In the News
FDA Has Approved New Two-Drug Regimen to Treat People with HIV
Source: HealthLine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the approval of Dovato, the first complete two-drug HIV treatment regimen for people who previously have not been on antiretroviral therapy.
The new drug is for people who have no known or suspected resistance to the therapy, according to a press release.
Right now, the therapy for HIV-positive people who have not been previously receiving antiretroviral treatment has been a three-drug regimen.
Why is Dovato significant?
It offers the potential for these people to take their two-drug regimen in one single tablet. ViiV Healthcare developed the drug.
“Having a drug-sparing treatment available that uses fewer drugs is beneficial to patients who may have issues taking multiple medications over a long period of time,” said Dr. Debra Birnkrant, director of the FDA’s division of antiviral products, in the release.
However, this isn’t the first HIV single two-drug treatment ever developed. Seventeen months ago, the FDA approved Juluca.
Juluca was the first successful, single two-drug therapy option, but unlike Dovato, it was geared to people who had already been receiving treatment. (Think of it as a maintenance regimen for those who achieved an undetectable viral load, which is when a person cannot transmit the virus to HIV-negative sexual partners, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).