Latest news with #HIV-related
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gilead Sciences - Born With HIV in the 80s: Kim's Story of Growing Up as a Dandelion
NORTHAMPTON, MA / / June 24, 2025 / Kim Canady was only nine years old in 1996 when she faced the unimaginable loss of losing both her parents in the same year. At the time, she didn't know her parents suffered HIV-related complications, nor did she realize she'd been living with HIV since birth. But what she did know is she was the only one among her group of friends that had regular monthly checkups with a doctor. Within months of losing her parents, she learned she was a "dandelion" - the term for people who are either born with HIV or who acquire it early in life. HIV was especially misunderstood and stigmatized during that period. Plus, it was difficult to comprehend what it meant to be a child living with HIV. "I was taking HIV medications as a child and had different medical conditions and didn't understand why because nobody wanted to talk about it," says Kim. Over the years, Kim has turned her lived experience into helping others as a public health consultant, a sexuality educator and an advocate for those living with HIV. But she stresses that she now also focuses on raising her son and building her business. "As a dandelion, we're the true definition of what aging with HIV is, but I don't let the virus any longer define me," she says. "My advocacy work is what I do when I have extra time to give. My day-to-day is being a mom, a wife, and a woman who's choosing herself." Watch the video to learn more about Kim's journey living as a dandelion. Gilead SciencesGilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. Originally published by Gilead Sciences View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gilead Sciences on Contact Info:Spokesperson: Gilead SciencesWebsite: Email: info@ SOURCE: Gilead Sciences View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
CNBC
18-06-2025
- Health
- CNBC
FDA approves Gilead's twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, offering a powerful and convenient new option
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Gilead's twice-yearly antiviral injection for preventing HIV – a milestone that the company and some experts say could help bring the world closer to ending the decades-long epidemic caused by the virus. But the launch of the injectable drug, lenacapavir, faces a set of potential threats, including the Trump administration's proposed cuts to federal funding for HIV prevention efforts. In two groundbreaking clinical trials last year, Gilead's injection proved to be capable of virtually eliminating new HIV infections when taken every six months. Patients take it less frequently than all existing HIV prevention medications, including daily pills from Gilead and another injection from GSK received every other month. That makes lenacapavir a valuable and far more convenient tool for addressing an epidemic that led to around 1.3 million new infections and contributed to the deaths of 630,000 people globally in 2023, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. alone sees 700 new cases and 100 HIV-related deaths each week, Gilead CEO Daniel O'Day said in an interview ahead of the approval. HIV continues to have a disproportionate impact on people of color, gay and bisexual men, other men who have sex with men and transgender women. "It's hard to overstate the importance of this for global public health," O'Day said, adding that the injection "really will bend the arc of the epidemic as we roll this out across the globe." But the magnitude of its impact will also depend on how easy it is to get, said Jeremiah Johnson, executive director of PrEP4All, an organization focused on expanding access to HIV prevention medications. Lenacapavir is already approved for treating HIV under the brand name Sunlenca, which has a price tag of more than $42,200 per year. One analysis in 2024 found that the drug could be made for as little as $26 to $40 a year. Gilead did not immediately share how much the injection will cost under its new use: pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, which reduces the risk of getting HIV. Mizuho analysts have estimated that lenacapavir could reach peak sales of around $4 billion globally for both HIV prevention and treatment. In a statement ahead of the approval, Gilead said the pricing of lenacapavir for HIV prevention will be in line with existing branded PrEP options. A month's supply of Truvada and Descovy, Gilead's daily pills for PreP, are both around $2,000 without insurance. One dose of GSK's Apretude, which is taken once monthly for the first two months and then once every other month thereafter, costs roughly $4,000 before insurance. The company is also committed to supplying the drug for that use globally as the virus "knows no boundaries," O'Day said. Gilead in October granted licenses to six generic manufacturers to produce and sell lower-cost versions of the injection in 120 low- and lower-middle-income countries. Gilead also promised to supply