The United States approved a new preventive treatment against HIV, announced the Gilead pharmaceutical laboratory that develops it, a green light that could revolutionize the fight against this epidemic, even if the question of its accessibility remains complete.
Called Yezugo, this treatment whose operation is sometimes shortened with the “vaccine” due to its duration of the action consists of two annual injections. It constitutes a small revolution in the field of drugs that avoids the transmission of HIV, known as “prophylaxis prior to the exhibition”, or “preparation”.
Captured by people who are not infected but considered at risk, these treatments generally require the daily intake of a tablet.
Yezuge offers more effective and less invasive prevention, with only two injections per year and, therefore, it could make possible considerably facilitate the management of people at risk, especially in developing countries. And even to end the AIDS epidemic, according to experts.
“It is a historic day in the fight against HIV,” he praised Daniel O’Day, head of American biotechnology in a statement announcing this authorization.
According to the laboratory, the new treatment will now be available in the United States for “adults and adolescents that weigh at least 35 kg” and “need preparation or wishing to benefit.”
An exorbitant price
The Gilead laboratory has already been offering antiretroviral treatment since 2022, Sunlenca, developed from the same molecule, Lenacapavir. The latter is offered to people already infected and avoids the multiplication of virus in the body.
These treatments offer unprecedented efficiency and could change the situation against AIDS, according to experts. The two clinical trials carried out by the company for preventive treatment have demonstrated a reduction in the risk of HIV transmission in more than 99.9 % in adults and adolescents, which is closer to the vaccine.
However, hopes awakened by these excellent results could be damaged by the astronomical costs of treatments.
Questioned by AFP, the company has recognized that the price of Yezugo in the United States will amount to $ 28,218 per year, “in line with existing preparation options.” However: “We are working to make Yezugo accessible to all those who need it or want it, and we expect significant care for insurance,” Gilead spokesman said Wednesday.
Sunlenca, another treatment available in the market, costs more than $ 39,000 per year. And the approval, the first injectable preparation treatment that was developed by the VIIV Health Laboratory and approved in 2021 in the United States, costs tens of thousands of dollars per year for injections every two months.
“Lower the price!”
However, according to a recent estimate conducted by several researchers and published in Lancet magazine, Lenacapavir could occur for costs that vary only from 25 to 46 dollars.
“If this drug that changes the situation is still unaffordable, nothing will change,” the Uusida chief of the Uusida, Winnie Byanyima insisted on a statement on Wednesday, asking Gilead to make the right decision. “
“The price goes down, increase production and make the world have the opportunity to end AIDS,” he urged.
The Gilead laboratory announced agreements last year with manufacturers to produce and sell low -cost generic in more than 100 developing countries and provide other doses.
But these initiatives could be undermined by the actions of the Donald Trump government, which saved the international funds that had to support them.
Source: BFM TV
