KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending granting of marketing authorization for two HIV-1 medicines: DELSTRIGO™, a once-daily fixed-dose combination tablet of doravirine (100 mg), lamivudine (3TC, 300 mg) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF, 300 mg); and PIFELTRO™ (doravirine, 100 mg), a new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) to be administered in combination with other antiretroviral medicines. DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO are currently under EMA review for the treatment of adults with HIV-1 infection without past or present evidence of resistance to the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase class, lamivudine or tenofovir. These two recommendations will now be reviewed by the European Commission for marketing authorization in the European Union. Marketing authorization applications for DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO are also under review in other countries, including Canada, Australia, and Switzerland.
“We are pleased with the CHMP’s positive opinion recommending approval of DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO, which marks an important step forward in advancing new treatments for people living with HIV,” said Dr. George Hanna, vice president and therapeutic area head of infectious diseases, Global Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories. “This represents another milestone in Merck’s more than 30-year commitment to HIV research and treatment, and advances our efforts to address the unmet needs of the HIV community worldwide.”
The CHMP positive opinion was based on findings from two pivotal, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, active controlled Phase 3 trials, DRIVE-AHEAD and DRIVE-FORWARD, evaluating the efficacy and safety of DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO, respectively, in participants infected with HIV-1 with no prior antiretroviral treatment history. In DRIVE-AHEAD, DELSTRIGO demonstrated sustained viral suppression through 48 weeks, meeting its primary endpoint of non-inferior efficacy compared to efavirenz (EFV)/emtricitabine (FTC)/TDF. In DRIVE-FORWARD, PIFELTRO demonstrated sustained viral suppression through 48 weeks, meeting its primary endpoint of non-inferior efficacy compared to darunavir + ritonavir, each in combination with FTC/TDF or abacavir (ABC)/3TC.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO on August 30, 2018. In the United States, both DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO are indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adult patients with no prior antiretroviral treatment experience, and are administered orally once daily with or without food. DELSTRIGO contains a boxed warning regarding post-treatment acute exacerbations of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DELSTRIGO and PIFELTRO do not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS.
Selected Safety Information about DELSTRIGO (doravirine/3TC/TDF) in the U.S.
Warning: Post treatment Acute Exacerbation of Hepatitis B (HBV)
All patients with HIV-1 should be tested for the presence of HBV before initiating antiretroviral therapy. Severe acute exacerbations of HBV have been reported in patients who are coinfected with HIV-1 and HBV and have discontinued products containing lamivudine or TDF, which are components of DELSTRIGO. Patients coinfected with HIV-1 and HBV who discontinue DELSTRIGO should be monitored with both clinical and laboratory follow-up for at least several months after stopping DELSTRIGO. If appropriate, initiation of anti-HBV therapy may be warranted.
DELSTRIGO is contraindicated when co-administered with drugs that are strong cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A enzyme inducers (including the anticonvulsants carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, and phenytoin; the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide; the antimycobacterials rifampin and rifapentine; the cytotoxic agent mitotane; and the herbal product St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)), as significant decreases in doravirine plasma concentrations may occur, which may decrease the effectiveness of DELSTRIGO. DELSTRIGO is contraindicated in patients with a previous hypersensitivity reaction to lamivudine.
Renal impairment, including cases of acute renal failure and Fanconi syndrome, have been reported with the use of TDF. DELSTRIGO should be avoided with concurrent or recent use of a nephrotoxic agent, as cases of acute renal failure after initiation of high-dose or multiple NSAIDs have been reported in patients with risk factors for renal dysfunction who appeared stable on TDF.
Prior to or when initiating DELSTRIGO, and during treatment, assess serum creatinine, estimated creatinine clearance, urine glucose and urine protein in all patients. In patients with chronic kidney disease, also assess serum phosphorus. Discontinue DELSTRIGO in patients who develop clinically significant decreases in renal function or evidence of Fanconi syndrome. Discontinue DELSTRIGO if estimated creatinine clearance declines below 50 mL/min.
In clinical trials in HIV-1 infected adults, TDF was associated with slightly greater decreases in bone mineral density (BMD) and increases in biochemical markers of bone metabolism. Serum parathyroid hormone levels and 1,25 vitamin D levels were also higher. Cases of osteomalacia associated with proximal renal tubulopathy have been reported with the use of TDF.
Immune reconstitution syndrome can occur, including the occurrence of autoimmune disorders with variable time to onset, which may necessitate further evaluation and treatment. Because DELSTRIGO is a complete regimen, co-administration with other antiretroviral medications for the treatment of HIV-1 infection is not recommended.
Consult the full Prescribing Information prior to and during treatment for important potential drug-drug interactions.
If co-administered with rifabutin, take one tablet of DELSTRIGO once daily, followed by one tablet of doravirine (PIFELTRO) approximately 12 hours after the dose of DELSTRIGO. The most common adverse reactions with DELSTRIGO (incidence ≥5%, all intensities) were dizziness (7%), nausea (5%) and abnormal dreams (5%).
There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in individuals exposed to DELSTRIGO during pregnancy. Healthcare providers are encouraged to register patients by calling the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry at 1-800-258-4263. Mothers infected with HIV-1 should be instructed not to breastfeed if they are receiving DELSTRIGO due to the potential for HIV-1 transmission. Because DELSTRIGO is a fixed-dose combination tablet and the components cannot be altered, it is not recommended in patients with estimated creatinine clearance less than 50 mL/min.
Selected Safety Information about PIFELTRO (doravirine) in the U.S.
PIFELTRO is contraindicated when co-administered with drugs that are strong cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A enzyme inducers (including the anticonvulsants carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, and phenytoin; the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide; the antimycobacterials rifampin and rifapentine; the cytotoxic agent mitotane; and the herbal product St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)), as significant decreases in PIFELTRO plasma concentrations may occur, which may decrease the effectiveness of PIFELTRO. Immune reconstitution syndrome can occur, including the occurrence of autoimmune disorders with variable time to onset, which may necessitate further evaluation and treatment. Co-administration of PIFELTRO with efavirenz, etravirine or nevirapine is not recommended. If co-administered with rifabutin, increase PIFELTRO dosage to one tablet twice daily (approximately 12 hours apart).
Consult the full Prescribing Information prior to and during treatment for important potential drug-drug interactions. The safety of PIFELTRO is based on two studies, DRIVE-FORWARD and DRIVE-AHEAD. In DRIVE-FORWARD, the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5%, all intensities) were nausea (7%), headache (6%), fatigue (6%), diarrhea (5%) and abdominal pain (5%). In DRIVE-AHEAD, the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5%, all intensities) were dizziness (7%), abnormal dreams (5%) and nausea (5%).
There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in individuals exposed to PIFELTRO during pregnancy. Healthcare providers are encouraged to register patients by calling the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry at 1-800-258-4263. Mothers infected with HIV-1 should be instructed not to breastfeed if they are receiving PIFELTRO due to the potential for HIV transmission.
About Merck
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities around the world - including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer's disease and infectious diseases including HIV and Ebola. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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Please see Prescribing Information for DELSTRIGO (doravirine/3TC/TDF) at: https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/d/delstrigo/delstrigo_pi.pdf;
Patient Information for DELSTRIGO (doravirine/3TC/TDF) at https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/d/delstrigo/delstrigo_ppi.pdf
Please see Prescribing Information for PIFELTRO (doravirine) at: https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/p/pifeltro/pifeltro_pi.pdf;
Patient Information for PIFELTRO (doravirine) at https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/p/pifeltro/pifeltro_ppi.pdf
