Exavir Therapeutics Announces Preclinical Data for Ultra-Long-Acting Dolutegravir Prodrug XVIR-120
Exavir Therapeutics recently announced the publication of preclinical data for XVIR-120, an investigational agent being developed as a long-acting injectable antiviral for HIV treatment and prophylaxis.
The research findings were published today in Nature Communications in an article titled “Transformation of dolutegravir into an ultra-long-acting parenteral prodrug formulation,” and detailed plasma pharmacokinetics, tissue biodistribution, and injection site histology of XVIR-120, a novel nano-formulated prodrug of dolutegravir, across preliminary rodent and non-human primate studies which demonstrate that injections were well tolerated and support ultra-long-acting dosing intervals.
“Dolutegravir is an important medicine for HIV-positive patients, with over 17 million people worldwide on daily oral therapy today,” said Howard Gendelman, scientific co-founder of Exavir Therapeutics. “We are looking forward to leveraging the existing safety and efficacy database for this compound and swiftly bringing forward our proprietary ultra-long-acting prodrug formulation.”
“Exavir has generated robust preclinical data across several programs that are highly de-risking for the development of ultra-long-acting antiretroviral therapy,” said Dr. John C. Pottage Jr., Scientific Advisor to Exavir Therapeutics. “I am pleased to be a part of the team and to help lead these medicines into the clinic. Long-acting is clearly the way of the future in HIV treatment and prophylaxis”.
Dr. Pottage is the former Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of ViiV Healthcare, and was responsible for the development of several antiviral medicines, including dolutegravir and cabotegravir, the first approved long-acting injectable medicine for HIV.
Exavir Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to eliminating HIV and other viral infections with a broad modality-agnostic approach, beginning with long-acting antiviral therapeutics. HIV is one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. It is estimated that there are more than 37 million people living with HIV worldwide, and nearly 1.2 million people living with HIV in the US alone. Over $30 billion is spent annually on antiretroviral HIV therapies worldwide. For more information, visit Exavir Therapeutics.
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