Alarming Rise of Primary HIV Drug Resistance in Major Regions of Russia.

Abstract

The study aimed to compare the prevalence of surveillance HIV drug resistance mutations (SDRMs) across the main federal districts of Russia. A pooled analysis was conducted to examine data on HIV primary drug resistance (HIV PrimDR). The analysis was based on published results primarily from Russian regional clinical and scientific laboratories, covering a span of 20 years. The findings indicate that three surveyed regions, namely Central, Far Eastern, and Volga, exhibit a low level of HIV PrimDR prevalence (not exceeding 5%), and this prevalence does not show a tendency to increase. In contrast, three major regions, namely Northwestern, Southern, and Siberian, demonstrate a significant and progressive increase in HIV PrimDR prevalence, with recent values surpassing 10%. Consequently, it was concluded that a change in the HIV treatment strategy in these regions is imperative, emphasizing the need to expedite the transition to the utilization of secondgeneration integrase inhibitors.