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THURSDAY, Aug. 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For adults who have HIV-1 that is under control, taking a weekly oral medication called islatravir-lenacapavir (ISL/LEN) works just as well as a daily oral treatment known as bictegravir-emtricitabine-tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in keeping the virus from multiplying, according to a study released online July 29 in theNew England Journal of Medicine.

Jürgen K. Rockstroh, M.D., affiliated with the University Hospital Bonn in Germany, and his team performed a phase 3, double-blind, randomized, active-controlled, non-inferiority study involving adults from 12 regions, who had achieved viral suppression of HIV-1 for at least six months while on B/F/TAF treatment, to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of switching to once-weekly oral ISL/LEN. A total of 607 participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either receive ISL/LEN or continue with B/F/TAF for 96 weeks; for the other treatment group, all received identical placebo.

At 48 weeks, the researchers observed that an HIV-1 RNA level of 50 copies/mL or more was reported in none of the participants in the ISL/LEN group and one participant (0.3 percent) in the B/F/TAF group; an HIV-1 RNA level below 50 copies/mL was noted in 284 and 280 participants (93.4 and 92.4 percent, respectively). After 48 weeks, the average change in CD4+ T-cell count was −10 and −18 cells/µL for the ISL/LEN and B/F/TAF groups, respectively. Due to adverse events, the treatment was stopped in 2.0 and 1.7 percent of participants in the ISL/LEN and B/F/TAF groups, respectively; serious adverse events were reported in 5.3 and 4.6 percent, respectively.

The first weekly oral treatment for HIV may provide much-needed respite from the challenge of taking daily pills for individuals living with the virus,” said senior author Chloe Orkin, M.B., B.Ch., from Queen Mary University of London, in a statement. “This is particularly significant for those facing stigma and individuals with additional health issues related to HIV who are already managing multiple other medications.

Multiple authors revealed connections to biotech firms, such as Gilead Sciences and Merck, which are working on islatravir-lenacapavir and supported the research.

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