European Commission approves expanded use of HIV-1 therapy Edurant (rilpivirine) in younger pediatric patients – Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Edurant (rilpivirine) for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and children weighing at least 25 kg without known mutations associated with resistance to the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) class and with a viral load ≤ 100,000 HIV‑1 RNA copies/ml. To support expanded pediatric use, new 2.5 mg dispersible tablets have been developed for weight-adjusted dosing in children 2 to less than 18 years of age, weighing at least 14 kg and less than 25 kg.

“For years, we have worked to safeguard a future where no one is limited by an HIV diagnosis just because of their age,” says Brian Woodfall, Global Head of End-to-End Development, Communicable Diseases. “This approval will help ensure that some of the youngest people living with HIV have another treatment option that can work for them.”

The EC’s decision was supported by results from the Phase IIb PAINT (NCT00799864) and PICTURE (NCT04012931) studies, which showed no new safety findings compared with the known safety profile of rilpivirine and that rilpivirine, in combination with other antiretroviral (ARV) therapies, was effective at achieving or maintaining virological suppression in treatment-experienced and -naïve pediatric patients. This approval follows the July 2024 positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the March 2024 U.S. FDA approval of rilpivirine for select pediatric patients.