doses for up to 2 million people at no profit before those generic versions come to the market, O'Day said. PrEP has been available for a decade in the form of daily pills, but infections have climbed or remained roughly flat in many areas. Pills can be difficult for many people to take consistently for several reasons, including inconvenience and stigma around HIV and PrEP in many communities, particularly outside the demographic of white men who have sex with men. Black Americans account for 39% of new HIV diagnoses but only 14% of PrEP users, while Hispanic people represent 31% of new diagnoses but just 18% of PrEP users, according to AIDSVu. "Unfortunately, there's still enormous amount of stigma and cultural challenges when it comes to HIV prevention," Johanna Mercier, Gilead's chief commercial officer, said in an interview. "Getting a twice-a-year injection really gives you that privacy that people have been looking for." She said Gilead aims to ensure that more people, especially those not currently using PrEP, are aware of that convenience advantage and efficacy of the company's injection. In one late-stage trial, 99.9% of patients who took Gilead's injection did not contract an infection. There were only two cases among more than 2,000 patients, effectively reducing the risk of HIV infection by 96% and proving 89% more effective than Gilead's daily pill Truvada. The study enrolled cisgender men, transgender women, transgender men and gender nonbinary individuals who have sex with partners assigned male at birth. Another trial on cisgender women found that none of the participants who received Gilead's injection contracted an HIV infection, demonstrating 100% efficacy. In the U.S., ensuring access to underserved populations will also require broad insurance coverage. While most PrEP users are under commercial plans, the federal Medicaid program is also crucial to reaching lower-income communities. Medicaid is the largest source of insurance coverage for people who have the virus in the U.S., covering an estimated 40% of nonelderly adults with HIV, according to health policy research organization KFF. That makes Republicans' proposed funding cuts to Medicaid a huge potential threat to HIV treatment and prevention access. Mercier said, as of now, Gilead believes that Medicaid will continue to cover HIV services and support. "There are pretty incredible programs out there, not only Medicaid and other government programs, that really have safety nets to make sure that people who need or want access, both for HIV treatment and prevention, are set up," she said, also pointing to Gilead's programs for uninsured individuals. But PrEP4All's Johnson said the "entire foundation for HIV prevention in America is under attack at this moment." Other proposed federal funding cuts could make it harder to get Gilead's injection into the hands of physicians and patients, Johnson said. For example, the White House's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 includes deep cuts to several HIV prevention programs, particularly those run through the CDC. While some funding streams are continuing, Johnson said they are doing so "in a way that would completely destabilize the entire field of HIV prevention." He said if Congress does not push back on the proposed cuts, people currently taking PrEP "could start to slip off" and HIV infections could rise in many communities.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aid workers say USAID cuts are putting the lives of children with HIV at risk
Nearly 200 children live in a hillside village on the border of Kampala, Uganda. They are given food, shelter and an education at the Light the Future Foundation, a school and orphanage founded by Patrick Ssenyondo. The organization provides critical care for HIV-positive children who have been left by their parents in the east African country. "Most of the children here lost their parents, and those that have them, they can't take care of them," Ssenyondo told ABC News. "They can't pay their tuition, they cannot pay for their medication, they can't pay for food." The children, who are facing the unimaginable, now have another blockade to survival. On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended foreign aid for 90 days. Later came the termination of several foreign aid contracts, which have upended facilities and organizations like the Light the Future Foundation. Ssenyondo told ABC News that his foundation used to have a month's supply of medication prior to the cuts. Now, he's resorted to rationing the children's medication, only having a week's supply since the cuts have taken place While no child has died at his center, the children's 28-year-old teacher, Ms. Mary, passed away after Ssenyondo says she wasn't able to access her antiretrovirals -- a result of the USAID cuts. That's a fate Ssenyondo hopes won't fall on the children. He told ABC News he can't bear to tell them they aren't getting their medications. "If you tell one child that you know, we are no [longer] getting medication for your AIDS, so you're going to lose your