The Burden of Multidrug-Resistant HIV

The approval of fostemsavir (Rukobia) for the treatment of adults with HIV who have been unable to achieve RNA suppression with standard care not only brought an efficacious option to patients who have never had one—it also blazed a trail for a new drug class.

Now, a new drug class that complements integrase inhibitors and protease inhibitors means lessened risk of cross-resistance and cross-tolerability issues. HIV care for a severely burdened population is now closer to becoming individualized.

Though these multidrug-resistant patients only comprise about 5% of all HIV cases, helping them finally achieve viral suppression could have significant impact on disease prevention, as well.

In the second part of an interview with Contagion® during the International AIDS Society (IAS) AIDS 2020 Virtual Sessions this week, Catherine Creticos, MD, Director of Infectious Disease at Howard Brown Health, discussed the importance of finally giving viable treatment options to this fifth percentile of HIV patients.

They spend a lot of emphasis on prevention, of course, the newly diagnosed, and the wonderful new regimens we have for them,” Creticos said. “But it’s just a real blessing to have something new to offer patients who have advanced disease.”

Creticos described these eligible patients as survivors—individuals who have much to offer the HIV community because of their “history, their experiences, and their persistence.”