We’re excited to announce involvement in a public-private partnership to advance gains against HIV/AIDS in the developing world. The signing of a licensing agreement last month with pharmaceutical company Janssen enables PATH and our partners to develop a new drug formulation of rilpivirine. A version of rilpivirine is already on the market as a highly potent, once-daily oral treatment for HIV-infected patients. The new partnership will seek to develop an injectable form of rilpivirine that could become a new pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) intervention against HIV, providing long-lasting protection against infection and potentially better patient adherence than other products that are used more frequently.
Progress against HIV/AIDS

Over the last decade, heightened funding and increased access to treatment, along with education and prevention efforts, have led to a dramatic decrease in new infections and AIDS-related deaths worldwide. New research has shown that, in addition to allowing people infected with HIV to live longer and healthier lives, antiretroviral drugs are also 96% effective in reducing onward transmission of HIV. According to the World Health Organization, 33% fewer people became newly infected with HIV in 2012 compared to 2001 (2.3 million down from 3.4 million). In addition, AIDS-related deaths were reduced by 30% compared to the peak in 2005.

“While these numbers represent a tremendous amount of progress, much work remains to be done to roll back the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of new HIV infections occur,” says Ponni Subbiah, leader of PATH’s Drug Development program. “We’re hopeful that an injectable, long-acting form of PrEP will help to stem that tide by providing the people most at risk of infection with a form of protection that better fits their daily lives.”

Sustaining gains and preventing new infections

New tools for HIV prevention will be essential for sustaining progress on Millennium Development Goal 6—reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and achieving universal access to treatment for all those who need it. A new injectable treatment for the prevention of HIV infection would be one part of a comprehensive strategy that also includes other biomedical prevention tools and stepped-up investment and increased access to HIV treatment.

The licensing agreement with Janssen paves the way to advance an injectable form of rilpivirine to phase 2 multisite safety and pharmacokinetic studies in the United States and Africa. Our other partners in this work include the HIV Prevention Trials Network and the Division of AIDS at the National Institutes of Health. Funding for the project is provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.