Merck Sharp and Dohme to trial once-daily Isentress in 2014

Merck Sharp and Dohme will be commencing a phase III trial of a once-daily regimen of its HIV therapy Isentress, based on recent pharmacokinetic data.

The company has confirmed that it will be initiating a clinical study for a once-daily dosing regimen of Isentress in early 2014, pending review by regulatory agencies.

A previous phase III trial of a once-daily Isentress-based combination therapy regimen was not able to deliver results that compared favourably to the existing twice-daily option, but the new pharmacokinetic data has showed that this dosing strategy still holds potential.

This data was presented by the company at the European AIDS Conference, which is taking place this week in Brussels.

Dr Jeff Chodakewitz, vice-president of global clinical development, infectious disease and vaccines at Merck Research Laboratories, said: "The data we are presenting at the European AIDS Clinical Society conference, as well as other currently available data, provide a strong scientific basis to continue our investigational work toward a once-daily dosing regimen."

This comes after the firm published positive data from a phase II trial of its new ovarian cancer therapy vintafolide earlier this week.