Dec 15 (Reuters) – Gilead Sciences said on Monday its experimental HIV treatment met the main goal in a late-stage trial.
The treatment regimen could expand treatment options and help people with HIV maintain long-term control of the virus, the company said.
In the study, a once-daily, single-tablet combination of bictegravir and lenacapavir was as effective as Gilead’s existing HIV pill Biktarvy in patients whose virus was already suppressed.
Bictegravir is a widely recommended HIV drug known as an integrase strand transfer inhibitor and is used only in combination with other antiretroviral medicines.
Lenacapavir is approved in several countries to prevent sexually acquired HIV in adults and adolescents at risk of infection.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