life," Ssenyondo said. "That's something we cannot do. So we keep quiet." In another part of rural Uganda, Bayo Emmanuel, founder of the Bright Star Orphanage, shared a similar story. The eight HIV positive orphans he cared for got their medication for free prior to the cuts. After the cuts, Emmanuel said he was told he should turn to the private sector, where he would have to pay for their medication. He couldn't afford all of the children's medication and the orphanage ran out. One of the children, 14-year-old Migande Andrew, quickly fell ill. "He got weaker and weaker every day and lost his life in the process," Bayo told ABC News. The community he loved gathered to say their goodbyes, burying him on Feb. 21. Uganda has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. Migande Andrew and Ms. Mary are just two of an estimated 53,000 HIV-related deaths worldwide resulting from US Aid cuts, according to Boston University's PEPFAR Impact Tracker. This tool tracks the impact of the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, created by George W. Bush in 2003 and credited with saving 20 million lives around the globe. Today, the tool projects more than 9,000 children's lives could be lost globally by the end of 2025 if services aren't restored. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it was terminating 90% of its foreign aid contracts and cutting $60 billion in funding for international programs that support everything from famine relief to fighting infectious diseases like HIV and AIDS. The administration has denied any lives have been lost in connection to the recent cuts. On Feb. 4, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the cuts during a press conference. "We've issued waivers because we don't want to see anybody die or anybody be harmed in the short term," he said. "But we're going to conduct a review, and we are going to have foreign aid in this country that is going to further the national interests of the United States." In a tense May 21 exchange before members of the Senate Foreign Committee, Rubio said he was very proud of the work the administration has done so far with USAID, though he was questioned by several lawmakers as to the severity of the cuts. Despite the abrupt termination of resources from the U.S., people in Uganda are doing everything they can to keep their communities alive. To the west of Kampala, a clinic called The Family Hope Center is still running due to the strength and resilience of its workers. Since March, all staff have been working for free. The center has provided comprehensive HIV care and treatment services since 2005. It's been a lifeline for just under 4,000 patients, who are now unsure of how the center will be funded. "If we are not working, that means more people are going to get HIV, more people will drop out of care," Mubezi Peruth, a nurse at the center, told ABC News. "So we have to be here to encourage our clients to continue taking the medicine and to teach those that are negative to stay negative through the prevention information we give them." At the orphanage, Ssenyondo is unsure of what will happen next. "This is the time when the children need us more," he said. "This is the time when we have to act so much to encourage these children not to lose efforts to fight AIDS." Aid workers say USAID cuts are putting the lives of children with HIV at risk originally appeared on
06-06-2025
- Health
Aid workers say USAID cuts are putting the lives of children with HIV at risk
Nearly 200 children live in a hillside village on the border of Kampala, Uganda. They are given food, shelter and an education at the Light the Future Foundation, a school and orphanage founded by Patrick Ssenyondo. The organization provides critical care for HIV-positive children who have been left by their parents in the east African country. "Most of the children here lost their parents, and those that have them, they can't take care of them," Ssenyondo told ABC News. "They can't pay their tuition, they cannot pay for their medication, they can't pay for food." The children, who are facing the unimaginable, now have another blockade to survival. On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended foreign aid for 90 days. Later came the termination of several foreign aid contracts, which have upended facilities and organizations like the Light the Future Foundation. Ssenyondo told ABC News that his foundation used to have a month's supply of medication prior to the cuts. Now, he's resorted to rationing the children's medication, only having a week's supply since the cuts have taken place While no child has died at his center, the children's 28-year-old teacher, Ms. Mary, passed away after Ssenyondo says she wasn't able to access her antiretrovirals -- a result of the USAID cuts. That's a fate Ssenyondo hopes won't fall on the children. He told ABC News he can't bear to tell them they aren't getting their medications. "If you tell one child that you know, we are no [longer] getting medication for your AIDS, so you're going to lose your life," Ssenyondo said. "That's something we