Changing to a once-a-day single pill of bictegravir/lenacapavir from complex HIV treatment: a plain language summary of the ARTISTRY-1 study up to 1 year

Plain Language SummaryWhat is this summary about?It describes results of the ongoing ARTISTRY-1 study of the HIV treatment bictegravir/lenacapavir (BIC/LEN). BIC/LEN combines two medicines into a single pill taken once daily. The medicines work in different ways to stop HIV multiplying and keep it at very low (undetectable) levels.Single-pill treatments combining different medicines are recommended because they are easier to take. However, some people–especially older adults, or those with other health problems–cannot take the existing single-pill treatments because they no longer work, or cause side effects. They need complex regimens with multiple pills each day, which can interact negatively with other medicines. ARTISTRY-1 is examining if BIC/LEN could be an alternative single-pill treatment option.What were the results?The study participants were older adults with undetectable HIV who were taking complex regimens. Most participants had additional medical problems and HIV with resistance mutations.BIC/LEN kept levels of HIV undetectable in almost all participants. Side effects related to treatment were rare, but slightly more common with BIC/LEN than complex regimens. Participants who changed to BIC/LEN were more satisfied with BIC/LEN than their earlier treatment.What does this mean?BIC/LEN could be an important treatment option for people with HIV who currently use complex regimens.Clinical trial number: NCT05502341