Frontier Biotechnologies' Long-acting Injectable (Aikening(R)), In A Two Drug Regimen, Proves Safe And Effective For Critically Ill Hospitalized AIDS Patients

LONDON, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontier Biotechnologies today shared real-world evidence of Albuvirtide (ABT)-based two drug regimen's safety and efficacy for hospitalized AIDS patients at the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) Conference.

Observations from a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 160 critically ill hospitalized patients with high viral load showed rapid virological suppression (~3 log₁₀) starting from the second week of ABT-based two drug regimen through the eighth week. The treatment also showed restoration of CD4+ T cell count in 8 weeks of treatment in both treatment naïve and experienced patient groups, indicating viral activity suppression and enhanced immunity.

Dr Dong Xie, Chief Scientific Officer, Chairman, Frontier Biotechnologies said, "We are honored to present at EACS and contribute to knowledge-building in the field of HIV/AIDS treatment. Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapies hold great prospects in advancing HIV/AIDS treatment. Critically-ill hospitalized AIDS patients represent an important and difficult to treat patient group. Our goals were to use the two-drug regimen effectively to inhibit viral replication while reducing pill burden, and avoiding potential drug-drug interaction."

Dr. Sheng-Hua He, Director of the Department of Infection, Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center said, "Treating hospitalized AIDS patients who are critically ill, especially those who are prone to opportunistic infections and have comorbidities, have been difficult and complicated due to limited treatment options. The ABT-containing regimen has no obvious toxicity to liver and kidney, which is conducive to the rapid initiation of ART treatment.

Currently there is limited data on antiviral therapy for hospitalized AIDS patients with complicated opportunistic infections. The two-drug regimen containing ABT can rapidly inhibit viral replication, improve cellular immune function of patients, and is safe and effective for treatment naive and experienced patients with low CD4+ T cell count.

We believe the findings from this real-world cohort presents an effective option of using ABT-based two drug regimen treatment and we hope that it will help inform physicians' clinical decisions and develop treatment plans for this vulnerable group."

The ABT-based two drug treatment regimen was found to be well-tolerated with no treatment-related adverse events. In addition to minimal DDI with ABT, patients on this regimen are eligible to start concomitant treatments for opportunistic infections or other existing conditions to ensure their health is stabilized in all manners possible. Further, there were no injection site reactions and no ABT-related discontinuation cases reported, indicating good clinical adherence and overall safety.

Albuvirtide will be distributed by R-Pharm in Russia.

About Aikening®

Aikening® is Frontier Biotechnologies' original new pharmaceutical product with independent intellectual property rights in the world's major markets.

In May 2018, Aikening® received a new drug certificate from the State Drug Administration in China. In October 2018, Aikening® was included as one of the major antiretroviral drugs available in the Chinese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS (2018) issued by the Chinese Medical Association's Infectious Diseases Unit and the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In December 2020, Aikening® was enlisted as an exclusive patented product in the National List of Essential Medical Insurance, Industrial Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance Drugs (2020).

Aikening® in combination with other antiretroviral treatment is effective for both major and drug-resistant viral strains. In a real world setting, Aikening® was widely accepted as one of the ARTs for patients with high unmet needs such as HIV hospitalization and critically-ill patients, liver and kidney dysfunctional patients and multiple drug-resistant patients due to the new mode of administration (once-weekly injection), lower pill burden, fast onset of action, high resistance barrier and well tolerated safety profile.

About Frontier Biotechnologies

Founded in 2013, Frontier Biotechnologies Inc. ("Frontier Biotech") is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in China with global vision and world-class competitiveness. Frontier Biotech is committed to discovering, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of innovative medicines that improve patient health.

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