# The two-drug combination of doravirine and islatravir was approved to replace the current antiretroviral regimen.

*biotech · news · 2026-04-21 · U.S. News & World Report*

## Key points

- The FDA approved Merck's once-daily oral combination regimen for certain adults with HIV-1.
- The newly approved regimen combines doravirine with experimental drug islatravir.
- This regimen is intended to replace current antiretroviral treatments for eligible HIV-1 patients.
- Doravirine is currently marketed as Pifeltro and Delstrigo, but islatravir was experimental before this approval.

April 21 (Reuters) - The ⁠U.S. ⁠Food and ⁠Drug Administration has approved Merck's ​once-daily, oral, combination regimen for ‌HIV infections, the ‌health regulator's website ⁠showed ⁠on Tuesday. The two-drug combination of doravirine and islatravir ​was approved to replace the current antiretroviral regimen for ​treating HIV-1 infection in some adults. While ⁠islatravir ⁠is an experimental ⁠treatment, ​Merck's doravirine is already approved and sold ​in ⁠the U.S. under brand name Pifeltro for HIV-1 treatment in combination with other ⁠antiretrovirals, and as a single-tablet regimen, Delstrigo. About ⁠40.8 million people are living with HIV globally, with about 1.3 million new infections occurring annually, according to National Institutes of Health data. The drugmaker did not immediately ⁠respond to Reuters requests for comment. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh and Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; ​Editing by Sahal Muhammed ​and Shinjini Ganguli)

**Companies:** Merck
**Countries:** United States

[Read the full story on U.S. News & World Report](https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2026-04-21/us-fda-approves-mercks-combination-hiv-treatment)

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