ArticlePLoS biology2025
MK-8527 is a novel inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase translocation with potential for extended-duration dosing.
Article in PLoS biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Anti-HIV Potential ofViruses · 2026Article
- Unraveling the Mechanism of HIV-1 Hypersusceptibility to Tenofovir Imparted by Islatravir Resistance Mutations.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Antiretroviral Activity, Pharmacokinetics, and Safety of MK-8527, an Oral Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Translocation Inhibitor, in Adults With HIV-1 Who Had Not Previously Taken Antiretroviral Agents: Results From 2 Open-Label, Phase 1 Studies.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- Weekly Oral Prophylaxis With MK-8527 Protects Rhesus Macaques From Intrarectal Challenge With Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
24 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitors (NRTTIs) are potent antiretroviral agents that block HIV replication. A comprehensive lead optimization campaign was undertaken to develop a novel long-acting NRTTI with the potential for extended-duration dosing for HIV prophylaxis. Broad exploration of nucleoside structure-activity relationship (SAR), leveraging ribose core, periphery, and nucleobase modifications, along with systematic progression of compounds of interest through key in vitro and in vivo studies led to the discovery of MK-8527. MK-8527 is a novel deoxyadenosine analog that is phosphorylated intracellularly to its active triphosphate (TP) form, which inhibits reverse transcription. Iron footprinting and primer extension assays demonstrated that MK-8527-TP inhibits translocation of reverse transcriptase on the primer and template, and this inhibition allows for both immediate and delayed chain termination of reverse transcription. MK-8527 inhibits viral replication in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.21 nM. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of MK-8527 in rats and rhesus monkeys was characterized by low-to-moderate clearance and volume of distribution, with good oral absorption (57% and 100% in rats and monkeys, respectively). Following oral administration of MK-8527 to monkeys, MK-8527-TP exhibited an intracellular half-life of approximately 48 h in PBMCs, significantly longer than the apparent plasma half-life of the parent compound (approximately 7 h). MK-8527 and MK-8527-TP demonstrated favorable in vitro off-target profiles, with IC50 values of ≥95 µM against human DNA polymerases tested, and no off-target activities at 10 μM against a panel of 114 enzyme and receptor binding assays. Collectively, the potent antiretroviral activity and favorable preclinical PK and off-target profiles make MK-8527 an attractive clinical candidate, and it is currently in clinical trials for once-monthly oral HIV-1 pre-exposure prophylaxis.
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Registered trials
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