A common medication used to manage and treat HIV is becoming increasingly resistant, according to a report from the World Health Organization.
Dolutegravir is an antiretroviral medication that is typically used in combination with other medications for patients with HIV. Since 2018, it has been recommended by the WHO as both the preferred first and second-line treatments for all populations and age groups with the virus, as it has the fewest side effects among drugs of its kind.
But recent WHO surveys found resistance to the medication ranging from 3.9% to 8.6%. The peak resistance level was 19.6% in one report.
"The worrying evidence of resistance in individuals with unsuppressed viral load despite dolutegravir treatment underscores the necessity for increased vigilance and intensified efforts to optimize the quality of HIV care delivery," Meg Doherty, MD, PhD, director, of the WHO's Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes stated in a March 5 news release. "Standardized surveillance of HIV drug resistance is essential for effectively preventing, monitoring, and responding to these challenges."
The report also separately underscored the importance of taking long acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, because it reduces the chances of acquiring HIV greatly. In rare cases, the combination has yielded some delayed detection of HIV cases, but the WHO noted that despite this, "the roll-out of CAB-LA for PrEP should not be hindered," adding that the "scale-up of PrEP should be accompanied by standardized surveillance of drug resistance among people testing positive for HIV while receiving PrEP."