Publications by authors named "P Ustero"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how long-acting rilpivirine functions in real-life clinical settings, addressing gaps left by clinical trials on its pharmacokinetics in people with HIV.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 238 patients to establish concentration curves and identify factors influencing drug exposure, finding differences in absorption rates between genders but minimal clinical impact.
  • The findings suggest that around 50% of rilpivirine concentrations meet the optimal therapeutic threshold, indicating potential variability in treatment effectiveness among patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 mainly infects respiratory endothelial cells, which is facilitated through its spike protein binding to heparan sulphate. Calcium dobesilate (CaD) is a well-established, widely available vasoactive and angioprotective drug interacting with heparan sulphate, with the potential to interfere with the uptake of SARS-CoV-2 by epithelial cells. The CADOVID trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CaD in reducing the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in non-hospitalised adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19, confirmed by a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR, including its efficacy to reduce the impact of persistent COVID-19 symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Long-acting cabotegravir has been studied mainly in the stringent framework of clinical trials, which does not necessarily reflect the situation of people with HIV (PWH) in routine clinical settings. The present population pharmacokinetic analysis aims to build real-world reference percentile curves of cabotegravir concentrations, accounting for patient-related factors that may affect cabotegravir exposure. The second objective is to simulate whether dosing interval adjustments of cabotegravir could be considered in specific subpopulations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The efficacy and tolerability of long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine were demonstrated in Phase III trials. However, low concentrations combined with other risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of virologic failure. This study aims to verify whether drug concentrations measured in a real-world setting are consistent with those previously reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) is a drug traditionally used for the treatment of HIV that has been repurposed as a potential post-exposure prophylaxis agent against COVID-19 in the COronavirus Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (COPEP) study. The present analysis aims to evaluate LPV levels in individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 versus people living with HIV (PLWH) by developing a population pharmacokinetic (popPK) model, while characterizing external and patient-related factors that might affect LPV exposure along with dose-response association.

Methods: We built a popPK model on 105 LPV concentrations measured in 105 HIV-negative COPEP individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2, complemented with 170 LPV concentrations from 119 PLWH followed in our routine therapeutic drug-monitoring programme.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF