Following on the heels of research showing that the new combo pill Stribild, a.k.a. the Quad, is as effective and safe as Atripla, a new study has shown that the two once-a-day therapies also have similar efficacies in those who don’t adhere perfectly to their regimens.

Gilead Sciences presented a poster abstract of its study at the IDWeek 2012 meeting in San Francisco comparing Stribild’s and Atripla’s efficacy and safety among patients with a less than 95 percent adherence rate over a 48-week period. (Gilead makes Stribild; working with Bristol-Myers Squibb, it also makes Atripla.) The study found that 25 percent of those taking Stribild or Atripla were less than 95 percent adherent, resulting in 91 percent and 88 percent efficacy, respectively. Seven percent of Stribild users and 10 percent of those on Atripla were less than 90 percent adherent, with a respective efficacy of 79 and 75 percent. Such comparable data may help Stribild—which contains Gilead’s integrase inhibitor elvitegravir, boosted by cobicistat, along with tenofovir and emtricitabine—to position itself as a strong alternative to Atripla (efavirenz, emtricitabine and tenofovir).  

To read the abstract and for a link to a PDF of the poster, click here.

Link for previous research: (http://www.poz.com/articles/hiv_quad_cobicistat_761_19095.shtml)