characterize the longterm tolerability profile of any new treatment, including DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1293.00690.x HIV Medicine (2009 r 2009 British HIV Association 318 long-term metabolic abnormalities such as fat redistribution, dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance [5][6][7]. The association between ART and changes in lipid metabolism is well documented, particularly with PIs [...