Game-Changing Twice-Yearly Shot Slashes HIV Risk By 96%
In a major breakthrough, Gilead Sciences has developed a new HIV prevention drug called lenacapavir. It’s a shot you only need twice a year, and it cut HIV infections by a whopping 96% in a recent study. Gilead plans to get this drug approved by the end of next year.
“This could totally change the game for preventing HIV across the world,” said Beatriz Grinsztejn, head of the International AIDS Society.
The results, presented at the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference in Peru, showed lenacapavir worked way better than the daily pill Truvada. Out of over 2,000 people who got the shot, only two got HIV. Compare that to nine infections in the Truvada group.
“Lenacapavir has the potential to be a highly effective and game-changing option,” said Professor Colleen Kelley, who led the study.
The shot was tested on a diverse group, including gay and bi men, trans women and men, and non-binary folks. It was found to be safe, with the most common side effect being reactions at the injection site.
If approved, lenacapavir could be available in the next couple of years. Gilead is also working to make it accessible in over 120 countries through generic drug deals.
However, some advocates are concerned that these deals still leave out millions of people, especially in Latin America. They’re also worried about how much the drug will cost.
Despite these concerns, lenacapavir represents a huge step forward in preventing HIV. As Linda-Gail Bekker from the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation put it, this drug could be a “paradigm shift” in the fight against the epidemic.
