
A drug has been developed to prevent HIV in 99% of cases.
During the phase III clinical trial, lenapacavir demonstrated 99% effectiveness in preventing HIV infection when used twice a year.Lenapacavir is an HIV treatment drug developed by the American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. The mechanism of action of lenapacavir is that it destroys the HIV capsid, the envelope that is necessary for virus replication.
After injecting the drug intramuscularly to a person, it prevents the virus from developing in the body. The high concentration of the drug persists for six months, after which a second injection is necessary.
During phase III clinical trials, only 2 of the 2,179 participants who received lenapacavir became infected with HIV. In the control group, where 1,086 people took Truvada daily, 9 cases of infection were reported.
The studies were conducted in 88 clinical centers in Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and the USA.
Lenapacavir has already been approved in the USA, Canada, the European Union and other countries under the trade name Sunlenca for the treatment of resistant forms of HIV. Gilead plans to start registering a new indication of lenapacavir – HIV prevention by the end of 2024.
Nevertheless, a breakthrough HIV treatment method is currently poorly available. The price of the annual course is 40 thousand dollars (about 3.7 million rubles). In this regard, many activists suggest that the manufacturer abandon the monopoly. Generic lenapacavir can be produced at a more affordable price: about $ 40 per course (3.5 thousand rubles).
Lenapacavir is not registered in Russia.