Injectable HIV Treatment Shows High Acceptance Among Adolescents in Global Clinical Trial

Adolescents with HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病 across five countries demonstrated strong preference and maintained viral suppression when switched from daily oral medications to an injectable treatment regimen administered every eight weeks, according to new findings from the largest multinational study of its kind published in The Lancet HIV.

The IMPAACT 2017/MOCHA study, co-led by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital查看公司主页 and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (搜索)搜索该词条, followed 144 adolescents in Botswana, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and the United States who received injectable cabotegravir查看药品详情 and rilpivirine查看药品详情 for nearly a year after switching from lifelong daily oral HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病 medications.

Safety and Efficacy Results

After 48 weeks of treatment, researchers observed no unexpected safety signals from the all-injectable combination antiretroviral regimen. "We saw the expected concentrations of each drug known to be effective in adults and continued virological control," said Dr. Aditya Gaur, first and corresponding author on one study and co-senior author on the other from St. Jude's Department of Infectious Diseases.

The study represents the longest and largest described multinational experience to date of this first all-injectable HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病 treatment regimen in a diverse group of virologically-suppressed adolescents. All participants maintained viral suppression throughout the treatment period with no major safety concerns identified.

Patient Preference and Adherence

The treatment's acceptability proved remarkably high among study participants. At 48 weeks, 100% of participants reported they would rather receive the injectable regimen than oral medications. Of the 144 participants originally enrolled, 140 continued treatment through the reported 48-week period, indicating strong patient acceptance.

"This is the first time in their lives these adolescents could formally stop taking daily oral medications for HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病 treatment and just get two injections every eight weeks," Gaur explained. The treatment approach addresses a significant challenge in HIV care, as maintaining consistent medication adherence can be particularly difficult for adolescents with chronic diseases.

Regulatory Status and Clinical Impact

The cabotegravir查看药品详情 and rilpivirine查看药品详情 injectable regimen has already received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies worldwide for adolescents with HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病 who are 12 years or older and weigh 35 kilograms or more, based on prior clinical findings from the IMPAACT 2017/MOCHA study.

Elizabeth Lowenthal from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia查看公司主页, who led the patient preference assessment, emphasized the significance of these findings in the context of long-acting HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病 medications. The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health查看公司主页, ViiV Healthcare查看公司主页, and Johnson & Johnson查看公司主页.

Study Design and Global Collaboration

The IMPAACT 2017/MOCHA study assessed the safety, antiviral activity, and pharmacokinetics of the intramuscular injectable treatment given once every two months. The research represents a collaborative effort between the NIH-funded International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network and pharmaceutical partners.

"It is very exciting to enter an era of long-acting medications for HIV (搜索)搜索该疾病," Gaur noted. "We can now offer patients more options, such as these injectables, which provide freedom from daily medications and can be tailored based on patients' preferences."