Statin effects on the incidence of major non-cardiovascular disease events among a global cohort of people with HIV: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Given the pleiotropic effects of statins beyond lipid-lowering, statins might positively impact other, non-cardiovascular diseases (non-CVDs). In this study, we prospectively assessed statin effects on non-CVD events and their incidence among people with HIV globally.

METHODS

The Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE; ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02344290) was a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of pitavastatin for CVD prevention took place from 2015 to 2023 at 145 research sites in 12 countries and is completed. In this analysis of prespecified secondary outcomes of REPRIEVE, we assessed effects of pitavastatin 4 mg daily (vs placebo) on major non-CVD events (including AIDS-defining events, non-AIDS-defining cancers, renal disease, and liver disease) and the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment (START) trial outcome (a collective measure of morbidity including CVD among people with HIV) using Cox proportional hazards regression, stratified by sex and CD4 cell count.

FINDINGS

Among the 7769 people with HIV enrolled (3888 in the pitavastatin group and 3881 in the placebo group), 6402 participants completed the study (3201 in each group). Over a median 5·6 years (IQR 4·7-6·3) of follow-up, the incidence of major non-CVD events was 9·17 per 1000 person-years in the pitavastatin group and 9·90 per 1000 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR], cause-specific: 0·92, 95% CI 0·76-1·13; p=0·44). The incidence of the START outcome was 15·2 per 1000 person-years in the pitavastatin and 18·3 per 1000 person-years in the placebo group (HR 0·83, 95% CI 0·71-0·97; p=0·016), driven by the effect on CVD. In the placebo group, incidences of the non-AIDS-defining cancer and CVD components of the START Trial outcome were highest (5·83 per 1000 person-years and 5·48 per 1000 person-years) whereas AIDS-defining events were less frequent (3·60 per 1000 person-years), and varied across global regions. With pitavastatin, the incidence of CVD was lower compared with placebo (3·36 per 1000 person-years), however non-AIDS-defining cancers remained high (5·40 per 1000 person-years). Non-AIDS-defining cancers were the leading cause of mortality for both groups.

INTERPRETATION

Among a global cohort of people with HIV, treatment with pitavastatin showed no major reduction in non-CVD events, including non-AIDS-defining cancers. These findings outline the limitations of statin therapy for the prevention of non-CVD, highlighting the need for other strategies for such events.

FUNDING

National Institutes of Health, Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Gilead Sciences, and ViiV Healthcare.