FDA approves drug to prevent AIDS
Good news. It's expensive but it's a step in the right direction.
A drug with the potential to drastically curb the HIV epidemic just cleared its first regulatory hurdle.
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved lenacapavir for the prevention of HIV. Clinical trial data from last year suggest just two injections a year provide near-complete protection against an HIV infection.
"It's a milestone moment in the history of HIV," says Daniel O'Day, chairman and CEO of Gilead Sciences, which manufactures the drug, which was already approved to treat HIV infection. "In our opinion, it's the best tool yet in helping end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere." Others agree. In 2024, Science hailed lenacapavir as its "Breakthrough of the Year" in 2024.
The twice-yearly injection offers a more convenient alternative to the current standard of care for HIV prevention, a daily pill called Truvada. This pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is 99% effective at preventing HIV infection in clinical trials, but some people face significant barriers in taking a daily pill. One study found oral PrEP's was only 26% effective in certain groups, in part because of skipped doses.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/06/18/g-s1-73130/hiv-prevention-drug-lenacapavir-fda-breakthrough