ViiV Healthcare’s long-acting injectable Cabenuva has demonstrated superior virologic outcomes compared with daily oral therapy in adolescents living with HIV, according to new 96-week data from the LATA trial.

The findings, presented at the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, showed that adolescents receiving Cabenuva every two months had a lower rate of confirmed viral rebound than those taking daily oral dolutegravir, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine.

The LATA trial, led by University College London, included 476 virologically suppressed adolescents aged between 12 and 19 years living with HIV across Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

At week 96, confirmed viral rebound occurred in 0.9% of adolescents receiving long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine (2 of 235), compared with 6.4% of those receiving daily oral therapy (15 of 241).

The findings add to evidence around the use of long-acting injectable HIV treatment in adolescents, a population where maintaining adherence to daily medication and remaining engaged with care can present challenges.

Long-acting injections preferred by most adolescents

The LATA data also highlighted a strong preference for the injectable treatment among participants.

Of 228 adolescents who reported on their treatment experience, 94% said long-acting injections were much easier to take than daily oral therapy.

Cabenuva combines cabotegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor developed by ViiV Healthcare, with rilpivirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor developed by Johnson & Johnson.

The complete regimen is administered as an injection every two months and is indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older who meet specific criteria, including being virologically suppressed on a stable antiretroviral regimen.

Jean van Wyk, chief medical officer at ViiV Healthcare, said: “The data presented at AIDS 2026 underscore the depth and breadth of evidence ViiV Healthcare has generated for long-acting injectables across HIV treatment and prevention.”

The company said the LATA results contribute to the clinical evidence base for long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine as an alternative to daily oral HIV treatment.

For adolescents, the potential benefits of long-acting treatment extend beyond dosing frequency. Reducing the need to take medication every day could help address some of the practical and social challenges associated with HIV treatment during adolescence.

Real-world data support long-acting HIV treatment

The new adolescent findings were presented alongside real-world evidence from the US-based OPERA cohort, which examined outcomes among nearly 6,800 virologically suppressed adults living with HIV.

The analysis compared people receiving long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine every two months with those taking daily oral bictegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide.

At a median follow-up of 15 months for the injectable group and 22 months for the oral treatment group, 89% of people receiving Cabenuva and 83% receiving the daily oral regimen had viral loads below 50 copies/mL.

Confirmed virologic failure remained low in both groups, occurring in 1% of people receiving long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine and 2% of those receiving daily oral therapy.

Together, the LATA and OPERA findings provide evidence from both a controlled clinical trial and routine clinical practice, supporting continued investigation of long-acting injectable treatment as an alternative to daily oral HIV therapy.

The results are particularly relevant as researchers and healthcare providers continue to explore ways to support long-term adherence and treatment engagement among people living with HIV.

For adolescents, the LATA findings suggest that a treatment approach requiring injections every two months could offer an alternative to daily tablets while maintaining effective viral suppression.

The data form part of a wider programme of research into long-acting HIV treatment and prevention presented by ViiV Healthcare at AIDS 2026.