HIV: Once-Weekly Pill As Effective As Daily Treatment, Global Study Finds

A once-weekly HIV pill combining the antiretroviral drugs islatravir and lenacapavir is as effective as a once-daily treatment. fotolgahan/E+/Getty Images A once-weekly oral HIV treatment is as effective as a widely used once-daily regimen, according to a large clinical trial. More than 93% of participants maintained viral suppression, and none experienced virological failure during the study. A weekly treatment could give people with HIV another option while potentially reducing “pill fatigue” associated with taking daily medication. Participants in the trial already had well-controlled HIV and high medication adherence, which could limit the generalizability of the study results. A once-weekly oral medication controlled HIV as effectively as a standard once-daily treatment in a large international clinical trial. The findings suggest that the combination of the antiretroviral drugs islatravir and lenacapavir in a single weekly pill could offer a new treatment option for people with HIV who have the virus under control. Researchers compared the two-drug weekly pill with Biktarvy (bictegravir-emtricitabine-tenofovir alafenamide), a widely used three-drug combination taken once dai…