2024-07-26 15:14:02
To the World AIDS Conference
New drug aims to prevent HIV infection
Updated on 25.07.2024 – 13:03Reading time: 3 min.
New research results could be groundbreaking in the prevention of HIV. What the new drug promises and what demands there are now.
According to researchers, a drug injected every six months can reliably prevent HIV infection. The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the World AIDS Conference in München was presented, raises great hopes in the fight against AIDS.
At the same time, there are calls for the pharmaceutical company Gilead to be allowed to produce inexpensive generics in order to make the drug available at low cost, primarily in the areas of the Global South that are heavily affected by HIV. The drug Lenacapavir is currently only approved for HIV therapy for certain patients in several countries, including Europe.
The two terms are often used synonymously. But they describe different things. HIV (“Human Immunodeficiency Virus”) is the name given to the virus that damages certain cells of the immune system and makes the body more susceptible to disease. If left untreated, an infection with the HIV virus can lead to AIDS. AIDS stands for “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome”.
The study involved around 5,338 girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda who were initially HIV-negative. There was not a single infection among the 2,134 participants who received Lenacapavir injected under the skin twice a year.
In the other two groups with around 3,200 participants who took two different medications for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), there were a total of 55 HIV infections.
Lenacapavir was 100 percent effective, said the study’s lead author and director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the University of Cape Town, Linda-Gail Bekker. She was accompanied by applause from the audience at the AIDS Conference, the world’s largest scientific meeting on HIV. Sharon Lewin, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS), spoke of a groundbreaking advance.
Another drug, cabotegravir, which is approved for the treatment of people living with HIV and also for PrEP in Europe, protects against infection for about eight weeks. A study in rural Uganda and Kenya on the feasibility of this among men and women in Africa showed that many preferred the injection, if only because they were worried about forgetting the tablets.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima spoke of miracle drugs. She specifically called on Gilead to do everything possible to ensure that Lenacapavir could be made available quickly and inexpensively to people, primarily in Asia, Latin America and Africa.
There is no time to lose. Byanyima referred to the UN goal of no longer considering HIV a threat to public health by 2030. That is still six years away – but 1.3 million people worldwide are still newly infected with the virus every year, and one person dies every minute from the consequences of AIDS.
Jared Baeten, senior vice president of clinical development at Gilead Science, said a second study in men, including transgender people as a group particularly affected by HIV, is already underway and results are expected by the end of this year.
Lenacapavir could be approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis in many countries by the end of 2025. Gilead is already in talks with generic drug manufacturers. However, it must be ensured that the drug is produced in high quality.
Baeten said he could not give a price at the moment. However, Gilead is trying to make Lenacapavir available as quickly as possible at a reasonable price, especially in countries with a high HIV incidence and few resources. The price of $40,000 for a year’s treatment in the USA mentioned by activists only applies to certain patients and will not apply to future prophylaxis.
“This is music to my ears,” said Byanyima, commenting on the statements. She recalled how quickly the Covid-19 vaccination was made available and demanded: “Move quickly.” Shareholder value should not be the focus.