(Alliance News) - ViiV Healthcare, majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline PLC, on Monday announced two sets of positive study results and a partnership renewal.
Study results included 48-week data from its phase 3 Atlas-2M study which showed a regimen of long-acting, injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine every two months had similar efficacy to a monthly dosing for HIV treatment.
ViiV is an HIV specialist company, majority owned by pharmaceutical firm Glaxo but with Pfizer Corp and Shionogi Ltd as shareholders.
Shares in Glaxo were up 1.0% at 1,564.00 pence in London on Tuesday morning. Pfizer's shares closed down 3.7% at USD33.76 in New York on Monday but were up 2.2% in pre-market trading on Tuesday to USD34.50.
The Atlas-2M study involves adults with HIV-1 infection who have a suppressed viral load and are not resistant to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.
Kimberly Smith, head of Research & Development at ViiV, said: "We now have positive data showing the effectiveness and safety of a long-acting HIV treatment that is administered every two months. We also have patient preference data showing that study participants overwhelmingly preferred both the monthly and every-two-month long-acting regimens, over oral treatment. This two-drug regimen may provide an opportunity for people living with HIV who take daily medication to reduce their total treatment dosing days from 365 a year to six."
The other read-out posted separately on Monday was the long-term 96-week data from ViiV's phase 3 Flair study. This was also of a long-acting, injectable treatment regimen of cabotegravir and rilpivirine. Rilpivirine was developed by Janssen, the US arm of Johnson & Johnson.
The Flair study founded that the 2-drug-regimen was not inferior and has comparable safety to the oral, three-drug regimen Triumeq at 96 weeks.
Smith said: "Our focus on creating innovative treatment options for people living with HIV is further supported by these long-term findings of a long-acting injectable HIV treatment regimen. The efficacy and safety data of cabotegravir and rilpivirine at 96 weeks, as well as a high level of treatment satisfaction for the long-acting regimen, further encourage us as we work to bring this treatment option to people living with HIV."
In addition, ViiV has renewed its HIV cure partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for another five years. The USD20 million renewal is "of a unique, public-private research partnership solely focused on discovering a cure for HIV," ViiV said.
The partnership was formed in 2015 and brings together academic and pharmaceutial industry researchers with the goal of "understanding of how HIV works" and developing "a new approach to eradicating HIV that could be tested in humans for the first time in the next few years".
ViiV Chief Executive Deborah Waterhouse said: "Five years ago when we announced this innovative collaboration, we were inspired by the possibility that with the right resources and research teams, we would be able to make a meaningful impact towards a cure for HIV. Although there is still much left to do, this public-private partnership is making a difference. We are excited to continue this partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill for another five years and look forward to the contribution our unique skills and shared commitment could make to finding a cure for HIV."
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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