Promising Data from the Antiretroviral Pipeline

Concerns about the HIV drug pipeline have diminished with the emergence of several promising new antiretrovirals, as reported at this year's CROI meeting in Seattle.

Enthusiasm for integrase inhibitor–based antiretroviral therapy at the CROI meeting was based on more than just the phase III data on the “Quad” tablet (JW AIDS Clin Care Apr 2 2012). Hans-Juergen Stellbrink presented 96-week follow-up data on dolutegravir from the phase II, manufacturer-sponsored SPRING-1 study [Abstract 102LB]. A total of 205 treatment-naive, HIV-infected patients were randomized to receive dolutegravir at one of three doses or efavirenz, each in combination with tenofovir/FTC or abacavir/3TC. At week 96, 78% to 88% of the dolutegravir recipients h…