Impact of the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs Cohort Study on Abacavir Prescription among Treatment-Naive, HIV-Infected Patients in Canada

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the trends in abacavir (ABC) prescription among antiretroviral (ARV) medication-naive individuals following the presentation of the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (DAD) cohort study. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of ARV medication-naive individuals in the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC). RESULTS: Between January 1, 2000, and February 28, 2010, a total of 7280 ARV medication-naive patients were included in CANOC. We observed a significant change in the proportion of new ABC prescriptions immediately following the release of DAD (-11%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -20% to -2.4%) and in the months following the presentation of these data (-0.66% per month; 95% CI: -1.2% to -0.073%). A post-DAD presentation decrease in the odds of being prescribed ABC versus tenofovir (TDF) was observed (adjusted odds ratio, 0.72 per year, 95% CI: 0.54-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Presentation of the DAD was associated with a significant decrease in ABC use among ARV medication-naive, HIV-positive patients initiating therapy.