ViiV Healthcare and international researchers are set to present new clinical and real-world data at the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, comparing dolutegravir/lamivudine with bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide while examining long-acting injectable HIV treatments and prevention options.
New Clinical Data Set for AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro
ViiV Healthcare, a specialist HIV company majority-owned by GSK with Shionogi as a shareholder, has announced plans to showcase its integrase strand transfer inhibitor portfolio at the 26th International AIDS Conference, known as AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference runs from July 26 to July 31, bringing together global researchers, clinicians, and community advocates to evaluate the latest advancements in antiretroviral therapy and prevention.
The presentations will cover a wide spectrum of investigation, ranging from phase IIIb clinical trials comparing established daily oral regimens to late-breaking data on long-acting injectable alternatives. As treatment paradigms continue to evolve toward minimizing pill burden and addressing adherence challenges, the data scheduled for presentation in Rio highlight both the ongoing refinement of oral therapies and the expanding real-world footprint of long-acting injectables.
Head-to-Head Oral Regimen Comparisons in Treatment-Naïve Adults
A primary focal point of the upcoming presentations involves head-to-head evaluations of two-drug versus three-drug daily oral regimens in treatment-naïve individuals. Specifically, the VOGUE study will report primary endpoint results comparing ViiV Healthcare’s established 2-drug regimen dolutegravir/lamivudine with the 3-drug regimen bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide.
Additional analyses from the VOGUE trial will examine broader study population demographics, including subset data for adults presenting with high viral loads upon initiation. Alongside these findings, a pooled analysis across multiple clinical trials will investigate on-study viremic events and therapeutic outcomes for dolutegravir plus lamivudine against comparator three-drug regimens, offering a comprehensive view of resistance profiles and virologic control.
Real-World Data Support Bictegravir Regimen Switches and Viremia Management
In parallel with clinical trial disclosures, real-world evidence published in infectious disease literature underscores the practical utility of modern regimens across diverse patient populations. According to findings published in Infectious Diseases and Therapy, switching to bictegravir plus emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide serves as a safe and effective optimization strategy for individuals who are already virologically suppressed on existing antiretroviral regimens.
However, the clinical utility of modern regimens extends beyond stable patients. Additional data published in Clinical Infectious Diseases demonstrate that long-acting ART achieves HIV virologic suppression even among individuals presenting with viremia at the time of treatment initiation.
Expanding Horizons for Long-Acting Injectables and Adolescent Care
The conference agenda also highlights extensive data evaluating long-acting injectable treatments, including late-breaking results for cabotegravir plus rilpivirine. Led by University College London, the LATA study will present late-breaking week 96 results evaluating the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine compared against daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/dolutegravir in virologically suppressed adolescents across sub-Saharan Africa.
Furthermore, the US-based OPERA cohort will contribute real-world data comparing the virologic effectiveness of injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine against daily oral bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide in virologically suppressed adults. These findings are complemented by week 96 results from the IMPALA study, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which explores outcomes among adults with prior adherence challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.
Next-Generation Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Dosing Innovations
Prevention strategies form another critical pillar of the upcoming AIDS 2026 disclosures, with multiple studies focusing on pre-exposure prophylaxis delivery and patient experience. The phase I CLARITY study will report six-month results comparing participant experience and acceptability between cabotegravir long-acting injections and lenacapavir after a single dose, alongside late-breaking participant-reported outcomes.
Routine clinical practice insights will be drawn from the CAPTIVATE results, describing real-world use and delivery of cabotegravir long-acting for pre-exposure prophylaxis in the United States. Concurrently, updated PrEPFACTS findings will utilize healthcare administrative claims data to analyze real-world use and adherence patterns. Looking toward future dosing schedules, baseline data from the phase IIb EXTEND 4M trial will characterize the population for the first study evaluating a novel cabotegravir long-acting formulation designed to be dosed three times a year for HIV prevention.
