Efficacy and Safety of a Simplified Lamivudine Plus Dolutegravir Dual Therapy in HIV-1–Infected Patients: A Multicenter Cohort Study in China

Background: Results from both clinical trials and real-world observational studies suggest that lamivudine plus dolutegravir (3TC + DTG) dual therapy has excellent virological efficacy and safety in HIV-1–infected patients. However, there is still no relevant study related to this dual therapy reported in China. Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective, observational study that included HIV-1–infected patients in China, baseline and follow-up data were collected to analyze the virological suppression rate, immune restoration, and adverse events during follow-up in HIV-1–infected patients who switched to the 3TC + DTG dual therapy. Results: This study recruited 112 HIV-1–infected patients, including 101 men (90.2%), with a median age of 44.0 years (IQR: 33.00–57.75) and median CD4+ T-cell count of 432.13 cells/μL (IQR: 237.75–578.50). The overall virological suppression rate was 94.5% at the 24-week follow-up. However, the virological suppression rates of men who have sex with men patients and patients with CD4+ T-cell count of <350 cells/μL were higher than the baseline value (P < 0.05) at week 24. The results of Cox regression analysis showed that the baseline CD4+ T-cell count was an independent determinant of immune restoration in patients, and patients with baseline CD4+ T-cell count of 350–500 cells/μL outperformed patients with baseline CD4+ T-cell count of <350 cells/μL in immune restoration (hazard ratio: 4.469, 95% confidence interval: 1.801 to 11.091, P = 0.001). Adverse events were reported in 5 patients (incidence rate of 4.5%); among them, 3 patients developed neuropsychiatric symptoms. Results from the laboratory data analysis showed that patients with grade 1 and 2 adverse events had elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total bilirubin. Furthermore, grade 3 and 4 adverse events were associated with the elevation of blood glucose level in 4 patients. Conclusions: Thus, the 3TC + DTG dual therapy displayed an excellent virological efficacy against HIV-1 infections and had an acceptable safety profile, with predominantly mild adverse events in HIV-1–infected patients in China.