ViiV Healthcare Shares New HIV Treatment and Prevention Data at AIDS 2026

New Studies Highlight Progress in Long-Acting HIV Care

GSK plc announced that ViiV Healthcare presented new clinical and real-world data at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The company shared findings from several studies covering long-term HIV treatment, HIV prevention, real-world patient outcomes, injection experience, adherence, and future long-acting therapies. The new data strengthen the growing evidence supporting long-acting injectable medicines for people living with HIV and those at risk of infection.

Long-Acting HIV Treatment Continues to Deliver Strong Results

One of the biggest highlights came from the Phase III LATA study and the real-world OPERA study. Both studies showed encouraging results for the long-acting combination of cabotegravir and rilpivirine, also known as CAB+RPV LA.

According to Jean van Wyk, Chief Medical Officer at ViiV Healthcare, the latest results continue to build confidence in long-acting HIV medicines.

He explained that real-world evidence involving nearly 6,800 adults showed that Cabenuva maintained high levels of viral suppression comparable to daily oral treatment. Combined with clinical trial findings, the data provide a strong foundation for future HIV treatment innovation.

LATA Study Shows Better Results Than Daily HIV Tablets

The Week 96 results from the LATA trial compared long-acting CAB+RPV LA injections given every two months with daily oral HIV therapy in adolescents aged 12 to 19 years.

The study enrolled 476 young people living with HIV across Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Researchers found:

• Only 0.9% of adolescents receiving long-acting injections experienced confirmed viral rebound.
• 6.4% of adolescents taking daily oral therapy experienced viral rebound.
• 94% of participants receiving injections said the treatment was much easier to take than daily tablets.

The findings are especially important because maintaining daily treatment can be difficult for many adolescents living with HIV.

Real-World Study Confirms Long-Term Effectiveness

The OPERA study looked at how long-acting HIV treatment performs in everyday clinical practice across the United States.

Nearly 6,800 adults who were already virologically suppressed were included in the analysis.

The results showed:

• 89% of people receiving CAB+RPV LA maintained viral loads below 50 copies/mL.
• 83% of patients receiving the daily oral combination BIC/FTC/TAF achieved the same result.
• Confirmed virologic failure remained very low in both groups, occurring in only 1% of CAB+RPV LA users and 2% of daily oral therapy users.

These findings suggest that long-acting injections perform just as well outside clinical trials as they do in controlled studies.

Better Injection Experience Reported with Cabotegravir

ViiV Healthcare also presented new findings from the Phase I CLARITY study, which compared the injection experience of long-acting cabotegravir with lenacapavir.

The study included 63 participants without HIV.

Researchers found that cabotegravir injections caused fewer visible and bothersome injection site reactions over six months.

Some key findings included:

• 70% of participants rated the cabotegravir injection experience as very acceptable or totally acceptable.
• Only 37% gave the same rating for lenacapavir.
• 90% of participants receiving lenacapavir still had injection site nodules after six months, compared with only 20% of cabotegravir users.
• No severe injection site reactions were reported with cabotegravir.

Healthcare professionals also reported that cabotegravir injections were easier to administer than lenacapavir.

People Prefer Long-Acting HIV Prevention

New data from the CAPTIVATE study showed that people who had previously used daily oral HIV prevention preferred long-acting cabotegravir for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

The study involved 241 PrEP users and 36 healthcare providers across 18 US clinics.

Researchers reported:

• 97% of previous oral PrEP users preferred long-acting cabotegravir.
• 99% said they felt protected against HIV.
• 99% reported feeling less worried about getting HIV.
• 91% felt more in control of their lives after switching to long-acting PrEP.

Healthcare providers also responded positively.

Nearly 89% said they had a positive experience offering long-acting PrEP, noting that regular clinic visits improved treatment adherence and created more opportunities for STI testing and other health discussions.

High Adherence Seen in Everyday Practice

Another study called PrEPFACTS evaluated nearly 3,000 people using long-acting cabotegravir for HIV prevention.

The analysis found very high adherence rates.

Researchers reported:

• 89% of participants remained protected for at least 90% of the study period.
• Most injections were administered within the recommended schedule.

The findings suggest that people can successfully stay on long-acting HIV prevention therapy over time.

New Three-Times-Yearly HIV Prevention Study Begins

ViiV Healthcare also shared baseline information from the Phase IIb EXTEND 4M study.

The trial is evaluating a new investigational formulation of cabotegravir that could be administered only three times per year for HIV prevention.

The study enrolled 229 participants aged 16 years and older across 27 US sites.

Participants included:

• 45% assigned female sex at birth.
• 32% Black or African American participants.
• 37% Hispanic or Latine participants.
• 28% had previously used oral PrEP.

The study will evaluate the medicine's safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics while exploring whether fewer clinic visits can still provide effective HIV prevention.

About Cabenuva

Cabenuva is approved as a complete long-acting HIV treatment regimen for adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older weighing at least 35 kilograms.

It combines cabotegravir, developed by ViiV Healthcare, with rilpivirine, developed by Johnson & Johnson.

The treatment is designed for people whose HIV is already virologically suppressed and who have no known resistance to either medicine.

About Apretude

Apretude contains cabotegravir and is approved for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

It is used in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilograms who are at high risk of HIV infection.

The medicine is intended to be used alongside safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of acquiring HIV.

About ViiV Healthcare

ViiV Healthcare was established in 2009 as a specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Shionogi as a shareholder.

The company focuses exclusively on developing innovative medicines for HIV treatment and prevention while supporting communities affected by HIV around the world.

About GSK

GSK is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on combining science, technology, and talent to develop medicines that help prevent and treat serious diseases worldwide.