ViiV Healthcare Announces US FDA Approval of Cabenuva (cabotegravir, rilpivirine) for Virologically Suppressed Adolescents Living With HIV Who Are 12 Years of Age or Older and Weigh at Least 35 kg

Rhea-AI Summary

ViiV Healthcare has received FDA approval for Cabenuva (cabotegravir, rilpivirine), the first long-acting HIV treatment specifically for virologically suppressed adolescents. The regimen allows for treatment as infrequent as six times a year, offering a crucial alternative to daily oral therapy. This approval highlights ViiV's commitment to addressing unmet needs in adolescent HIV care. The regimen's efficacy is supported by adult data and an interim analysis of the MOCHA study. However, adverse reactions were reported in 61% of adolescent participants, with injection site pain being the most common.

Positive

• Approval of Cabenuva for adolescents provides a unique long-acting treatment option.
• Reduces treatment frequency to as few as six times a year, improving adherence.
• Efficacy supported by adult studies and MOCHA study data.

Negative

• 61% of adolescent participants reported adverse reactions, primarily injection site pain.
• Two subjects had serious Grade 3 adverse reactions.

The expanded indication for the first and only complete long-acting HIV regimen provides an option with as few as six dosing days per year for virologically suppressed young people living with HIV

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline plc (“GSK”), with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi B.V. as shareholders, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cabenuva (cabotegravir, rilpivirine) for the treatment of HIV-1 in virologically suppressed adolescents (HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies per milliliter [c/mL]) who are 12 years of age or older and weigh at least 35kg on a stable antiretroviral regimen, with no history of treatment failure, and with no known or suspected resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.^{1, 2} The regimen was co-developed as part of a collaboration with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. This approval marks the first time a long-acting HIV treatment is available for the adolescent population, underscoring ViiV Healthcare’s commitment to delivering options for young people living with HIV.

Cabenuva is the first and only complete long-acting HIV treatment regimen and is approved as a once monthly or every-two-months treatment for HIV-1 in virologically suppressed adults and adolescents. Cabenuva contains ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension in a single-dose vial and rilpivirine extended-release injectable suspension in a single-dose vial, a product of Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Lynn Baxter, Head of North America at ViiV Healthcare, said: “Adolescents living with HIV and their caregivers face notable treatment challenges with daily oral HIV therapy, including the stress and difficulties of taking medication every day. With today’s approval for Cabenuva, we are bringing this younger population a first-of-its-kind HIV treatment that is dosed as few as six times a year and removes the need for daily oral therapy altogether. At ViiV Healthcare, we are proud to deliver on our mission of leaving no person living with HIV behind and providing an innovative therapy to youth that addresses an unmet need is an important step forward.”

The expanded indication for Cabenuva is supported by studies in adults and by data from the Week 16 interim analysis of the ongoing MOCHA (More Options for Children and Adolescents) study from ViiV Healthcare’s collaboration with the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network (IMPAACT). The efficacy of Cabenuva in adolescents is extrapolated from adults with support from pharmacokinetic analyses showing similar drug exposure. The safety profile in adolescents with the addition of either oral cabotegravir followed by injectable cabotegravir (n = 8) or oral rilpivirine (n = 15) followed by injectable rilpivirine (n = 13) was consistent with the safety profile established with cabotegravir plus rilpivirine in adults.

Based on data from the Week 16 analysis of the MOCHA study in 23 adolescents, adverse reactions were reported in 61% of subjects receiving either cabotegravir or rilpivirine in addition to their current antiretroviral treatment. The majority of these subjects (86%) had a Grade 1 or Grade 2 adverse reaction. The adverse reactions reported by more than one subject (regardless of severity) were injection site pain (n = 13) and insomnia (n = 2). Two subjects had Grade 3 adverse reactions of hypersensitivity (n = 1) and insomnia (n = 1). The Grade 3 adverse reaction of drug hypersensitivity led to discontinuation of rilpivirine during oral lead-in. Sixty-two percent of subjects who received at least one injection of cabotegravir or rilpivirine reported at least one injection site reaction. All injection site reactions were Grade 1 or Grade 2.¹

About Cabenuva (cabotegravir, rilpivirine)

Cabenuva is indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in adults and adolescents who are 12 years of age or older and weighing at least 35 kg to replace the current antiretroviral regimen in those who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA less than <50 copies per /mL) on a stable antiretroviral regimen with no history of treatment failure and with no known or suspected resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

The complete regimen combines the integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) cabotegravir, developed by ViiV Healthcare, with rilpivirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) developed by Janssen. Rilpivirine is approved in the US as a 25mg tablet taken once a day to treat HIV-1 in combination with other antiretroviral agents in antiretroviral treatment-naïve patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 35kg with a viral load ≤100,000 HIV RNA c/ml.