cannot do. So we keep quiet." In another part of rural Uganda, Bayo Emmanuel, founder of the Bright Star Orphanage, shared a similar story. The eight HIV positive orphans he cared for got their medication for free prior to the cuts. After the cuts, Emmanuel said he was told he should turn to the private sector, where he would have to pay for their medication. He couldn't afford all of the children's medication and the orphanage ran out. One of the children, 14-year-old Migande Andrew, quickly fell ill. "He got weaker and weaker every day and lost his life in the process," Bayo told ABC News. The community he loved gathered to say their goodbyes, burying him on Feb. 21. Uganda has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. Migande Andrew and Ms. Mary are just two of an estimated 53,000 HIV-related deaths worldwide resulting from US Aid cuts, according to Boston University's PEPFAR Impact Tracker. This tool tracks the impact of the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, created by George W. Bush in 2003 and credited with saving 20 million lives around the globe. Today, the tool projects more than 9,000 children's lives could be lost globally by the end of 2025 if services aren't restored. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it was terminating 90% of its foreign aid contracts and cutting $60 billion in funding for international programs that support everything from famine relief to fighting infectious diseases like HIV and AIDS. The administration has denied any lives have been lost in connection to the recent cuts. On Feb. 4, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the cuts during a press conference. "We've issued waivers because we don't want to see anybody die or anybody be harmed in the short term," he said. "But we're going to conduct a review, and we are going to have foreign aid in this country that is going to further the national interests of the United States." In a tense May 21 exchange before members of the Senate Foreign Committee, Rubio said he was very proud of the work the administration has done so far with USAID, though he was questioned by several lawmakers as to the severity of the cuts. Despite the abrupt termination of resources from the U.S., people in Uganda are doing everything they can to keep their communities alive. To the west of Kampala, a clinic called The Family Hope Center is still running due to the strength and resilience of its workers. Since March, all staff have been working for free. The center has provided comprehensive HIV care and treatment services since 2005. It's been a lifeline for just under 4,000 patients, who are now unsure of how the center will be funded. "If we are not working, that means more people are going to get HIV, more people will drop out of care," Mubezi Peruth, a nurse at the center, told ABC News. "So we have to be here to encourage our clients to continue taking the medicine and to teach those that are negative to stay negative through the prevention information we give them." At the orphanage, Ssenyondo is unsure of what will happen next.
Scoop
06-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
‘HIV Should Not Be A Death Sentence In Fiji' – Call For Testing Amid Outbreak
Article – RNZ There were 490 new HIV cases in Fiji from October – December last year. Fiji's Minister for Health & Medical Services has revealed the latest HIV numbers in the country to a development partner roundtable on the country's response. There were 490 new HIV cases from October – December last year, bringing the 2024 total to 1583. 'Included in this number are 32 newborns diagnosed with HIV acquired through mother-to-child transmission,' Dr Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu said. Fiji declared an outbreak of the disease in January. The Fiji Sun reported around 115 HIV-related deaths in the January-September 2024 period. Fiji's Central Division reported 1100 new cases in 2024, with 427 in the Western Division and 50 in the Northern Division. Of the newly recorded cases, less than half – 770 – have been successfully linked to care, of which 711 have been commenced on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Just over half were aged in their twenties, and 70 percent of cases were male. Dr Lalabalavu said the increase in HIV cases is also seeing an increase in tuberculosis and HIV co-infection, with 160 individuals in a year. He said the ministry strongly encourages individuals to get tested, know their status, and if it is positive, seek treatment. And if it is negative, to maintain that negative status. 'I will reiterate what I have said before to all Fijians – HIV should not be a death sentence in Fiji.' In the Western Pacific, the estimated number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) reached 1.9 million in 2020, up from 1.4 million in 2010. At the time, the World Health Organisation said over the previous two decades, HIV prevalence in the Western Pacific had remained low at 0.1 percent. However, the low prevalence in the general population masked high levels of HIV infection among key populations.
