ViiV Healthcare gains FDA approval for HIV drug Triumeq

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Triumeq (abacavir 600mg, dolutegravir 50mg and lamivudine 300mg) tablets, from HIV/AIDS drug specialist Viiv Healthcare, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Triumeq is ViiV Healthcare's first dolutegravir-based fixed-dose combination, offering many people living with HIV the option of a single-pill regimen that combines the integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) dolutegravir, with the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) abacavir and lamivudine. Earlier this year, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for Triumeq (The Pharma Letter June 27).

Viiv is a joint venture set up in 2009 that has UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) as the major partner (76.5%) with US drugs giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), with both transferring their AIDS assets into the new company. Japan’s Shionogi (TYO: 4507) joined in 2013 as a minority stakeholder (10%).