United Kingdom-based ViiV Healthcare has revealed three-year results from its SWORD 1 & 2 studies of Juluca (dolutegravir/rilpivirine) at the 25th Annual Conference of the British HIV Association, it was reported yesterday.

The studies indicated that 84% of participants who switched from their current three- or four-drug antiretroviral regimen to a two-drug regimen of dolutegravir (ViiV Healthcare) and rilpivirine (Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson) maintained viral suppression (viral load of up to 50 copies/mL).

Findings in the 'late switch' arm (n=477), where participants continued on their present antiretroviral regimen until week 52 before switching to the 2-drug regimen of dolutegravir and rilpivirine, indicated comparable virologic suppression, tolerability and resistance to that seen in the early switch group at week 100.

John C Pottage, Jr, MD chief scientific medical officer at ViiV Healthcare, said, 'The SWORD 1+2 studies are the first phase III HIV studies to show long-term data for switching from three-drug combination to an oral 2-drug regimen, and the efficacy, tolerability and barrier to resistance out to three years demonstrated in the study provides further reassurance of the suitability of Juluca for many virologically supressed adults living with HIV.'