A new once-daily single-pill therapy for HIV has demonstrated effectiveness comparable to existing multi-drug regimens, according to a study published in The Lancet.
The treatment combines the already approved medicines bictegravir and lenacapavir into a single dose. It was tested in patients aged up to 84, including individuals who had developed resistance to previous therapies.
Study design and participant profile
The study involved more than 550 people living with HIV across 15 countries. Participants had a median age of 60 and were previously taking between three and 11 tablets per day. Many had additional health conditions, including kidney disease.
Clinical outcomes
Nearly 96 per cent of those who switched to the simplified single-pill regimen maintained viral suppression, with no evidence of new resistance. Comparable rates, between 94 and 96 per cent, were recorded among participants who continued their existing multi-drug treatments.
Those receiving the new therapy reported fewer certain side effects, including elevated cholesterol levels, and described the regimen as easier to manage.
Professor Chloe Orkin of Queen Mary University of London, who led the study, described the findings as significant for people who have lived with HIV for decades and are also managing age-related cardiovascular and other conditions.
Long-term context and access considerations
Since the 1980s, HIV-related illnesses have caused more than 40 million deaths worldwide. Over the past three decades, however, new infections and deaths have declined significantly, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Experts note that, if approved as safe and cost-effective, a single-pill regimen could prove transformative, particularly for older individuals and socially vulnerable groups who face challenges adhering to complex treatment schedules.
They also caution that scientific progress must be matched by sustained political commitment and funding. Reductions in global health programmes, including the United States’ PEPFAR initiative, have already affected international efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Source: Financial Times