Patient Acceptance of Self-Injected Enfuvirtide at 8 and 24 Weeks

Abstract

Purpose: Enfuvirtide is the first of a new class of antiretrovirals called the fusion inhibitors. It is administered twice daily by self-injection. This study assessed patient acceptance of enfuvirtide self-injection. Method: Patients (n = 661, intent-to-treat [ITT]) in two ongoing phase 3 trials were surveyed at treatment Weeks 8 and 24 using the Subcutaneous Injection Survey. This validated instrument contains 18 items measuring patients' assessment of ease of injection, impact on daily functioning, and activities of daily living. Results: The majority (65%-92%) of patients assessed all items relating to ease of injection as “very easy” or “easy” at both 8 and 24 weeks. Similarly, at both visits, the majority (69%-90%) of patients assessed their daily functioning as “not at all” or “a little” limited by enfuvirtide self-injection, and 96%-98% gave these assessments for impact on activities of daily living. Conclusion: These findings indicate that most patients taking enfuvirtide in clinical trials learn to integrate enfuvirtide dosing in their daily routines; with appropriate education and training, enfuvirtide self-injection becomes routine with relatively little subjective impact on daily functioning and activities of daily living. Patient acceptance of self-injected enfuvirtide is high and does not decline over 24 weeks of therapy.