Janssen R&D Ireland has entered into a collaboration with ViiV Healthcare to develop and commercialize a new, single tablet regimen containing Janssen's Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor rilpivirine (marketed as EDURANT) and ViiV's Integrase Inhibitor dolutegravir (marketed as TIVICAY) as the sole active ingredients for the maintenance treatment of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The companies will further investigate development of this drug combination for pediatric use.

If successfully developed and approved by regulatory authorities, this treatment could offer people living with HIV who are virologically suppressed an option to switch from a standard three-drug therapy to a two-drug, Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NRTI)-sparing antiviral regimen.

Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, almost 75 million people have been infected with the HIV virus. It is estimated 35 million people are currently living with HIV globally, with 2.5 million people becoming newly infected each year.

"HIV remains a significant medical challenge, and our goal is to find new treatment regimens for patients," said Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer, Johnson & Johnson and worldwide chairman, Janssen.  

Formulation and clinical development for the single tablet regimen will begin in the coming months.