New HIV Prevention Drug Lenacapavir (LEN)

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.