Maraviroc Intensification Research Articles

A Pilot Trial of Adding Maraviroc to Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy for Suboptimal CD4+ T-Cell Recovery Despite Sustained Virologic Suppression: ACTG A5256

Despite viral suppression, antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not restore CD4(+) T-cell counts in many patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). In a single-arm pilot trial involving ART recipients with suppressed plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA for at least 48 weeks and stable suboptimal CD4(+) T-cell recovery, subjects added maraviroc, a CCR5 antagonist, to their existing ART for 24 weeks. After stopping maraviroc, they were followed for an additional 24 weeks. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to evaluate whether maraviroc was associated with an increase of at least 20 cells/µL in the CD4(+) T-cell count. A total of 34 subjects were enrolled. The median age was 50 years, and the median baseline CD4(+) T-cell count was 153 cells/µL. The median increase in CD4(+) T-cell count from baseline to week 22/24 was 12 cells/µL (90% confidence interval, 1-22). A CD4(+) T-cell count increase of at least 20 cells/µL was not detected (P = .97). Markers of immune activation and apoptosis decreased during maraviroc intensification; this decline partially reversed after discontinuing maraviroc. Adding maraviroc to suppressive ART for 24 weeks was not associated with an increase in CD4(+) T-cell counts of at least 20 cells/µL. Further studies of CCR5 antagonists in the dampening of immune activation associated with HIV infection are warranted. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT 00709111.

CNS effects of a CCR5 inhibitor in HIV-infected subjects: a pharmacokinetic and cerebral metabolite study

We conducted a pharmacokinetic and in vivo cerebral (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) study to assess CSF exposure and cerebral metabolite ratios (CMRs) following maraviroc intensification. HIV-infected neurologically asymptomatic adults receiving tenofovir, emtricitabine and lopinavir/ritonavir with plasma HIV RNA <50 copies/mL were eligible and received intensified therapy with 150 mg of maraviroc twice daily. (1)H-MRS was performed in several cerebral locations, including the right basal ganglia (RBG), to assess CMRs, including N-acetyl aspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr), at baseline and after 14 days. Subsequently, on day 15, blood samples were obtained to determine plasma concentrations of maraviroc pre-dose (C(trough)) and then paired blood and CSF samples were collected at 4 or 6 h post-dose. Associations between maraviroc exposure, clinical parameters and changes to CMRs were evaluated. ClinicalTrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00982878). Twelve subjects (75% male) participated with a mean (SD) CD4+ cell count of 503 (199) cells/μL. Mean (SD) maraviroc plasma concentrations at pre-dose, 4 h post-dose and 6 h post-dose were 337 (74), 842 (174) and 485 (100) ng/mL and CSF concentrations at 4 h post-dose and 6 h post-dose were 7.5 (1.3) and 5.1 (1.2) ng/mL. The mean maraviroc CSF : plasma ratio (range) was 1.01% (0.57%-1.61%). An increase of 14.8% was observed for the RBG NAA/Cr ratio, which was significantly associated with higher maraviroc plasma C(trough) (P = 0.05, r = 0.61), but not CSF concentration (P = 0.16, r = 0.46). After 14 days of maraviroc intensification, small increases in cerebral metabolite markers of neuronal integrity (NAA/Cr ratios) were observed and are associated with maraviroc plasma C(trough).

Maraviroc intensification for suboptimal CD4+ T cell response in a perinatally HIV-infected adolescent

Maraviroc intensification for suboptimal CD4+ T cell response in a perinatally HIV-infected adolescent

Maraviroc intensification for HIV-1-positive immunological non-responders (INRs) despite virological suppression during HAART

Purpose: 15-30% of HAART-treated HIV-1-positive patients (pts) lack CD4+ increase despite full HIV viremia suppression. The increased risk for INR to progress till AIDS led us to investigate maraviroc (MVC) as a tool to intensify HAART in terms of immunological recovery. Methods: Randomised, multicentre, proof-of-concept study enrolling 100 pts divided into 2 arms (1:1), A:HAART+MVC, B:HAART. Inclusion criteria were: CD4 count ≥200 cells/µL and/or a recovery of CD4 cells <25% compared to the HAART initiation and with a stable virologic suppression after 1 year of HAART. Ultrasensitive HIV-RNA was quantified via Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Kit v1.5. Naive CD45RA+, memory CD45RA-, activated HLA-DR+CD38+, proliferating Ki67+, CD4+, CD8+ T-cells were measured by flow cytometry. T-test was used for intra and inter-group comparisons. Results: 100 pts have been randomized 64 pts reached week(w) 12: 37 in A and 27 in B arms. At baseline (BL), CD4/CD8 and immune-phenotype were comparable in arm A and B. At w12 no significant changes in mean CD4 recovery (+41.9 vs +24.5/µL; p=.241) and a statistically significant change in mean CD8+ count (+164.2 vs -27.3/µL; p=.004) were observed between pts in arm A and B. At BL and w12 an immunological study was carried out in 24 pts (13:arm A, 11:arm B): at w12, while B pts experienced a contraction of naive CD4 (81 to 67%; p=.02) and CD8 (81 to 77%; p=.04) with a parallel rise in memory CD4 (16 to 30%; p=.02) and CD8 (13 to 17%; p=.06), no significant loss of naive CD4 (70 to 57%; p=.18) and CD8 (69 to 66%; p=.42) was displayed by A pts with a tendency to higher gain in memory CD4 (24 to 40%; p=.06) and CD8 (11 to 25%; p=.008). By w12, a similar reduction in activated HLA-DR+CD38+ CD8 and CD4 was shown in B (p=.05) and A pts (p=.03 and p=.02 for CD8 and CD4). A trend to Ki67+CD8 reduction was shown in A (p=.06) and not in B pts (p=.45). HIV-RNA quantification evidenced a trend to higher median values (BL vs w12) in B pts: 2 vs 5 cp/mL (p=.37). Conclusions: MVC does not seem to increase CD4 amount at significant level compared to arm B. Treatment with MVC is associated with a significant CD8+ gain, a preservation of phenotypically naive CD4+ and parallel rise of memory pool, suggesting a role of MVC in reducing peripheral antigen-driven T-cell death, possibly preserving new T-cell production. MVC is able to further reduce T-cell activation and proliferation, suggesting a possible influence in better controlling the pro-inflammatory status. Supplement: Abstracts of the Tenth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1758-2652-13-S4-info.pdf Conference: Tenth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection 7-11 November 2010 Glasgow, UK (Published: 8 November 2010) doi:10.1186/1758-2652-13-S4-O44 Cite this article as: Rusconi et al.: Maraviroc intensification for HIV-1- positive immunological non-responders (INRs) despite virological suppression during HAART. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2010 13(Suppl 4):O44. Full text: PubMed Central: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112859/