News: The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lenacapavir (LEN), the most promising HIV prevention medicine to be made so far.
About New HIV Prevention Drug Lenacapavir (LEN)
- LEN is an antiretroviral medicine that is used for HIV prevention as a pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP.
- PrEP is a medication that can reduce the risk of HIV infection for individuals who are HIV-negative but are at risk of contracting the virus.
- Effectiveness: The studies have shown that it helps prevent 99.9 % of all HIV transmission.
- Doses: LEN is an injectable PrEP that is to be taken twice yearly.
- It will be commercially called as Yeztugo.
- Better alternative: It offers a more convenient alternative to the current standard of care for HIV prevention, a daily pill called Truvada.
- Status in India: PrEP was first approved by the US FDA in 2012, but the Indian government’s National AIDS Control Organisation is yet to roll it out.
About HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
- It is a virus that attacks and weakens the body’s immune system, specifically targeting CD4 (T) cells that help fight infections.
- AIDS: Without treatment, HIV can gradually destroy the immune system and progress to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), the most advanced stage of HIV infection.
- Transmission: HIV spreads through certain body fluids—blood, semen, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids, and breast milk—most commonly via unprotected sex or sharing needles.
- Symptoms: Early symptoms may resemble the flu or be absent; the only way to know if you have HIV is through testing.
- Cure: There is no cure, but antiretroviral therapy (ART) can control the virus, enabling people with HIV to live long, healthy lives and significantly reducing the risk of transmission to others.
- Prevention includes safe sex practices, not sharing needles, and using preventive medicines like PrEP and PEP.
