Alarming Rise of Primary HIV Drug Resistance in Major Regions of Russia

Objective: The study aimed to compare the prevalence of surveillance HIV drug resistance mutations (SDRMs) across the main federal districts of Russia.Methods: A pooled analysis was conducted to examine data on HIV primary drug resistance (HIV PrimDR). The analysis was based on published results primarily from Russian regional clinical and scientific laboratories, covering a span of 20 years.Results: The findings indicate that three surveyed regions, namely Central, Far Eastern, and Volga, exhibit a low level of HIV PrimDR prevalence (not exceeding 5%), and this prevalence does not show a tendency to increase. In contrast, three major regions, namely Northwestern, Southern, and Siberian, demonstrate a significant and progressive increase in HIV PrimDR prevalence, with recent values surpassing 10%.Conclusion: Consequently, it was concluded that a change in the HIV treatment strategy in these regions is imperative, emphasizing the need to expedite the transition to the utilization of second- generation integrase inhibitors.