ViiV Healthcare presents positive HIV prevention drug data

Global HIV specialist ViiV Healthcare, which is majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK), has published positive results from a 41-week Phase IIa study on injectable cabotegravir as monotherapy for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in HIV-uninfected healthy adult males not at high risk of acquiring HIV.

Results from the ECLAIR study were presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston, USA. Data support the advancement of cabotegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, to the next stage of development as a potential drug for HIV prevention.

Adverse events during the injection phase occurred in 98% and 90% of cabotegravir and placebo group participants, respectively.Injection site pain was the most frequently reported Grade 2-4 AE for those receiving cabotegravir (59%, compared to 5% for placebo).