Antiretroviral therapy among people with HIV with comorbidities in the United States: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Objectives: To describe patterns of antiretroviral medications among people with HIV (PWH) who also have common comorbid conditions in a United States cohort. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used Optum Research Database claims data from 01/01/2017 through 01/31/2019 to identify adult PWH (≥18 years) based on pharmacy claims for ART during 2018. The index date was defined as the first date of an ART claim. Study inclusion required ≥1 HIV/AIDS diagnosis code during the study period, and continuous health plan enrollment 12 months prior to and at least 30 days after the index date. Descriptive statistics were used to report study results. Results: The study population consisted of 17,694 PWH; mean (SD) age 52.2 (12.8) years; 62.0% were ≥ 50 years old. About 50.6% of the study sample had ≥2 comorbidities at baseline. The most prevalent comorbid conditions were hypertension (33.2%), hyperlipidemia (29.7%), neuropsychiatric conditions (26.9%), and cardiovascular disease (11.5%). Most (93.5%) of PWH received a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) backbone regimen, including tenofovir alafenamide (41.6%), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (28.1%), and abacavir (22.0%). The most commonly used anchor agents, 62.6%, were integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs): dolutegravir (30.4%), elvitegravir (24.2%), and raltegravir (7.3%). The proportion of PWH using specific ARTs did not vary significantly with the presence and type of comorbidities. Conclusion: From our analyses, ART prescribing did not appear to vary with the presence of comorbidities and potential medication contraindications. ART regimens may have comparable efficacy profiles; however, selection should be guided by each patient’s comorbidities to prevent potential comedication drug toxicities.