Once-yearly jab for HIV protection passes first trial hurdle

An annual injection designed for guards against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has completed an important initial safety test, researchers reported in the report Lancet medical Journal.

The Lenkapavir prevents the virus from copying inside the cells.

If future tests run well – now this first phase I, phase I, have tested the test barrier – it can become the longest acting form of available HIV prevention.

currently, People can take daily pills or sometimes injected every eight weeksTo reduce their risk, for pre-exposure Profilaxis (Prep).

Prep tablets are highly effective but it can be difficult to take them every day.

According to the most recent data for 2023, around 39.9 million people in the World Health Organization African region are living with HIV, 65%of them, for 2023, according to recent data.

And the United Nations programs on WHO, Global Fund and HIV and AIDS (UNADS) are all working on strategies to eliminate HIV epidemic by 2030, including improving access to drugs such as prep.

For testing, 40 people without HIV were injected into the muscles with Lakpavir, which had no major side effects or safety concerns.

And after 56 weeks, the drug was still detectable in their body.

Future tests should include more diverse participants, the researchers told 2025 Conference on retrovius and opportunistic infections,

But he said: “The annual dose of the Lenakpavir has the ability to further reduce the current obstacles, which grows rapidly, and, therefore, is ready to prepare the scalability of the prep.”

Richard Angel from Terence Higgins Trust HIV Charity said: “Prep as a daily pill has been a game-changer in our HIV response.

The possibility of ” safe ‘annual injection is as exciting as it is transformative.

“It is very good to see these initial results that suggest suggested prep suggests that it can be effective by 12 months.

“We now need to get ready for its rollout and to do so to fund sexual health clinics.”

Access to prep was variable, Mr. Angel said, create inequalities.

“Oral pill is still not available in jails, online or in community pharmacy,” he said.

“The Scottish Medicine Consortium has finally approved two – Massic Prep injection for use in Scotland – but we are waiting for NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) approval for use in England.”