FDA approves first HIV prevention drug: All about it
FDA approves first HIV prevention drug: All about it
Credit: Getty Images
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lenacapavir as a long-acting injectable drug to prevent HIV.
HIV is one of the most dangerous diseases that attacks the immune system. If left untreated, it can lead to AIDS, the most advanced stage of HIV.
What is HIV?
Lenacapavir is being sold under the brand name Yeztugo. There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS.
Credit: AFP
This makes Yeztugo the first and only HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option in the United States that is required just twice a year.
First HIV preventive drug
Data from clinical trials suggest 99.9% of people who received Yeztugo remained HIV-negative during the study period.
It is being manufactured by Gilead Sciences and was first approved in 2012.
It is a unique antiretroviral that works by blocking HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) at multiple stages of its life cycle, unlike most drugs that target just one.
How it works
It is not a complete treatment for people who already have HIV, and people must be tested for HIV before starting the injection.
Several Indian pharmaceutical companies have signed a deal with Gilead to produce generic versions of lenacapavir.
Credit: India Today
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