New study shows promising drug for HIV prevention

Kimberly Shriner, MD, FACP, medical director of infection prevention and control, Huntington Health, recently spoke on AirTalk about a breakthrough in HIV prevention. Lenacapavir, an antiretroviral medication used to treat HIV/AIDS, has been shown to prevent HIV in young women and girls. (Drug trials are also underway for men and gender-diverse individuals.) Because the drug is highly potent, it can be injected just twice a year.

That’s great news, especially for countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where girls and women accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in 2023.[1] Lenacapavir might just be the way to harness the disease there and globally. “When you control HIV, you also prevent individuals from being infectious and transmitting disease to other people,” Dr. Shriner explained.

One challenge, however, is giving these countries access to the drug. Because of the high cost of pharmaceuticals, these countries are dependent on global AIDS outreach (e.g., the World Health Organization) to provide the medication. “We all have to join forces to try to overcome some of the economic obstacles that stand in the way of care for everyone,” Dr. Shriner said.

Also on the show, Moupali Das, MD, executive director, HIV Clinical Development at Gilead Sciences, research-based pharmaceutical company and maker of Lenacapavir, explained how Gilead is addressing these high costs (Lenacapavir can cost up to $42,000 per patient per year for HIV treatment). She said that Gilead offers tiered pricing for non-commercial markets like sub-Saharan Africa where people receive drugs through government programs, helping make the drug accessible to people in these regions.

Another challenge is getting people to test for HIV. “The most important thing is for people to be tested,” Dr. Shriner emphasized. “Sometimes people don’t know that they’re infected, so they haven’t had access to medications to control their disease and prevent transmission.”

Despite the challenges, Dr. Shriner is optimistic: “I’m hopeful that we’re going to make some significant advances in antiviral therapy for all kinds of diseases in large part due to the commitment of pharmaceutical companies, patients, clinicians and countries to the HIV pandemic.”

To listen to the full discussion, go to AirTalk: A new study offers a breakthrough in HIV prevention.

[1] Global HIV & AIDS statistics — Fact sheet, UNAIDS website.

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