Gilead Sciences (GILD.O) announced that in a late-stage trial, its injectable treatment, lenacapavir, was 40.2% more effective in preventing HIV than the current daily pill, Truvada. Gilead noted that there were no cases of HIV infections during the study period for all the women who took lenacapavir.
No new safety concerns were identified with lenacapavir, and the compound was assessed as very well tolerated by the company. Further details on safety and efficacy will be provided at an upcoming scientific conference. It is estimated that 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States, as reported by the CDC.
Tenofovir/emtricitabine, sold under the brand name Truvada, is used in the treatment of HIV and also as a prevention strategy for healthy people at risk of contracting the virus, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. Currently, the CDC reports that PrEP can decrease the chances of getting HIV through sexual contact by approximately 99%.
Lenacapavir, known as Sunlenca, is administered every six months. It received FDA approval in 2022 due to its long-acting formulation and is used for patients with heavily pre-treated HIV and multi-drug resistant virus.
In the study, over 5,300 cisgender women and adolescent girls aged 16-25 were administered lenacapavir, Descovy, or Truvada.
Descovy, a once-daily tablet, was approved in 2019 for pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV in MSM and transgender women, along with condoms, to prevent sexually-acquired HIV infection.
Gilead stated that the company is awaiting the outcomes of another phase 3 trial in men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender men, transgender women, and gender non-binary individuals who have sexual relations with male partners. The results are expected in the last quarter of 2024 or early 2025 regarding the use of lenacapavir for PrEP.