INSTIs inhibit HIV replication by preventing the viral DNA from integrating into the genetic material of human immune cells (T-cells). This step is essential in the HIV replication cycle and is also responsible for establishing chronic disease. Rilpivirine is an NNRTI that works by interfering with an enzyme called reverse transcriptase, which stops the virus from multiplying.

Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the ViiV Healthcare group of companies.

About MOCHA/IMPAACT 2017

MOCHA (NCT03497676) is a phase I/II, multi-center, open-label, non-comparative study of oral cabotegravir or rilpivirine and long-acting cabotegravir or rilpivirine in virologically suppressed adolescents living with HIV-1 who are 12 to less than 18 years old. The study is designed to confirm the dose and evaluate the safety, tolerability, acceptability, and pharmacokinetics of cabotegravir and rilpivirine in adolescents living with HIV. Caregivers of adolescent participants in the United States are also enrolled to take part in a single in-depth qualitative interview to contribute to the evaluation of tolerability and acceptability of long-acting therapy, with favorable feedback overall.³ The study is being conducted at research centers in Botswana, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda and the United States.

Important Safety Information for Cabenuva (cabotegravir 200mg/mL; rilpivirine 300mg/mL) extended-release injectable suspensions

Cabenuva is indicated as a complete regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in adults and adolescents who are 12 years of age or older and weighing at least 35 kg to replace the current antiretroviral regimen in those who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA less than <50 copies per /mL) on a stable antiretroviral regimen with no history of treatment failure and with no known or suspected resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

• Do not use Cabenuva in patients with previous hypersensitivity reaction to cabotegravir or rilpivirine
• Do not use Cabenuva in patients receiving carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifabutin, rifampin, rifapentine, systemic dexamethasone (>1 dose), and St John’s wort

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Hypersensitivity Reactions:

• Hypersensitivity reactions, including cases of Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS), have been reported during postmarketing experience with rilpivirine-containing regimens. While some skin reactions were accompanied by constitutional symptoms such as fever, other skin reactions were associated with organ dysfunctions, including elevations in hepatic serum biochemistries
• Serious or severe hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in association with other integrase inhibitors and could occur with Cabenuva
• Discontinue Cabenuva immediately if signs or symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions develop. Clinical status, including liver transaminases, should be monitored and appropriate therapy initiated.

Post-Injection Reactions:

• Serious post-injection reactions (reported in less than 1% of subjects) were reported within minutes after the injection of rilpivirine, including dyspnea, bronchospasm, agitation, abdominal cramping, rash/urticaria, dizziness, flushing, sweating, oral numbness, changes in blood pressure, and pain (e.g., back and chest). These events may have been associated with inadvertent (partial) intravenous administration and began to resolve within a few minutes after the injection
• Carefully follow the Instructions for Use when preparing and administering Cabenuva. The suspensions should be injected slowly via intramuscular injection and avoid accidental intravenous administration. Observe patients briefly (approximately 10 minutes) after the injection. If a post-injection reaction occurs, monitor and treat as clinically indicated

Hepatotoxicity:

• Hepatotoxicity has been reported in patients receiving cabotegravir or rilpivirine with or without known pre-existing hepatic disease or identifiable risk factors
• Patients with underlying liver disease or marked elevations in transaminases prior to treatment may be at increased risk for worsening or development of transaminase elevations
• Monitoring of liver chemistries is recommended and treatment with Cabenuva should be discontinued if hepatotoxicity is suspected

Depressive Disorders:

• Depressive disorders (including depressed mood, depression, major depression, mood altered, mood swings, dysphoria, negative thoughts, suicidal ideation or attempt) have been reported with Cabenuva or the individual products
• Promptly evaluate patients with depressive symptoms

Risk of Adverse Reactions or Loss of Virologic Response Due to Drug Interactions:

• The concomitant use of Cabenuva and other drugs may result in known or potentially significant drug interactions (see Contraindications and Drug Interactions)
• Rilpivirine doses 3 and 12 times higher than the recommended oral dosage can prolong the QTc interval
• Cabenuva should be used with caution in combination with drugs with a known risk of Torsade de Pointes

