(5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide for HIV immunological non-responders receiving ART: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase II study
Wei Cao, Xiaosheng Liu, Yang Han, Xiaojing Song, Lianfeng Lu, Xiaodi Li, Ling Lin, Lijun Sun, An Liu, Hongxin Zhao, Ning Han, Hongxia Wei, Jian Cheng, Biao Zhu, Min Wang, Ying Li, Ping Ma, Liying Gao, Xicheng Wang, Jianhua Yu, Ting Zhu, Jean‐Pierre Routy, Min Zuo, Taisheng Li
Abstract
Background Therapeutic approaches to HIV-suppressed immunological non-responders (INRs) remain unsettled. We previously reported efficacy of Chinese herbal Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F in INRs. Its derivative (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide (LLDT-8) on CD4 T cell recovery was assessed. Methods The phase II, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in adults patients with long-term suppressed HIV infection and suboptimal CD4 recovery, at nine hospitals in China. The patients were 1:1:1 assigned to receive oral LLDT-8 0.5 mg or 1 mg daily, or placebo combined with antiretroviral therapy for 48 weeks. All study staff and participants were masked. The primary endpoints include change of CD4 T cell counts and inflammatory markers at week 48. This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04084444) and Chinese Clinical Trial Register (CTR20191397). Findings A total of 149 patients were enrolled from Aug 30, 2019 and randomly allocated to receiving LLDT-8 0.5 mg daily (LT8, n = 51), 1 mg daily (HT8, n = 46), or placebo (PL, n = 52). The median baseline CD4 count was 248 cells/mm 3 , comparable among three groups. LLDT-8 was well-tolerated in all participants. At 48 weeks, change of CD4 counts was 49 cells/mm 3 in LT8 group (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30, 68), 63 cells/mm 3 in HT8 group (95% CI: 41, 85), compared to 32 cells/mm 3 in placebo group (95% CI: 13, 51). LLDT-8 1 mg daily significantly increased CD4 count compared to placebo (p = 0.036), especially in participants over 45 years. The mean change of serum interferon-γ-induced protein 10 was −72.1 mg/L (95% CI −97.7, −46.5) in HT8 group at 48 weeks, markedly decreased compared to −22.8 mg/L (95% CI −47.1, 1.5, p = 0.007) in placebo group. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported in 41 of 46 (89.1%) participants in HT8 group, 43 of 51 (84.3%) in LT8, and 42 of 52 (80.7%) in PL group. No drug-related SAEs were reported. Interpretation LLDT-8 enhanced CD4 recovery and alleviated inflammation in long-term suppressed INRs, providing them a potential therapeutic option. Fundings Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences, Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd., and the National key technologies R&D program for the 13th five-year plan.