ViiV's Dovato matches Gilead's Biktarvy in first head-to-head HIV trial

ViiV Healthcare's two-drug HIV pill Dovato (dolutegravir/lamivudine) has matched the efficacy of Gilead's market-leading three-drug regimen Biktarvy in the first trial pitting the two directly against each other in patients starting treatment for the first time. The data, from the phase IIIb VOGUE study, were unveiled this week at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

ViiV, the specialist HIV business majority owned by UK drug major GSK (LSE: GSK), with Japanese firm Shionogi (TYO: 4507) as a shareholder, said Dovato proved non-inferior to Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide) after 48 weeks. The result held across harder-to-treat groups, including people with high viral loads or weakened immune systems.