The European Union has cleared the market for an innovative treatment for people living with HIV. It combines 4 molecules in a single daily tablet.
The European Commission on Monday authorized the marketing of an innovative antiretroviral treatment. This medicine, called Genvoya, is a single tablet taken every day to fight against type 1 HIV infection (HIV-1). It is the first drug based on tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) to have received authorization from the European Union, underlines the American pharmaceutical company Gilead.
The European decision follows that of the American Medicines Agency in early November. In Europe, Genvoya is indicated for the treatment of adults and adolescents (12 years of age and weighing at least 35 kg) infected with HIV-1 and not resistant to tenofovir, emtricitabine and inhibitors of integrase.
“With access to appropriate treatment, HIV-positive patients can live as long as the general population. However, studies show that they are more exposed to age-related pathologies and the concomitant diseases associated with their treatments, which means that the long-term preservation of their health must be a priority when therapeutic decisions are made. taken, explained Anton Pozniak, infectious disease specialist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (London, Great Britain). With Genvoya, we now have a new treatment option for people living with HIV, which provides long-lasting viral suppression and improves markers of renal and bone tolerance compared to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF, marketed as Viread, editor’s note) ”.
Effective at ten times lower doses
In its press release, the manufacturer explains that TAF is a pro-drug. It is only once in the body that the molecule is transformed into an active product. According to different clinical trials, TAF enters HIV-infected immune cells more efficiently than TDF. Thus, it can be given in doses “ten times lower” than those of TDF.
In addition to Genvoya, the Gilead laboratory has submitted two other marketing applications to the European Medicines Agency for medicinal products derived from TAF.
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