Saying the company is “committed to the inclusion of women in our efforts to develop innovative therapeutic options for the treatment and prevention of HIV,” ViiV Healthcare is launching a clinical trial to test an injectable drug for the prevention of HIV in sexually active women.
One day ahead of World AIDS Day 2017, ViiV, which operates its U.S. headquarters in RTP and has several research scientists based there, announced the test that will take place in Africa.
“In sub-Saharan Africa, women account for more than half of all new HIV infections in adults and there is clearly a public health need for prevention strategies that empower women to protect themselves from HIV,” said ViiV Chief Scientific and Medical Officer John Pottage.
“ViiV Healthcare is committed to the inclusion of women in our efforts to develop innovative therapeutic options for the treatment and prevention of HIV and this study start is an important step in that direction.”
Just last week, ViiV secured FDA approval for the first two-drug combination to fight HIV.
ViiV is seeking to enroll 3,200 women ages 18-45 for the study titled “Imbokodo” involving cabotegravir, a long-term injectable drug, in a Phase 3 trial.
Injections will be given every two months.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are helping fund the study.
Last year, ViiV launched a study of a long-term AIDS preventive drug administered through injection in HIV-free men and transgender women who have sex with men.
The majority of ViiV Healthcare are owned by GlaxoSmithKline.
