Dolutegravir/Lamivudine Dual Therapy for ART-naïve People With HIV and TB Receiving Rifampin-based TB Treatment

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of death in people with HIV worldwide. Among patients with HIV, the incidence of TB per year is about 5-10%. The two diseases are now always treated concurrently in co-infected individuals, as there is a survival benefit for starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after TB treatment initiation. Current Brazilian guidelines suggest that for patients with a cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) \< 50, ART should be started within 2 weeks of starting TB treatment; for patients with a CD4\>50, ART should be started within 2 months of starting TB treatment. World Health Organization guidelines suggest ART initiation within 2 weeks of TB diagnosis regardless of CD4 count (provided there are no signs of TB meningitis), but most programs defer ART until 6-8 weeks in patients with CD4 \>50 to reduce the risk of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS).

The option of dual therapy for HIV (i.e., complete regimens to treat HIV composed of only 2 drugs) is of increasing interest and can lower costs for patients, payors, and programs while lowering cumulative lifetime exposure to ART (with potential resultant lessened burden of cumulative toxicities) and maintaining high antiviral efficacy. Based on the GEMINI, TANGO, and SALSA clinical trials, a regimen of 50 milligram (mg) DTG combined with 300mg lamivudine (3TC) has been shown to be a highly effective stand-alone option for the treatment of HIV-1 in ART treatment-naïve or virologically suppressed individuals through 48 weeks (SALSA) and 144 weeks (GEMINI and TANGO).