Glaxo gets a boost when EU regulators recommend approval of new HIV prevention drug Apretude
GlaxoSmithKline received a dose of good news after EU regulators recommended approval of its HIV prevention treatment.
The FTSE 100 firm, led by chief executive Emma Walmsley (pictured), announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had recommended the sale of its drug cabotegravir, which was developed by GSK-controlled ViiV Healthcare.
Shot in the arm: GSK boss Emma Walmsley
The treatment, sold under the brand name Apretude, is approved in the US, Australia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Botswana and Brazil.
It is designed to act as long-lasting protection against HIV infection, when given as an injection.
The treatment should be taken only six times a year if patients receive a dose every two months.
This is much less than current HIV prevention drugs, most of which require patients to take tablets every day to maintain a sufficient level of protection against the virus.
“Expanding prevention options is critical if we are to end the HIV epidemic…We are hopeful that people in Europe will soon be able to benefit from more options,” said Kimberly Smith, ViiV’s director of research.
GSK shares rose 0.6 percent, or 7.6 pence, to 1,395.8 pence.
Another of ViiV’s HIV medicines, cabenuva, was also approved for use in the UK in 2021 by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Cabenuva allows HIV patients to receive an injection every two months instead of daily tablets to suppress the virus.
