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.