Where rilpivirine meets with tenofovir, the start of a new anti-HIV drug combination era

The triple-drug once-daily combination pill containing tenofovir, emtricitabine and rilpivirine for HIV treatment was launched in 2011, both in the USA (Complera®) and the E.U. (Eviplera®). The active ingredients of Complera or Eviplera are the nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NtRTI) tenofovir, the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) emtricitabine, and the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) rilpivirine. Rilpivirine originated from a collaborative research I had started with Dr. Paul Janssen in 1987, whereas tenofovir emanated from a collaborative research with Dr. Antonin Holý and Gilead Sciences. Exactly twenty-five years later rilpivirine and tenofovir joined each other, together with emtricitabine, in the same “combo” pill, representing a full treatment regimen for AIDS (HIV infection) based on a single once-daily pill.