Weekly HIV pill could replace daily doses

NCT ID NCT04564547

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether switching from a daily HIV pill (Biktarvy) to a once-weekly combination of two experimental drugs (islatravir and ulonivirine) is safe and tolerable. It involved 161 adults whose HIV was already well-controlled on daily therapy. The goal was to see if a weekly regimen could keep the virus suppressed with fewer daily doses.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Islatravir and ulonivirine (two experimental drugs taken together once a week)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could lead to a once-weekly pill regimen for HIV, making it easier for people to stay on treatment and keep the virus under control.
What could go wrong: This is an early phase 2b trial with only 161 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drugs may cause side effects or fail to keep the virus suppressed as well as current daily pills.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

HIV infectious disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

HIV-1-INFECTION

Contacts and locations

Locations

CHU Hotel Dieu Nantes ( Site 2310)

Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, 44093, France
CHU de Toulouse - Hopital Purpan ( Site 2302)

Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, 31059, France
CHUV (centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois) ( Site 2605)

Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, 1011, Switzerland
Centre Hospitalier Regional du Orleans ( Site 2304)

Orléans, Loiret, 45100, France
Chatham County Health Department ( Site 2707)

Savannah, Georgia, 31410, United States
DCOL Center for Clinical Research ( Site 2715)

Longview, Texas, 75605, United States
Hopital Avicenne ( Site 2305)

Bobigny, Seine-Saint-Denis, 93000, France
Hopital Gui de Chauliac. ( Site 2303)

Montpellier, Herault, 34295, France
Hopital Saint Louis ( Site 2308)

Paris, 75010, France
Hopital Saint-Antoine ( Site 2307)

Paris, 75012, France
Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve HUG ( Site 2604)

Geneva, Canton of Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
Infectious Disease Specialists Of Atlanta PC ( Site 2704)

Decatur, Georgia, 30033, United States
Inselspital Universitaetsspital Bern ( Site 2603)

Bern, Canton of Bern, 3010, Switzerland
Kansas City CARE Clinic ( Site 2703)

Kansas City, Missouri, 64111, United States
Men's Health Foundation ( Site 2710)

Los Angeles, California, 90069, United States
Midway Immunology and Research ( Site 2713)

Ft. Pierce, Florida, 34982, United States
Pitie Salpetriere University Hospital-Infectious Disease - Tropical Diseases ( Site 2306)

Paris, Île-de-France Region, 75013, France
Pueblo Family Physicians ( Site 2702)

Phoenix, Arizona, 85015, United States
Saint Hope Foundation, Inc. ( Site 2716)

Bellaire, Texas, 77401, United States
Texas Centers for Infectious Disease Associates P.A. ( Site 2709)

Fort Worth, Texas, 76104, United States
Triple O Research Institute, P.A. ( Site 2712)

West Palm Beach, Florida, 33407, United States
Universitaetsspital Basel ( Site 2602)

Basel, Canton of Basel-City, 4031, Switzerland
Universitaetsspital Zuerich ( Site 2601)

Zuerich, Canton of Aargau, 8091, Switzerland

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