The plasma and intracellular exposure of intramuscularly administered long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine in people with HIV

OBJECTIVES: Long-acting (LA) intramuscular cabotegravir (CAB) and rilpivirine (RPV) represent a novel antiretroviral therapy (ART) option for people with HIV (PWH), offering improved adherence and patient convenience. The aim was to evaluate plasma and intracellular (IC) exposure of CAB and RPV in PWH switching from oral ART to LA injectable regimens and to assess correlations with virological outcomes and clinical parameters. METHODS: This is a monocentric prospective observational cohort study. We enrolled 177 PWH who switched to CAB/RPV intramuscular injections every 8 weeks without oral lead-in. Plasma and IC drug concentrations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were measured at baseline and at every follow-up visit over 12 months. Virological suppression, immunological parameters and correlations with PK data were analysed. RESULTS: At baseline, 93.6% of participants had undetectable viral load (