Once-weekly HIV pill performs as well as daily treatment in phase III study
A phase III clinical trial has demonstrated that a once-weekly oral tablet is as effective as daily HIV treatments in maintaining viral suppression. This development could significantly improve quality of life and treatment adherence for patients.
Why it matters
Reducing the burden of daily medication is a major milestone in HIV management, potentially increasing long-term health outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.
A once-weekly tablet could maintain HIV control as well as existing daily treatment, according to the results of a phase III international study.
The study’s findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 29 July 2026 and presented at the AIDS 2026 conference , held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 26–31 July 2026.
Researchers analysed data from 607 adults with well-controlled HIV across 106 clinical sites in 12 countries, as part of the phase III ISLEND-1 trial ( NCT06630286 ), which was sponsored by Gilead Sciences.
After 48 weeks, a once-weekly tablet combining islatravir and lenacapavir (ISL/LEN) proved non-inferior to the once-daily oral bictegravir–emtricitabine–tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) regimen, the study results revealed.
The researchers also observed that more than 93% of participants in both ISL/LEN and B/F/TAF groups maintained viral suppression, while no participants receiving the weekly treatment experienced virological failure during the study.
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