Lenacapavir provides long-term protection against HIV

Clinical trials conducted in Africa have confirmed the high efficacy of the drug Lenacapavir, which protects a person from HIV infection for six months.

According to experts from the American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, which developed the drug, the drug's effectiveness is expected to reach 100 percent.

“Current HIV prevention methods are very effective if people stick to them,” says Professor Linda Gail Baker of the University of Cape Town. “Lencapavir only needs to be taken twice a year, which makes it more effective and more convenient for patients to stick to.”

In recent years, scientists have focused their efforts on developing drugs to prevent HIV, which can suppress the reproduction of HIV in patients' cells for a long time or protect healthy people from infection. According to scientists, this approach will help slow the spread of HIV in developing countries in Africa and Asia.

It is worth noting that the United States, Canada, and the European Union approved the use of the drug lenacapavir in clinical treatment in 2022. The effectiveness of the drug lies in the fact that its molecules combine with the protein units of the HIV shell, which leads to the emergence of defective HIV particles.

The drug was tested in more than 5,000 women in South Africa and Uganda who agreed to take either lenacapavir or a combination of two other antiretroviral drugs used to prevent HIV. Follow-up results showed that both drugs were highly effective at preventing HIV infection when taken as prescribed, and all participants in the trial who received lenacapavir avoided infection.

According to the scientists, the test results indicate that lenacapavir provides long-term protection against HIV, which is important for people who cannot take other medications daily or weekly. The researchers hope that the use of lenacapavir will help slow the spread of HIV in Africa and other parts of the world where the number of people living with the virus is growing rapidly.