A major breakthrough has been achieved in the fight against HIV/Aids after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a powerful HIV prevention injection. The new HIV prevention injection was developed by Gilead Sciences and shall be taken twice per year.
The drug known as Yeztugo (generic name Lenacapavir) has been clinically found to be more effective that the existing pre-exposure prophylaxis which are popularly known as PrEP.
It reduces the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent in adults and adolescents – making it functionally akin to a powerful vaccine.
Prior to the approval by the FDA, Gilead Sciences conducted two large clinical trials. The first clinical trial involved more than 2,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa.
The results from this trial showed a 100 percent reduction in infections, and demonstrated superiority over the daily oral PrEP pill Truvada.
Truvada was also developed by Gilead and was the first pre-exposure prophylaxis drug to be approved in the year 2012.
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The second clinical trial involved over 2,000 men and gender-diverse individuals. The results from this trial showed that the injection was superior to the existing PrEP with a 99.9 percent prevention rate.
In the two clinical trials, the reported side effects from the injection included nausea and mild headaches.
The results from these clinical trials were then published in the journal The New England Journal of Medicine. At the same time, the revered journal Science named Yeztugo (generic name Lenacapavir) as the 2024 ‘Breakthrough of the Year’.
Following the approval of the drug, focus has now shifted to costs. According to a team of chemists and scientists that was led researcher Andrew Hill from the Liverpool University, the new drug could be mass-produced at a cost of about $25 (Sh3,225) per person per year.
