• Oriel A Nissim, Marjorie C Spitznagel, Stephanie E Kirk, Jessica L Tarleton, and Gweneth B Lazenby.
• From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• South. Med. J. 2023 Sep 1; 116 (9): 727732727-732.

ObjectivesWe sought to determine whether pregnant individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prescribed integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) antiretrovirals (ARVs) achieve viral suppression faster than individuals taking non-INSTI regimens and to determine whether there were differences in viral suppression at delivery among INSTI ARVs.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study of pregnant individuals with HIV who delivered a live infant during the study period (January 1, 2009-December 31, 2020). Patients' ARV therapy (ART) was classified as including INSTI or non-INSTI. We compared the proportion of individuals with viral suppression at delivery by group and individual INSTI ARVs using χ2 and Fisher exact tests. A log rank test was used to compare time to viral suppression on ARVs.ResultsDuring the study period, 168 individuals delivered a live infant. Most of the patients were diagnosed as having HIV before pregnancy and had taken ARVs before conception (76%), but fewer than half had an undetectable viral load at the first antenatal visit (45%). During pregnancy, 46% were prescribed INSTI and 54% were prescribed non-INSTI ARVs. Most had an undetectable HIV RNA viral load at delivery (75% INSTI and 72% non-INSTI, P = 0.7). The time to viral suppression was similar between groups (log rank test P = 0.43). Viral suppression at delivery was similar among INSTI ARVs: raltegravir (53%), elvitegravir (88%), dolutegravir (73%), and bictegravir (88%) (P = 0.13).ConclusionsDespite recommendations to prescribe INSTI in pregnancy for rapid viral suppression, we did not find a significant difference in time to viral suppression when pregnant individuals were taking non-INSTI ARVs. We did not find that one INSTI ARV was superior for viral suppression.

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