Drug Database: Albuvirtide

What is albuvirtide?

Albuvirtide is an investigational drug that is being studied to treat HIV infection.³  Albuvirtide has also been evaluated for use as part of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) regimens.⁴

Albuvirtide belongs to a group of HIV drugs called fusion inhibitors.² Fusion inhibitors block HIV from getting into and infecting certain cells of the immune system. This prevents HIV from multiplying and can reduce the amount of HIV in the body. 

To learn about how investigational drugs are tested during clinical trials, read the HIVinfo  What is an Investigational HIV Drug? and HIV and AIDS Clinical Trials fact sheets.

Select clinical trials of albuvirtide

Study Name: ChiCTR-TRC-13003140

Phase: 2
Status: This study has been completed.
Location: China
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate 1) the drug-drug interaction between albuvirtide and lopinavir/ritonavir (brand name: Kaletra) and 2) the short-term safety and effectiveness of albuvirtide plus lopinavir/ritonavir in participants who had never taken HIV medicines.⁵
Selected Study Results: Results published in AIDS Research and Therapy (2016) showed that there was little to no drug-drug interaction between albuvirtide and lopinavir/ritonavir. Additionally, albuvirtide combined with lopinavir/ritonavir was safe and effective in reducing viral load levels, with the higher albuvirtide dose tested having greater anti-HIV activity than the lower albuvirtide dose tested.⁵

Study Names: TALENT; NCT02369965

Phase: 3
Status: This study has been completed.
Location: China
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of albuvirtide plus lopinavir/ritonavir to the effectiveness of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) plus lopinavir/ritonavir in participants who have previously had treatment failure.⁶
Selected Study Results: Results presented at IAS 2021 showed that albuvirtide plus lopinavir/ritonavir was as effective as two NRTIs plus lopinavir/ritonavir in suppressing viral load.⁷
Additional Published Material:

• Chin Med J (Engl) article, 2020: Efficacy and safety of the long-acting fusion inhibitor albuvirtide in antiretroviral-experienced adults with human immunodeficiency virus-1: interim analysis of the randomized, controlled, phase 3, non-inferiority TALENT study

Study Name: NCT03719664

Phase: 2
Status: This study is currently recruiting participants.
Location: United States
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to establish the optimal dosage of a regimen consisting of albuvirtide plus the investigational broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) 3BNC117. The study will also evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this regimen as maintenance therapy.⁸

Study Name: NCT04819347

Phase: 2
Status: See the ClinicalTrials.gov record for this study’s status.  
Location: China
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of combination therapy with albuvirtide plus 3BNC117 and determine whether this combination can control viral load levels after an analytical treatment interruption of ART.⁹

Study Name: NCT04560569

Phase: 2
Status: See the ClinicalTrials.gov record for this study's status.
Location: United States
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of combination therapy with albuvirtide plus 3BNC117 in participants with multidrug-resistant HIV.¹⁰

For more details on the studies listed above, see the Health Professional version of this drug summary.

What side effects might albuvirtide cause?

One goal of HIV research is to identify new drugs that have fewer side effects. The following side effects were observed in some of the studies of albuvirtide listed above.

ChiCTR-TRC-13003140

In this Phase 2 study, none of the participants had serious side effects. Some participants had some mild side effects that were associated with the use of albuvirtide, including nausea, diarrhea, rash, and increased triglyceride levels. None of the participants had injection site reactions.⁵

TALENT (NCT02369965)

In this Phase 3 study, the safety profile between the albuvirtide plus lopinavir/ritonavir group was similar to that of the two NRTIs plus lopinavir/ritonavir group. Two participants in each group discontinued treatment because of side effects. Common drug-related side effects across both groups included diarrhea, nausea, and increased triglycerides. There were no drug-related serious side effects associated with albuvirtide. No injection site reactions were reported with albuvirtide use.^7,11

Because albuvirtide is still being studied, information on possible side effects of the drug is not complete. As testing of albuvirtide continues, additional information on possible side effects will be gathered.

Where can I get more information about clinical trials studying albuvirtide?

More information about albuvirtide-related research studies is available from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests. To learn more about the ClinicalTrials.gov search features, please see How to Search.)

Some clinical trials may be looking for volunteer participants. Your health care provider can help you decide whether participating in a clinical trial is right for you. For more information, visit NIH Clinical Research Trials and You.

References

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 134694278, Albuvirtide. Accessed April 5, 2023
2. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). NIAID ChemDB, HIV Drugs in Development. Accessed April 5, 2023
3. Jefferys R. The antiretroviral therapy pipeline 2022. Treatment Action Group Pipeline Report 2022. Accessed April 5, 2023
4. Nie J, Sun F, He X, et al. Tolerability and adherence of antiretroviral regimens containing long-acting fusion inhibitor albuvirtide for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis: a cohort study in China. Infect Dis Ther. 2021;10(4):2611-2623. doi:10.1007/s40121-021-00540-5. Accessed April 5, 2023
5. Zhang H, Jin R, Yao C, et al. Combination of long-acting HIV fusion inhibitor albuvirtide and LPV/r showed potent efficacy in HIV-1 patients. AIDS Res Ther. 2016;13. Accessed April 5, 2023
6. Frontier Biotechnologies Inc. Efficacy and safety of albuvirtide for injection combined with LPV/r for treatment of HIV-1-infected patients failed first-line antiretroviral therapy. In: ClinicalTrials.gov. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US). Registered on February 18, 2015. NLM Identifier: NCT02369965. Accessed April 5, 2023
7. Wu H, Yao C, Zhang T, et al. Efficacy and safety of long acting HIV fusion inhibitor albuvirtide in treatment-experienced HIV-1 infected patients: Week 48 analysis from the randomized controlled phase 3 TALENT study. Poster presented at: IAS Conference on HIV Science; July 18-21, 2021. Accessed April 5, 2023
8. Frontier Biotechnologies Inc. A Phase 2, multicenter, three-part study to establish the dosage, safety and antiviral activity of combination therapy with albuvirtide and 3BNC117 as long-acting maintenance therapy in virologically suppressed subjects with HIV-1 infection. In: ClinicalTrials.gov. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US). Registered on October 22, 2018. NLM Identifier: NCT03719664. Accessed April 5, 2023
9. Frontier Biotechnologies Inc. The Phase 2, two arms, one site, safety and antiviral activity of combination therapy with albuvirtide and 3BNC117 in virologically suppressed subjects with HIV-1 infection after analytical treatment interruption. In: ClinicalTrials.gov. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US). Registered on March 22, 2021. NLM Identifier: NCT04819347. Accessed April 5, 2023
10. Frontier Biotechnologies Inc. A multicenter, two-arm, 24-week study of albuvirtide in combination with 3BNC117 in patients with multi-drug resistant (MDR) HIV-1 infection. In: ClinicalTrials.gov. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US). Registered on September 17, 2020. NLM Identifier: NCT04560569. Accessed April 5, 2023
11. Wu H, Yao C, Zhang T, et al. Efficacy and safety of long acting HIV fusion inhibitor albuvirtide in treatment-experienced HIV-1 infected patients: week 48 analysis from the randomized controlled phase 3 TALENT study. Abstract presented at: IAS Conference on HIV Science; July 18-21, 2021; Virtual. Abstract PEB148. Accessed April 5, 2023