China's First National Reimbursement Prescription for Dovato® (Dolutegravir/Lamivudine) for Switch Therapy in HIV Patients Filled at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center

On March 1, 2023, GSK's innovative single-pill dual-drug HIV treatment regimen Dovato (generic name: Lamivudine and Dolutegravir Tablets) was officially prescribed for the first time under China’s medical insurance scheme at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. This significant milestone came less than a year after the indication was approved in April 2022, showcasing the remarkable "medical insurance speed" that reflects the nation’s strong commitment to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and medication access. Moving forward, the new indication will be covered by medical insurance across multiple cities in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Changsha, Kunming, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Zhengzhou.

GSK's Innovative Single-Tablet Dual-Drug HIV Treatment Regimen: Dovato^®Stable Conversion Indications

China's First Medical Insurance Prescription Landed at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center

Currently, HIV infection has gradually transformed from a fatal disease into a preventable and controllable chronic infectious disease, which also brings new challenges: people living with HIV need lifelong medication, and foreseeable side effects from long-term antiviral treatment include dyslipidemia, decreased renal function, osteoporosis, etc. At the same time, as the infected individuals age and comorbidities emerge, the number of medications they take may gradually increase. Therefore, reducing side effects and drug interactions caused by long-term medication, improving medication adherence, and enhancing the overall quality of life for people living with HIV are among the key aspects of current treatment.

Against this backdrop, innovative dual-drug simplified therapies represented by Dovato have emerged. They can achieve similar efficacy to traditional triple-drug therapies while reducing the treatment burden by eliminating one drug component, thereby enhancing safety and improving treatment satisfaction among people living with HIV.

Innovative Single-Tablet Dual-Drug HIV Treatment Regimen Dovato^®

Zhang Renfang, Chief Physician of the Department of Infection and Immunity at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, stated: "The side effects of long-term medication, drug interactions, and the economic burden of treatment have always been challenges in HIV treatment. It can be said that the emergence of innovative dual-drug therapies, along with the gradual expansion of their medical insurance coverage, has given us the key to solving these problems. I am very pleased to see the first medical insurance prescription for the stable conversion indication of Dovato being issued at our hospital. This means that more HIV-infected individuals at different stages of treatment will have the opportunity to benefit from innovative therapies and embrace a higher quality, simpler life. In the long term, this will also promote the development of China's overall AIDS prevention and treatment standards."

"The inclusion of Dovato's stable conversion indication in the medical insurance for the first time marks another milestone in GSK’s commitment to the mission of 'not leaving any person living with HIV behind,'" said Qi Xin, Vice President and General Manager of GSK China. "As a deep participant and companion in China’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts, GSK will continue to focus on providing people living with HIV more innovative, safer, and cost-effective treatment options. Through the 'HIV Continuous Care Advocacy Program,' we will actively collaborate with all sectors of society to move towards the goal of 'ending the HIV epidemic.'"

References

[1] Hsue P Y, Waters D D. HIV infection and coronary heart disease: mechanisms and management[J]. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 2019, 16(12): 745-759.

[2] AIDS and Hepatitis C Group of the Infectious Diseases Society of the Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Chinese Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of AIDS (2021 Edition) [J]. Chinese Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2021, 39(12): 715-735. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn311365-20211030-00378.

[3] CahnP, MaderoJS, ArribasJR, et al. Dolutegravir plus lamivudine versus dolutegravir plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine in antiretroviral-naive adults with HIV-1 infection (GEMINI-1 and GEMINI-2): week 48 results from two multicentre, double-blind, randomised, non-inferiority, phase 3 trials. Lancet. 2019 Jan 12;393(10167):143–155.