A large in South Africa and Uganda has shown that a twice-yearly injection of a new pre-exposure prophylaxis drug gives young women total protection from infection. The trial tested whether the six-month injection of lenacapavir would provide better protection against HIV infection than two other drugs, both daily pills. All three medications are pre-exposure prophylaxis (or ) drugs.
Physician-scientist , principal investigator for the South African part of the study, tells Nadine Dreyer what makes this breakthrough so significant and what to expect next. The trial with 5,000 participants took place at three sites in Uganda and 25 sites in South Africa to test the efficacy of lenacapavir and two other drugs. is a .
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. The randomised controlled trial, sponsored by the drug developers , tested several things.
The first was whether a six-monthly injection of was safe and would provide better protection against HIV infection as PrEP for women between the ages of 16 and 25 years than , a daily PrEP pill in wide use that has been available for more than a decade. Secondly, the trial also tested whether Descovy , a newer daily pill, was as effective as F/TDF. The newer F/TAF has superior properties to F/TDF.
Pharmacokinetic refers to the movement of a drug into, through, and out of the body. F/TAF is a.
