The FDA Just Approved a Long-Lasting Injection to Prevent HIV

American food And the administration of the drug has just approved Lenacapavir, an injectable form of HIV Prevention which is almost 100% efficient and requires only two doses per year. Science The magazine described the drug Most important scientific advance from 2024.

In clinical trials, Lenacapavir proved to be 99.9% effective to prevent HIV infection by sexual transmission in people weighing more than 35 kilograms. The drug, an antiretroviral, does not work by stimulating an immune response, but by blocking the HIV in reproduction during its early stages – in particular, by disturbing the function of the virus capsid protein. This happens as long as the body receives injections every six months.

Lenacapavir has already been approved in certain countries as HIV treatment in people with virus forms resistant to other treatments. However, before this week, its prophylactic use had been approved anywhere, making the FDA decision a new important development in the fight against the epidemic of HIV / AIDS.

The drug is not the first medication that can be taken preventively to protect itself from HIV infection: pre-exhibition prophylaxis (PREP) pills were already available in many countries, including the United States. But these must be taken every day and ensure continuous access to these drugs, and that people really remember taking them, is a known challenge. We hope that the lasting effects of Lenacapavir will facilitate the protection of people against the virus.

According to its creator, Gilead Sciences, Lenacapavir will be marketed under the trade name Yeztugo. The company is committed to making 10 million doses by 2026.

“This is a historic day in the fight against HIV. statement Wednesday.

However, the price of Lenacapavir can be an obstacle to access. Yeztugo will have an annual list price of $ 28,218 per person in the United States. Winnie Byanyima, executive director of the joint United Nations program on HIV / AIDS (UNUSIDS), also reported in the past That the drug is unaffordable for many people in Africa, where medicine has the potential to have the greatest impact. About two thirds Among people living with HIV worldwide, live in sub -Saharan Africa.

Gilead said in a Declaration of last year that he had “developed a strategy to allow wide and lasting global access on a global scale” in Lenacapavir, although the company has not yet provided detailed information on how it will. An option could be a “voluntary license”, where other companies have permission to produce and sell generic versions of a patented product exclusively for people from certain countries (often low -income). Researchers from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom have calculated This year of Lenacapavir could be made available for as little as $ 25.

This story originally appeared on Cable in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.