Preclinical evaluation of long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis in a macaque model.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Current guidelines for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) recommend 28 days of daily oral antiretroviral drugs. However, low adherence and inadequate regimen completion represent important challenges. We investigated in macaques whether a single injection of the combination of long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB LA/RPV LA) could serve as an effective PEP regimen.

Methods

Six macaques received a clinically relevant dose of CAB LA/RPV LA 24 h after a single rectal exposure to a high dose of reverse transcriptase simian-human immunodeficiency virus (RT-SHIV). Infection outcome was compared with seven untreated controls.

Findings

CAB LA/RPV LA conferred protection against infection, with two of the six treated macaques becoming infected with RT-SHIV comp

SUBMITTER: Srinivasan P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12741394 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature