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Merck Announces Late-Breaking Data from Three Phase 3 Trials Evaluating Doravirine/Islatravir (DOR/ISL), an Investigational, Once-Daily, Two-Drug Regimen for the Treatment of Adults Living with HIV-1 at CROI 2026
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February 25, 2026 12:37 pm EST
DOR/ISL is the first non-INSTI, two-drug regimen to demonstrate non-inferiority and a similar safety profile at Week 48 to BIC/FTC/TAF in adults living with HIV-1 who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment
DOR/ISL maintained virologic suppression at Week 96 in adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1 who switched from other oral antiretroviral therapies, including BIC/FTC/TAF
Download the PDF here
Download the PDF here
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced the presentation of results from three pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating the investigational, once-daily, oral, two-drug regimen of doravirine/islatravir [DOR/ISL (100 mg/0.25 mg), (MK-8591A)] in adults with HIV-1. The findings were shared in late-breaking presentations at the 33rd Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) being held in Denver.
"Islatravir blocks HIV-1 replication through multiple mechanisms, including reverse transcriptase translocation inhibition, and could serve as the anchor for a series of two-drug, non-INSTI, daily and weekly treatment regimens. If approved, DOR/ISL will be the first of these regimens in our portfolio and may provide an important new option to help meet the evolving treatment needs of people living with HIV."
The 48-week data from these trials supported the initial New Drug Application (NDA) for DOR/ISL for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults who are virologically-suppressed on a stable antiretroviral regimen; the U.S. FDA has set a target action date of April 28, 2026 for the application under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). In the U.S., doravirine is approved for the treatment of adults with HIV-1 in combination with other antiretrovirals as a single agent (PIFELTRO) and a component of a single-tablet regimen [DELSTRIGO; doravirine, lamivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DOR/3TC/TDF)].
The Phase 3, double-blind, clinical trial MK-8591A-053 evaluating DOR/ISL versus bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamidei [(50 mg/200 mg/25 mg),(BIC/FTC/TAF)] in adults living with HIV-1 who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment (treatment-naïve), met its primary efficacy endpoint of percentage of participants achieving viral suppression (HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL), demonstrating non-inferiority for DOR/ISL compared to BIC/FTC/TAF at Week 48, 91.8% and 90.6% respectively (treatment difference 1.2%, 95% CI: -3.7, 6.2, p<0.001). The safety profile was similar between both treatment groups and consistent with that observed in previous studies. Drug-related adverse events (AEs) and discontinuations due to drug-related AEs were similar between groups (14% for DOR/ISL and 18% for BIC/FTC/TAF; 1.1% for DOR/ISL and 2.2% for BIC/FTC/TAF, respectively). These data, which are being published simultaneously in The Lancet HIV [pdf attached], build on the previously reported Phase 3 data in adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1 and will form the basis of future regulatory applications.
"These new Phase 3 results are meaningful, showing that an investigational two-drug regimen without an INSTI demonstrated non-inferior efficacy and a comparable safety profile versus BIC/FTC/TAF in previously untreated adults with HIV-1, including those with advanced disease," said Dr. Jürgen K. Rockstroh, professor of medicine, head of the HIV Outpatient Clinic at the University of Bonn. "This study evaluated a diverse, global population, and included a significant proportion of participants with high viral loads and low CD4 counts. These findings add to the growing evidence supporting the potential role of DOR/ISL in HIV care."
see pdf full press release attached
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