GSK on behalf of ViiV Healthcare launches Vocabria ▼ and Rekambys ▼ in Ireland, the first complete long-acting injectable HIV medicine
Outlining the need for a less frequent dosing regimen, the largest global HIV patient-reported outcomes study to-date conducted by ViiV Healthcare, Positive Perspectives Wave 2, which included 50 Irish participants, found that when asked about their treatment aspirations and attitudes towards innovative medications, 55% (n=1306/2389) of participants said they would prefer not having to take medication every day, as long as their HIV stays suppressed.2 In addition, 58% (n=1394/2389) noted that taking daily HIV medication acts as a constant reminder of HIV in their lives, while up to 38% (n=906/2389) of participants reported anxiety around the fact that taking daily treatment could increase the chances of revealing their HIV status to others.3
Stephen O’Hare, Executive Director at HIV Ireland said: “HIV Ireland welcomes the option of long-acting injectable antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV. For those eligible, this choice of treatment could be game changing for people who struggle with their current regimens, by eliminating the daily pill burden. The impact of this new treatment option could greatly improve adherence and reduce the burden for marginalised and harder-to-reach communities who may prefer the 2-monthly regimen to a daily oral pill.”
The combination of cabotegravir and rilpivirine is the first and only once-every-two-month, complete long-acting injectable regimen for virologically suppressed adults living with HIV-1. 4, 5 The ATLAS-2M study, which included 1,045 participants, the once-every-two-month regimen showed non-inferior efficacy to monthly cabotegravir and rilpivirine injections. The safety profile was similar between dosing groups, the most common adverse reactions included injection site reactions, headache, and pyrexia (fever).6 Importantly, a secondary endpoint in the ATLAS-2M clinical trial looking at patient preference showed that treatment once every two months was preferred by 98% of participants over daily oral therapy.6 Cabotegravir and rilpivirine are administered as two intramuscular injections in the buttocks, during the same visit at a specialist clinic by a healthcare professional.1
ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir in combination with Janssen’s rilpivirine was co-developed as part of a collaboration with Janssen and builds on ViiV Healthcare’s industry-leading portfolio that is centered on delivering innovative medicines for the HIV community.
