Infectious disease
Long-acting HIV therapy maintained viral suppression in adults with adherence challenges
At 48 weeks, 91% of participants on long-acting therapy had a viral load less than 50 copies/mL, compared with 89.2% on oral therapy.
An open-label phase IIIb trial found that long-acting injectable cabotegravir/rilpivirine maintained viral suppression similarly to daily oral therapy in people with HIV and adherence challenges, MedPage Today reported. At 48 weeks, 91% of participants receiving injections had a viral load less than 50 copies/mL, compared with 89.2% receiving oral therapy. The result met the trial’s criterion for noninferiority. Confirmed virologic failure occurred in five participants in the injectable group and none in the oral therapy group.
The IMPALA trial enrolled 540 adults across seven sites in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda, with 537 included in the primary analysis. Participants received injections every 8 weeks or continued a once-daily regimen of tenofovir, lamivudine and dolutegravir. Excluding injection-site reactions, adverse events occurred in 84.1% of the injectable group and 76.6% of the oral therapy group. Most participants receiving injections, 93.6%, preferred the approach over their prior oral regimen. The study authors said the open-label design and clinical-trial setting may limit how well the results reflect routine care.
