Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) and Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD (NYSE: MRK), have this week unveiled preliminary findings from a Phase II clinical trial of their investigational antiretroviral combination therapy, islatravir plus lenacapavir, as a potential once-weekly oral treatment for HIV/AIDS. Despite the primary endpoint being influenced by one participant’s viral load exceeding 50 copies/mL at week 24, the trial successfully achieved its secondary endpoint. This endpoint demonstrated a high rate of viral suppression, with 94.2% of patients maintaining suppression levels comparable to the control group receiving daily doses of Biktarvy, which contains bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide.
The study reported no grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events, and there was no significant difference in CD4+ T cell counts or absolute lymphocyte counts between the treatment groups.
The U.S.-based collaborators intend to extend the trial in an open-label format through week 48 to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of the islatravir plus lenacapavir regimen.- Flcube.com
