HIV Status Does Not Affect Outcomes of Tecovirimat Treatment for Mpox

MONDAY, May 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) — HIV status seems not to affect treatment outcomes among patients receiving tecovirimat for mpox, according to a study published online May 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Jacob McLean, D.O., from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues compared the clinical presentation and treatment outcomes of people with HIV (PWH) and HIV-negative persons with mpox virus (MPXV) infection treated with tecovirimat. A total of 196 persons treated with tecovirimat from June 20 to Aug. 29, 2022, were included; 154 tested positive for MPXV, of whom 72 were PWH.

The researchers found that the PWH and HIV-negative groups had similar indications for tecovirimat treatment. Serious adverse events occurred in four persons; none of the events were attributed to tecovirimat treatment. Three of these persons had HIV infection, and CD4 counts <0.20 x 10⁹ cells/L were seen in two of the persons. Nonserious adverse events occurred in 22 percent of participants. The rates of hospitalization, indications for treatment, and co-occurring infections were similar between the groups; however, the number of days from symptom onset to treatment was lower for PWH (7.5 versus 10 days). Treatment outcomes did not differ, including days to improvement or rate of persistent symptoms.

“Tecovirimat is a promising treatment whose efficacy will hopefully be borne out in future rigorous studies,” the authors write.