By Colin Kellaher

ViiV Healthcare, the specialist HIV company majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline PLC, on Tuesday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted priority review to its cabotegravir long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, therapy.

ViiV said cabotegravir, if approved, would be the first, long-acting therapy for the prevention of HIV for individuals at risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection who have a negative HIV-1 test prior to initiation.

The FDA grants priority review to medicines that have the potential to provide significant improvements in the treatment of a serious disease, and the designation shortens the review period. ViiV said the agency set a target action date of Jan. 24, 2022, for the application.

ViiV, formed in November 2009, is majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline, with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi & Co. as shareholders. The company said it plans to initiate submissions of cabotegravir long-acting for PrEP to other regulatory authorities by the end of the year.

Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

09-28-21 0757ET