For more than 40 years, scientists have been working to find a way to treat HIV, as well as create effective protection against it. However, none of these problems have been fully resolved. It was only possible to develop antiretroviral drugs that slow down the reproduction of the virus, but do not destroy it. And the only effective means of preventing the disease were condoms, but they also do not provide 100 percent protection, and moreover, people often neglect their own safety. But now, it seems, scientists have managed to solve at least one of these problems – Gilead Sciences Inc has announced that the drug it developed, Lencapavir, provides 100% protection against HIV. In addition, it is effective in treating people who are already infected.
The drug for the treatment and prevention of HIV has shown high effectiveness. Photo source: life4me.plus
Contents
- 1 Drug for the treatment of HIV
- 2 How Lencapavir works
- 3 “HIV vaccine” is 100 percent effective?
- 4 HIV treatment will not be available to everyone?
HIV treatment drug
Lenacapavir back in 2022, it was approved as a treatment for HIV in patients who do not respond to other drugs. It reduces the level of viruses in the blood to a level where they are no longer detectable in tests. However, there is no talk yet of a complete cure for HIV, as is the case with hematopoietic cell transplantation.
The drug is an injection that is performed twice a year. According to the Sloan-Kettering Institute, this allows not only to protect the human body from the effects of the virus, but also to prevent the spread of HIV. That is, a person taking Lencapavir becomes less infectious.
How does Lencapavir work
The immunodeficiency virus is a retrovirus, that is, it integrates its RNA into the genome of the host cells. Since the genetic material is easily destroyed, the virus protects it with a protein shell, or capsid. After HIV enters the nucleus of the host cell, it “sheds” its envelope and converts its RNA into DNA.
Lenacapavir acts on the viral envelope. Photo source: speedcenter.rf
Unlike other existing drugs, Lencapavir targets precisely this viral envelope. Initially, it was believed that it strengthens it, and thereby “locks” the genetic material, preventing the virus from integrating into the DNA of the host cell. However, in February 2024, an international group of scientists conducted a study and discovered several unexpected features of the drug.
As reported in eLife, the shell of the virus under the influence of the drug breaks even before it enters the nucleus. In an aggressive environment, the genetic material is quickly destroyed without reaching the goal.
It must be said that, unlike other existing antiviral drugs, Lenacapavir acts on HIV at different stages of its replication, and not just one. This is due to the fact that the capsid plays an important role at each stage of the virus life cycle. This is why this drug remains effective even if a person has developed resistance to other HIV medications.
Studies have shown the high effectiveness of the drug Lenacapavir as a preventative against HIV. Photo source: prep.love
“Is the HIV vaccine” 100 percent effective?
A recent study showed that Lencapavir is 100% effective as a preventative against HIV. The experiment involved more than 5,300 women and teenage girls aged 16 to 25 years from different regions of South Africa and Uganda.
All participants in the experiment were divided into three groups – each of which received one of three HIV drugs – Lencapavir, Descovy or Truvada. The last two drugs are tablets that are taken every day. Participants were given injections of Lencapavir twice a year, as in the treatment of HIV with this drug.
As a result, none of the 2134 women who took Lencapavir became infected with HIV. In a group of 1068 people who took Truvada, 16 women were infected with HIV. The researchers also found HIV in 39 of the 2,136 women who took Descovy pills, according to a Gilead press release. The results were so convincing that an independent data analysis committee decided to terminate the study early and offer all participants injections of Lencapavir, which provides more reliable protection against the virus.
Lenakapovir is taken by injection once every 6 months. Photo source: ife4me.plus
It should be noted, however, that these are only preliminary data. The results of the study have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, a study is currently being conducted among men from 6 countries. All of them are at high risk of contracting HIV, as we are talking about gays, transgender people, and drug addicts who inject drugs.
HIV treatment will not be available to everyone?
Despite the fact that the studies are being conducted in the poorest countries, where the level of infection with the immunodeficiency virus is the highest, the drug is unlikely to be available to their population in the near future. The reason is its high cost. Of course, Lenacapavir cannot be considered the most expensive drug in the world, however, an annual course of treatment, that is, two injections, costs patients from the United States more than 42 thousand dollars.
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Gilead has promised to produce the drug in larger quantities and at lower prices to make it available in low-income, high-burden countries. But with no timeline, the promise looks more like a wish than a commitment.