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Virological outcomes and genotypic resistance on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy versus standard of care in children and adolescents: a secondary analysis of the ODYSSEY trial

Ellen White, Cissy M. Kityo, M. Spyer, H. Mujuru, I. Nankya, A. Kekitiinwa, A. Lugemwa, E. Kaudha et al.

The Lancet HIV, 2025

788 participants · 13 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND

ODYSSEY showed superior efficacy for dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) versus standard of care (SOC) in children living with HIV starting first-line or second-line ART aged 4 weeks or older. Here, we aim to compare virological outcomes and resistance in the dolutegravir group versus SOC for first-line and second-line ART up to 96 weeks.

METHODS

ODYSSEY was an open-label, multicentre, randomised, non-inferiority trial done in 29 centres in seven countries (Germany, Spain, South Africa, Thailand, the UK, Uganda, and Zimbabwe). ODYSSEY recruited children living with HIV aged at least 28 days and younger than 18 years, weighing at least 3 kg, starting first-line ART (ODYSSEY A), or switching to second-line therapy after treatment failure (ODYSSEY B). Children were randomly assigned (1:1) to dolutegravir plus two nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs; dolutegravir group) versus the SOC group (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor [NNRTI], boosted protease inhibitor, or non-dolutegravir integrase strand-transfer inhibitor, plus two NRTIs). Two randomised cohorts were combined in this exploratory analysis: children weighing at least 14 kg were enrolled between Sept 20, 2016, and June 22, 2018, and children weighing less than 14 kg were enrolled between July 5, 2018, and Aug 26, 2019. Virological failure was defined as an inadequate virological response at week 24 with an ART switch or confirmed HIV-1 RNA viral load of at…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a secondary / pooled analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 788 participants or records.

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