Long-Acting Properties and Potential Associated Risks with Cabenuva:

• Residual concentrations of cabotegravir and rilpivirine may remain in the systemic circulation of patients for prolonged periods (up to 12 months or longer). Select appropriate patients who agree to the required monthly or every-2-month injection dosing schedule because non-adherence could lead to loss of virologic response and development of resistance
• To minimize the potential risk of developing viral resistance, it is essential to initiate an alternative, fully suppressive antiretroviral regimen no later than 1 month after the final injection doses of Cabenuva when dosed monthly and no later than 2 months after the final injections of Cabenuva when dosed every 2 months. If virologic failure is suspected, switch the patient to an alternative regimen as soon as possible

ADVERSE REACTIONS

• The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥2%, all grades) with Cabenuva were injection site reactions, pyrexia, fatigue, headache, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, sleep disorders, dizziness, and rash
• The safety of CABENUVA in adolescents is expected to be similar to adults

DRUG INTERACTIONS

• Refer to the applicable full Prescribing Information for important drug interactions with Cabenuva, VOCABRIA, or EDURANT
• Because Cabenuva is a complete regimen, coadministration with other antiretroviral medications for the treatment of HIV-1 infection is not recommended
• Drugs that are strong inducers of UGT1A1 or 1A9 are expected to decrease the plasma concentrations of cabotegravir. Drugs that induce or inhibit CYP3A may affect the plasma concentrations of rilpivirine
• Cabenuva should be used with caution in combination with drugs with a known risk of Torsade de Pointes

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

• Pregnancy: There are insufficient human data on the use of Cabenuva during pregnancy to adequately assess a drug-associated risk for birth defects and miscarriage. Discuss the benefit-risk of using Cabenuva during pregnancy and conception and consider that cabotegravir and rilpivirine are detected in systemic circulation for up to 12 months or longer after discontinuing injections of Cabenuva. An Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry has been established
• Lactation: The CDC recommends that HIV 1−infected mothers in the United States not breastfeed their infants to avoid risking postnatal transmission of HIV-1 infection. Breastfeeding is also not recommended due to the potential for developing viral resistance in HIV-positive infants, adverse reactions in a breastfed infant, and detectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine concentrations in systemic circulation for up to 12 months or longer after discontinuing injections of Cabenuva

Please see full Prescribing Information.

About ViiV Healthcare

ViiV Healthcare is a global specialist HIV company established in November 2009 by GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) dedicated to delivering advances in treatment and care for people living with HIV and for people who are at risk of becoming infected with HIV. Shionogi joined in October 2012. The company’s aims are to take a deeper and broader interest in HIV and AIDS than any company has done before and take a new approach to deliver effective and innovative medicines for HIV treatment and prevention, as well as support communities affected by HIV.

For more information on the company, its management, portfolio, pipeline, and commitment, please visit www.viivhealthcare.com.

About GSK

GSK is a science-led global healthcare company. For further information please visit https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/about-us.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2021 and any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Registered in England & Wales:

GlaxoSmithKline plc
No. 3888792

ViiV Healthcare Limited
No. 06876960

Registered Office:
980 Great West Road
Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9GS

References

1. Cabenuva (cabotegravir, rilpivirine) Prescribing Information. US Approval March 2022.
2. Moore CB, Capparelli E, Calabrese K, et al. Safety and PK of Long-Acting Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine in Adolescents. Presented at CROI 2022.
3. Lowenthal E, Chapman, J, Calabrese, K, et al. Adolescent and Parent Experiences with Long-Acting Injectables in the MOCHA Study. Presented at CROI 2022.

 

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FAQ

What is the significance of Cabenuva's FDA approval for adolescents?

Cabenuva is the first long-acting HIV treatment approved for adolescents, allowing for treatment as infrequently as six times a year.

What are the key benefits of Cabenuva for young people living with HIV?

Cabenuva reduces the need for daily oral medication, thus improving adherence and the quality of life for adolescents.

What does the MOCHA study indicate about Cabenuva's safety and effectiveness?

The MOCHA study supports Cabenuva's safety and effectiveness through data showing similar drug exposure in adolescents compared to adults.

What adverse reactions were reported in the MOCHA study?

61% of adolescent participants experienced adverse reactions, mainly injection site pain, with some reporting serious reactions.

How does Cabenuva work in treating HIV?

Cabenuva combines cabotegravir, an integrase inhibitor, and rilpivirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, to prevent HIV replication.