Population-based sequencing of the V3-loop can predict the virological response to maraviroc in treatment-naive patients of the MERIT trial.

BACKGROUND: MERIT was a randomized trial comparing maraviroc (MVC) + Combivir versus efavirenz (EFV) + Combivir in drug-naive patients screened as having R5 HIV-1 by the original Trofile assay (OTA). We retrospectively evaluated treatment response after rescreening for viral tropism using population-based V3-loop sequencing. METHODS: HIV env V3-loop was amplified in triplicate using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction from stored screening plasma and sequenced. Automated base calling was performed using custom software (RECall) and tropism inferred by geno2pheno (5.75% false-positive rate). Tropism results by genotype were compared with those of OTA and Enhanced Sensitivity Trofile assay (ESTA), where all results were available (n = 876). RESULTS: Approximately 8% of patients screened as having R5 virus by OTA were classified as having non-R5 virus by V3-loop genotyping. These patients were less likely to have early or sustained week-48 treatment response to MVC, but not EFV. When restricted to patients with R5 virus by genotype, reanalysis of the primary study endpoint (plasma viral load <50 copies/mL at week 48) showed noninferiority of MVC twice daily to EFV (67% vs. 68%). Rescreening by genotype and ESTA had 84% concordance; patients receiving MVC twice daily rescreened as having R5 virus had greater than 1 log10 copies per milliliter decrease in viral load over those rescreened as having non-R5 virus. Where genotype and ESTA screening results were discordant outcomes were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The exclusion of ∼8% of patients with CXCR4-using virus by population-based sequencing would likely have resulted in noninferior responses in the MVC twice-daily and EFV arms. Rescreening by ESTA and population-based sequencing predicted similar virological response.