Patients' perception and effectiveness of a treatment containing enfuvirtide when used in HIV-infected patients without very advanced disease.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the satisfaction with self-injected enfuvirtide (ENF) and the clinical outcome of HIV-infected patients without very advanced disease.


METHODS
ESPPE is a multicenter observational study that included 103 evaluated patients showing baseline characteristics predictive of positive outcome: CD4 >100 cells/mm3, viral load (VL) <100,000 copies/mL, previous treatment with a maximum of 10 antiretroviral drugs, and concomitant use of 2 active drugs. By using validated surveys, patients were questioned 6 months after the prescription of ENF about their quality of life (QoL) and acceptance of self-injections and adherence to the treatment.


RESULTS
At 6 months, the mean CD4 increase was 121 cells/mm3 (p < .05) and 65% (intent-to-treat, ENF stopped=failure) had VL <50 copies/mL (p < .001). Fourteen patients discontinued the treatment, mostly due to intolerance (6). The majority (>89%) assessed all items relating QoL as "excellent," "very good," or "good." The treatment satisfaction index on a visual analog scale scored a median of 8.1 out of 10; when participants were asked about the interference of injections on their daily activities, 87% answered "never" or "only sometimes."


CONCLUSIONS
Effectiveness and patients' perception about ENF remain good when ENF was used in patients without very advanced disease. QoL was not impaired after ENF use.
Pulido
F
F
Hospital 12 de Octubre, HIV Unit, Madrid, Spain. fedepulido@gmail.com
Del Pozo
M A
MA
Fernández-Guerrero
M
M
Moreno
A
A
Oteo
J A
JA
Flores
J
J
Pedrol
E
E
Torres
R
R
Padilla
B
B
Téllez
M J
MJ
García
J
J
González-García
J
J
D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000077560:Enfuvirtide; D005260:Female; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023581:HIV Fusion Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41; D023581:HIV Fusion Inhibitors; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D000077560:Enfuvirtide