The results of two major clinical trials of a long-acting, injectable HIV-prevention drug called lenacapavir are highly promising. The drug was found to be 89% more effective at preventing HIV than daily oral medication among gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, and 100% effective in cisgender women. This has led HIV advocates to believe that lenacapavir could be a game-changer in the fight against the HIV epidemic.
However, lenacapavir is extremely expensive, with a current list price of $3,450 per month for HIV treatment. Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of lenacapavir, has not yet indicated whether the price will be different for its use as HIV prevention. This high price raises concerns about the drug’s accessibility, especially in lower-income communities and countries.
Despite the effectiveness of lenacapavir, there are still challenges in ensuring widespread access to the drug. Poor adherence to daily oral PrEP regimens has compromised the efficacy of previous HIV-prevention methods, leading to ongoing HIV transmissions. In particular, Black and Latino gay and bisexual men have not adopted PrEP at the levels needed to stem the epidemic within their communities.
Experts and advocates are hopeful that lenacapavir could address these challenges, especially in underserved populations. Gilead has committed to providing the drug at a scalable cost to lower-income countries, but there are still concerns about the drug’s cost and accessibility, both domestically and globally. Further research is ongoing to assess the effectiveness of lenacapavir in other populations, and discussions are ongoing about how to ensure broad access to this potentially transformative HIV-prevention tool.
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