Revolutionary New Drug Offers 99.9% Protection Against HIV

Despite decades of progress in HIV treatment, more than a million people are newly infected each year, and an effective vaccine remains out of reach. In a breakthrough, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved lenacapavir, a long-acting drug that offers near-complete protection against HIV with just two injections annually. 

While HIV prevention drugs, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), have existed for over a decade, their global impact has been limited due to the need for daily pill intake, a routine many struggle to follow consistently.

"This is a historic day in the decades-long fight against HIV. Yeztugo is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of our time and offers a very real opportunity to help end the HIV epidemic," said Daniel O'Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences. "This is a medicine that only needs to be given twice a year and has shown remarkable outcomes in clinical studies, which means it could transform HIV prevention. Gilead scientists have made it their life's work to end HIV, and now, with the FDA approval of Yeztugo and in collaboration with our many partners, we can help to make that goal a reality." 

In 2024, Science hailed lenacapavir as its "Breakthrough of the Year".

Lenacapavir, marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent in adults and adolescents making it functionally akin to a powerful vaccine.

The company conducted two large clinical trials. The first, involving more than 2,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa, resulted in a 100 percent reduction in infections and demonstrated superiority over the daily oral pill Truvada.

In the second trial, involving over 2,000 men and gender-diverse individuals, only two infections were recorded - a 99.9 percent prevention rate, again surpassing Truvada.

Reported side effects included injection site reactions, headache, and nausea.

Results from both trials were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, and the journal Science named lenacapavir its 2024 "Breakthrough of the Year."

Pricing Raises Concerns Over Accessibility

Despite the impressive results, optimism may be tempered by the drug's expected high cost.

An earlier long-acting HIV prevention shot -- cabotegravir, which is injected every two months and was approved by the FDA in 2021 -- costs tens of thousands of dollars per year and has yet to make a major global impact.

While Gilead hasn't disclosed a price for Yeztugo, analysts estimate the US launch cost could reach $25,000 per year. Lenacapavir's current list price for its previously approved use as a treatment for HIV is $39,000 annually, though that is expected to drop when used as a preventive.

Activists are urging Gilead to drastically cut the price to help end the HIV pandemic.

"Even high-income countries will not be able to afford widescale use of lenacapavir at prices above US $20,000 per year," said Andrew Hill of Liverpool University, who led a team of chemists and scientists that found it could be mass-produced and sold for as little as $25 per person per year.

"To charge one thousand times more for a medicine with pandemic-ending potential would be abhorrent," added Winnie Byanyima, under-secretary-general of the United Nations. "We cannot end AIDS with medicines that are so costly."

The approval also comes as President Donald Trump's administration has slashed funding for HIV treatment and prevention programs both abroad and within the United States.

(With inputs from AFP)