HIV drugs provider plans innovative therapies

ViiV Healthcare, which specializes in medicines and research concerning HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), will continue to bring innovative therapies to China to give infected individuals the right to choose an appropriate treatment plan and make HIV a more relieved part of their lives, a senior company executive said.

"All such measures are meant to not only help improve outcomes for people living with HIV but also to improve the everyday living quality for these individuals in China, one of our most important markets," said Lauren Carey, vice-president and international head of the company, in which London-based GlaxoSmithKline owns a controlling stake.

Doctors said many people living with HIV are under psychological pressure as they need to take the traditional antiviral drugs orally twice a day, several pills each time.

"Surveys at home and abroad have shown that taking pills regularly everyday makes it difficult for people living with HIV to hide the infection from others," said Ma Ping, a chief physician of infectious diseases at Tianjin Second People's Hospital.

"Taking pills regularly also adds pressure as it often reminds the patients that they are infected. Also, once they forget to take the medicine, they'll feel worried about their health," she said.

ViiV Healthcare's Dovato, the world's first dual drug regimen, was marketed in China in 2021. It was the first single tablet, dual drug treatment for HIV infection that needs to be taken just once a day, Carey said during her visit to China last week.

She said an application for the registration of a long-acting injector regimen is currently being assessed by the China National Medical Products Administration.

"This is important because it's the first time that we've been able to reduce the frequency people living with HIV need treatments — with just six shots per year now needed — representing a paradigm shift in their experience of HIV treatment," she said.

To tackle the HIV epidemic, the company will discover innovative new approaches to treatment and also provide options for prevention, she said.

"Our injection product Apretude for pre-exposure prophylaxis is also under consideration and for registration in China. It'll become a long-acting option that can function for two months for people who are at risk," Carey said.

The company will also team up with local communities and agencies to offer more understanding and care for people living with HIV in the country.

Last week, GlaxoSmithKline and ViiV Healthcare joined hands with the Chinese Association of STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and AIDS Prevention and Control to launch a program to share HIV-related health knowledge with the public using new media forms, especially popular short videos.

Medical experts will be invited to film short videos focusing on topics, including HIV prevention, HIV testing, diagnosis and treatment, and eliminating stigma and discrimination.

Such efforts are expected to help reduce the late discovery rate of HIV infections, one of the major challenges of AIDS prevention and treatment in the country, according to the involved organizations.

By the end of 2022, there were nearly 1.22 million people living with HIV in China, and the country reported 107,000 new infections last year. Although the overall epidemic level remains low, AIDS is still the infectious disease with the largest number of reported deaths in the country.