Johnson and Johnson presents Artemis results

Johnson & Johnson has presented results from a phase III study of Artemis, which has investigated the effects of Prezista (darunavir) in treatment-na?ve adults with HIV.

The study showed that 84 per cent of infected adults taking Prezista once daily with Truvada reach an undetectable viral load at week 48 compared with 78 per cent of patients taking with Truvuda.

The results were presented this week at the 47th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Chicago with Artemis being the first study to examine Prezista in treatment-na?ve patients with HIV.

“This is an important study because it provides information regarding the potential use of a once daily Prezista regimen for the treatment of adult patients who have never taken HIV medications before,” said Dr Edwin DeJesus, medical director of the Orlando Immunology Center.

The use of Prezista in treatment-na?ve patients has not been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but the 48-week primary analysis from Artemis will be submitted to the FDA later this year as part of the post-marketing commitment for Prezista.

Earlier this year, Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced that in a phase III study the combination treatment of Prezista with ritonavir showed efficacy.