Overview

• Researchers engineered MK-8527 from islatravir as a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor that targets HIV replication through multiple mechanisms.
• In vitro testing found potent antiviral activity, with animal pharmacokinetics supporting potential for long-acting monthly dosing.
• Early human studies are evaluating safety and tolerability in low-risk volunteers, with at least one completed study reporting promising results.
• The candidate is not approved and will require efficacy trials and regulatory review before any clinical use.
• A monthly pill could ease adherence, privacy and access challenges associated with daily regimens and provider-administered injectables, a priority given roughly 1.3 million new infections globally each year.