**”Antiretroviral Drug Prevents HIV Infection for Six Months with a Single Injection”**
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Ju-young = The scientific journal Science announced on the 13th that it has selected research related to the injectable lenacapavir, which prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection for six months with a single dose, as the ‘Innovation of the Year 2024’.
H. Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of Science, stated in an editorial, “Despite decades of progress, HIV infects over a million people each year, and a vaccine remains elusive. The new injectable lenacapavir provides hope as a drug that offers preventative effects for six months with one injection.”
Lenacapavir (brand name Sunlenca), an antiretroviral drug administered orally or via subcutaneous injection, is a prescription medication used for the treatment of HIV infection.
Science explained that in clinical trials, the drug showed a 100% prevention effect in African adolescent girls and women and a 99.9% prevention effect across various genders on multiple continents. The secret to these effects stems from groundbreaking research on the HIV capsid protein that protects the virus’s genetic material.
Lenacapavir works by solidifying the capsid protein, thereby blocking key steps in the virus replication process.
Science speculated that while targeting the capsid protein was once deemed impractical, the success of lenacapavir could inspire treatments for other viral diseases.
Initially developed as a rescue therapy for patients resistant to other drugs, lenacapavir in its long-acting injectable form is now positioned as a potential game-changing drug for HIV prevention.
Lenacapavir is expected to receive approval from regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by next year, and its global release will depend on factors like cost-effectiveness, manufacturing agreements, and health infrastructure conditions.
Science noted, “The potential of lenacapavir to dramatically reduce infections in high-risk groups is very important,” adding that “lenacapavir will play a crucial role in reducing the global health crisis of HIV/AIDS, alongside previous biomedical advancements.”
Source: Science, H. Holden Thorp, ‘The great work continues’, http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adv1489