AIDS 2026 Research Shows Individualized HIV Treatment Is Shaping the Future

At the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, new research highlighted how HIV treatment continues to move beyond simply suppressing the virus toward offering patients more personalized options. According to Jean van Wyk, MD, chief medical officer at ViiV Healthcare, who spoke with Infection Control Today^®, the goal is to give clinicians and patients greater flexibility in choosing therapies that fit individual lifestyles and long-term health needs.

One of the conference's headline presentations was the VOGUE study, the first head-to-head comparison of the 2-drug regimen Dovato with the 3-drug regimen Biktarvy in people newly diagnosed with HIV.

"This study was specifically designed to test the 2-drug regimen of Dovato head-to-head with the 3-drug regimen Biktarvy in treatment-naive people," van Wyk said. "For the very first time, we're doing that."

The study found that Dovato provided noninferior viral suppression regardless of patients' viral load or CD4 count, even when treatment was started immediately after diagnosis, before resistance testing was complete.

Van Wyk said reducing lifetime exposure to medications could benefit patients who may remain on HIV treatment for decades.

"When somebody starts therapy, it's likely going to be lifelong," he said. "If we can reduce the number of medications that a person gets exposed to over this lifetime of treatment, we can potentially reduce the side effects that are associated with that third drug."

The conference also featured new data on Cabenuva, the only complete long-acting injectable HIV treatment. Van Wyk said real-world evidence continues to show viral suppression comparable to that of daily oral therapy, while offering advantages for many patients.

"There's a real psychosocial burden," he explained. "It reminds you of the disease that you have every day when you have to open that bottle and take the medication."

He added that long-acting injectable therapy can also reduce stigma while improving quality of life. Ultimately, van Wyk believes expanding treatment options allows patients and clinicians to make decisions together based not only on viral suppression, but also on adherence, quality of life, and personal preferences.