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Janssen says cabotegravir/rilpivirine combo matches three-drug HIV maintenance therapy

pharmafile | February 24, 2016 | News story | Research and Development Janssen, ViiV 

Janssen has announced 32-week data from an ongoing phase IIb study of an HIV regimen comprised of its rilpivirine and ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir – given together every four or eight weeks –  which it says suppressed the virus as well as standard three-drug oral antiretroviral therapy (ART).

The LATTE 2 trial was designed to test the regimen’s safety and efficacy in patients who had already achieved undetectable viral load through use of three-drug ART therapy.

These interim results, presented at the Boston Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2016, suggest the new regimen could be an attractive alternative to those with HIV, facing lifelong antiviral treatment.

Its long-acting nature means adult patients could maintain viral suppression long-term, with just six or twelve injections of rilpivirine and cabotegravir per year.

Wim Parys, vice president and head of research and development, Global Public Health, Janssen, praised the improvements in HIV treatment in recent years as changing the nature of what it means to be diagnosed with the disease. He comments: “Through scientific advances, over the past two decades, HIV has moved from a death sentence to a manageable chronic disease. Results of the LATTE-2 study show that long acting injectable drug formulations may offer an important option for HIV maintenance therapy and we remain committed to developing such combinations as we enter phase III studies.”

Janssen says neither the four-weekly or eight-weekly dosing regimen given in the trials was clearly better at supressing the disease, and that follow-up tests would continue to week 96, while researchers plan to further evaluate the long-acting injectable regimen in larger phase 3 trials.

Joel Levy

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