Gilead Sciences reports positive data from elvitegravir trial

Gilead Sciences has published data from a pivotal phase III study that demonstrates the efficacy of elvitegravir among treatment-experienced HIV patients.

The company carried out a trial comparing the performance of the drug to raltegravir dosed twice daily among treatment-experienced patients, finding that elvitegravir delivered non-inferior performance.

Gilead's new integrase inhibitor is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, with this data likely to aid the application process.

The compound is also a component of Quad, a new combination therapy from Gilead that incorporates a total of four different therapies.

Principal investigator Dr Richard Elion, clinical research director at the Whitman-Walker Health facility, said: "As patients are living with HIV longer, there is a continued need for new treatment options – particularly those that are effective against strains of the virus that have developed resistance to currently available therapies."

Earlier this week, the company announced data from a phase III trial confirming the benefits of Complera, another HIV treatment that has been approved for sale in the US.