Conditions: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Keywords: HIV Africa children antiretroviral therapy laboratory monitoring toxicity CD4 induction maintenance cotrimoxazole prophylaxis abacavir lamivudine once daily
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Enrollment: 1206
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The two original objectives were to determine in HIV-infected children initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART):

1. Whether clinically driven monitoring (CDM) will have a similar outcome in terms of disease progression or death as routine laboratory and clinical monitoring (LCM) for toxicity (haematology/biochemistry) and efficacy (CD4)?
2. Whether induction with four drugs from two ART classes followed by maintenance with three drugs after 36 weeks be more effective than a continuous non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI)-based triple drug regimen in terms of CD4 and clinical outcome?

   Two secondary objectives were to determine
3. Whether changing from twice daily lamivudine+abacavir to once daily lamivudine+abacavir after 48 weeks on ART will have a similar outcome in terms of virological suppression and will result in improvements in adherence to ART?
4. Whether stopping daily cotrimoxazole prophylaxis in children over 3 years of age who have been on ART for at least 96 weeks has a similar outcome in terms of hospitalisation or death as continuing daily cotrimoxazole?

Detailed description:
The ARROW (AntiRetroviral Research fOr Watoto) protocol describes an open-label randomised trial primarily evaluating two strategic approaches for management of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1200 symptomatic HIV-infected infants and children initiating ART following WHO guidelines in Uganda and Zimbabwe. The first strategy compares clinically driven monitoring (CDM) with laboratory plus clinical monitoring (LCM). In both groups, tests for toxicity (standard haematology and biochemistry panels) and efficacy (lymphocyte subsets including CD4 count) will be done every 12 weeks. In LCM, all results will be returned for patient management. In CDM, physicians may request results from routine haematology/biochemistry panels if needed for clinical management, but results will not be returned routinely, and lymphocyte subsets will never be returned. Extra laboratory tests may be requested outside of the scheduled visits at any time in either group (except for lymphocyte subsets in CDM). The second strategy compares a continuous WHO-recommended first-line ART three-drug two-class regimen, comprising two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) plus one Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NNRTI), with induction with four drugs (two classes) for 36 weeks followed by maintenance with three drugs. After at least 36 and 96 weeks on ART respectively, two further randomisations will assess simplification strategies which could improve long-term ART adherence (i) once versus twice daily lamivudine+abacavir NRTI drugs (ii) stopping versus continuing daily cotrimoxazole prophylaxis.

Arms:
arm 1: None arm 2: None arm 3: ABC \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO 3TC \[lamivudine\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI): either nevirapine or efavirenz based on availability (provided by national ART programmes in Uganda/Zimbabwe). Nevirapine syrup or tablet dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO. Efavirenz tablets dosed once-daily according to weight-bands following WHO. arm 4: ZDV \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO ABC \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO 3TC \[lamivudine\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO NNRTI: either nevirapine or efavirenz based on availability (provided by national ART programmes in Uganda/Zimbabwe). Nevirapine syrup or tablet dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO. Efavirenz tablets dosed once-daily according to weight-bands following WHO. arm 5: ZDV \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO ABC \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO 3TC \[lamivudine\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO NNRTI: either nevirapine or efavirenz based on availability (provided by national ART programmes in Uganda/Zimbabwe). Nevirapine syrup or tablet dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO. Efavirenz tablets dosed once-daily according to weight-bands following WHO. arm 6: ABC \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed once-daily according to weight-bands following WHO 3TC \[lamivudine\]: syrup or tablet, dosed once-daily according to weight-bands following WHO arm 7: ABC \[abacavir\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO 3TC \[lamivudine\]: syrup or tablet, dosed twice-daily according to weight-bands following WHO arm 8: Once-daily doses 5-\<15 kg: 200 mg of trimethoprim + 40 mg sulfamethoxazole 15-\<30 kg: 400 mg trimethoprim + 80 mg sulfamethoxazole \>=30 kg: 800 mg trimethoprim + 160 mg sulfamethoxazole arm 9: Children had been taking once-daily cotrimoxazole prophylaxis since at least ART initiation. Children randomised to this experimental arm stopped taking cotrimoxazole prophylaxis.

Interventions: intervention 1: Clinically Driven Monitoring (CDM) intervention 2: Laboratory plus Clinical Monitoring (LCM) intervention 3: Arm A: ABC+3TC+NNRTI intervention 4: Arm B: ZDV+ABC+3TC+NNRTI->ABC+3TC+NNRTI maintenance intervention 5: Arm C: ZDV+ABC+3TC+NNRTI->ZDV+ABC+3TC maintenance intervention 6: Once-daily ABC+3TC intervention 7: Twice-daily ABC+3TC intervention 8: Continued cotrimoxazole prophylaxis intervention 9: Stopped cotrimoxazole prophylaxis
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Participants were examined by a doctor and had routine full blood count with white cell differential, lymphocyte subsets (CD4, CD8), biochemistry tests (bilirubin, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase) at screening, randomisation (lymphocytes only), weeks 4, 8, and 12, then every 12 weeks. Screening results were used to assess eligibility. All subsequent results at and after randomisation were only returned if requested for clinical management (authorised by centre project leaders); haemoglobin results at week 8 were automatically returned on the basis of early anaemia in a previous adult trial as were grade 4 laboratory toxicities (protocol safety criteria). Total lymphocytes and CD4 tests were never returned for CDM participants, but for all children other investigations (including tests from the routine panels) could be requested and concomitant drugs prescribed, as clinically indicated at extra patient-initiated or scheduled visits. intervention 2: Participants were examined by a doctor and had routine full blood count with white cell differential, lymphocyte subsets (CD4, CD8), biochemistry tests (bilirubin, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase) at screening, randomisation (lymphocytes only), weeks 4, 8, and 12, then every 12 weeks. All results were returned to physicians for patient management. Other investigations (including tests from the routine panels) could be requested and concomitant drugs prescribed, as clinically indicated at extra patient-initiated or scheduled visits. intervention 3: Children received a standard WHO-recommended regimen of open-label lamivudine, abacavir, plus NNRTI continuously. The NNRTI (nevirapine or efavirenz) was chosen by clinicians according to local availability and age. intervention 4: Children initiated ART using an induction-maintenance approach, starting with open-label four-drug lamivudine, abacavir, NNRTI, plus zidovudine for 36 weeks, then open-label lamivudine, abacavir, plus NNRTI subsequently. The NNRTI (nevirapine or efavirenz) was chosen by clinicians according to local availability and age. intervention 5: Children initiated ART using an induction-maintenance approach, starting with open-label four-drug lamivudine, abacavir, NNRTI, plus zidovudine for 36 weeks, then open-label lamivudine, abacavir, plus zidovudine subsequently (triple NRTI maintenance). The NNRTI (nevirapine or efavirenz) was chosen by clinicians according to local availability and age. intervention 6: None intervention 7: None intervention 8: None intervention 9: None

Protocol document: