On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Control Office approved an injection from Gilead Sciences, which is administered twice a year and is used to prevent HIV. The company described this step as a significant breakthrough in the fight against this virus, TASR writes according to AFP report.
Drugs to prevent HIV transmission, known as overexposure prophylaxis or prep, have been more than a decade. However, since they usually require daily tablets, they have not yet had a significant impact on reducing the number of infections in the world.
New Yeztugo
“This is a historic day of the decade -long fight against HIV,” said Daniel O’Day, chairman and Executive Director of Gilead.
Lenacapavir, sold under the business name Yeztugo, has shown a reduction in the risk of HIV transmission in adults and adolescents by more than 99.9 percent.
The company carried out two extensive clinical trials. The first test included more than 2,000 women in Sub-Saharan Africa and led to a 100 % reduction in the number of infections and showed a predominance over the Truvada tablet, which must be administered daily.
Extraordinary test results
The second test was attended by 2,000 men and gender diverse people, and only two infections were recorded, representing a 99.9 % prevention rate, again overcoming Truvada.
The recorded side effects of injections include headaches and stomach upset.
The results of both clinical tests were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Journal identified Lenacapavir as a “breakthrough of the year”.
High prices problem
However, AFP noted that the medicine is expensive, and in the United States, according to the company spokeswoman, it has a recommended price of $ 28,218 (€ 24,639) per year. Activists urges the gilead sciences to significantly reduce the price of the drug and help to end the HIV pandemic.
Deputy Secretary General Winnie Byanyim says that this medicine could be a tool needed to handle new infections. However, she noted that it would only be affordable and available to everyone who could benefit from it.
