Findings from a breakthrough clinical trial conducted in South Africa and Uganda have claimed that biannual injection of a new pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug gives young women total protection from HIV infection.
It interferes with the HIV capsid, a protein shell that protects HIV’s genetic material and enzymes needed for replication.
During the randomised trial, none of the 2,314 women who received the injection of Lenacapavir contracted HIV, which suggested the efficacy was 100 per cent.
Meanwhile, 16 of 1,068 women who received Truvada and 39 of 2,136 who received Descovy contracted the HIV virus.
If an HIV patient stops consuming the prescribed drugs, the dormant virus can reawaken and lead to problems.
Findings from a breakthrough clinical trial conducted in South Africa and Uganda have claimed that biannual injection of a new pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug gives young women total protection from HIV infection.
As many as 5,000 participants were enrolled for the study, sponsored by Gilead Sciences, at three sites in Uganda and 25 sites in South Africa to test the efficacy of Lenacapavir and two other drugs.
"Lenacapavir (Len LA) is a fusion capside inhibitor. It interferes with the HIV capsid, a protein shell that protects HIV’s genetic material and enzymes needed for replication. It is administered just under the skin, once every six months," Physician-scientist Linda-Gail Bekker, principal investigator for the South African part of the study told The Coversation.
Apart from Lenacapavir, the trial also tested Truvada - a daily PrEP pill in wide use for more than a decade and Descovy, a newer pill, used for the same purpose.
During the randomised trial, none of the 2,314 women who received the injection of Lenacapavir contracted HIV, which suggested the efficacy was 100 per cent.
Meanwhile, 16 of 1,068 women who received Truvada and 39 of 2,136 who received Descovy contracted the HIV virus.
"This means that study participants will be “unblinded”: they will be told whether they have been in the “injectable” or oral TDF (Truvada) or oral TAF (Descovy) groups," she said.
"A sister trial is also underway: Purpose 2 is being conducted in a number of regions including some sites in Africa among cisgender men, and transgender and nonbinary people who have sex with men."
Currently, most people who have HIV, require life-long antiretroviral therapy. If an HIV patient stops consuming the prescribed drugs, the dormant virus can reawaken and lead to problems.
Other HIV breakthrough
Earlier this year, a team of scientists at the University of Amsterdam claimed to have successfully eliminated HIV, with the use of Nobel Prize-winning Crispr gene-editing technology, from infected cells.
The technology, which functions like scissors at the molecular level, cuts DNA so "bad" that bits can be inactivated or removed.
The researchers now aim to remove the virus entirely from the body even though much more work is required to check it is effective and safe.
(With inputs from agencies)
