Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine, a once-per-month injectable formulation) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a complete regimen for treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. It is intended to replace current antiretroviral regimens in those patients who are virologically suppressed with no history of treatment failure and with no known or suspected resistance to either of the two component drugs.
Cabenuva is the first FDA-approved monthly injectable, complete regimen for HIV-infected adults, according to the agency’s announcement.
In addition, the FDA-approved Vocabria (cabotegravir, tablet formulation), a preparatory treatment intended to be taken in combination with oral rilpivirine (Edurant) for 1 month prior to starting treatment with Cabenuva to ensure the medications are well tolerated before switching to the extended-release injectable formulation. The FDA granted the approval of Cabenuva and Vocabria to ViiV Healthcare.
Cabotegravir is as an integrase strand transfer inhibitor that blocks HIV integrase by attaching to the active integrase site and inhibiting retroviral DNA integration, which is necessary in order for HIV to replicate. In contrast, rilpivirine acts as a diarylpyrimidine nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor of HIV-1.
Approval of Cabenuva was based upon two randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trials in 1,182 HIV-infected adults who were virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies/mL) before initiation of treatment with Cabenuva. The two pivotal phase three clinical studies were: Antiretroviral Therapy as Long-Acting Suppression (ATLAS; NCT02951052) and First Long-Acting Injectable Regimen (FLAIR; NCT02938520). Patients in both trials continued to show virologic suppression at the conclusion of each study, and no clinically relevant change from baseline in CD4+ cell counts was observed, according to the FDA announcement.
Adverse reactions with Cabenuva included injection-site reactions, fever, fatigue, headache, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, sleep disorders, dizziness, and rash. The FDA warned that Cabenuva should not be used if there is a known previous hypersensitivity reaction to cabotegravir or rilpivirine, or in patients who are not virally suppressed (HIV-1 RNA greater than 50 copies/mL).
Cabenuva and Vocabria were granted Fast Track and Priority Review designation by the FDA. Prescribing information for Cabenuva is available on the ViiV Healthcare website.