The publication Science has named lenacapavir its 2024 Breakthrough of the Year, celebrating its transformative potential in HIV prevention. 

Lenacapavir, an injectable drug, is administered every six months, and has demonstrated unprecedented efficacy in clinical trials, offering new hope in the fight against HIV, which continues to infect over 1 million people annually despite decades of progress and the ongoing absence of a vaccine.

In a study involving adolescent girls and women in South Africa and Uganda, lenacapavir achieved 100% efficacy, preventing all infections. A second global trial reported 99.9% efficacy among diverse populations, including transgender individuals and cisgender men who have sex with men. These results, described as “off-the-charts,” underscore lenacapavir’s groundbreaking potential.

Lenacapavir works by targeting HIV’s capsid protein, a previously underexplored vulnerability. The drug disrupts the virus’s ability to infect cells and form new particles, offering long-lasting protection. Initially hindered by solubility challenges, researchers at pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, the originator of the drug, developed an injectable formulation that retains it’s potency for six months, making lenacapavir a game-changer in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

While already approved as a salvage treatment for drug-resistant HIV, lenacapavir now stands poised to reshape prevention efforts. Experts believe it could dramatically reduce global infection rates if widely deployed.

However, significant hurdles remain. Regulatory approval is expected in 2025, and access will depend on pricing, infrastructure, and demand. Gilead has partnered with generic manufacturers to ensure affordability in 120 developing countries including South Africa, but middle-income nations still face cost barriers. Resource-limited health systems and logistical challenges could further complicate distribution.

Despite these obstacles, lenacapavir represents a pivotal advance in HIV prevention. While not a substitute for a vaccine—which would be cheaper, longer-lasting, and universally applicable—lenacapavir offers a powerful tool to protect high-risk populations. 

It joins a series of groundbreaking biomedical interventions steadily transforming HIV/AIDS from a devastating epidemic into a manageable condition.

As Science notes, lenacapavir’s breakthrough springs from cutting-edge research into HIV’s capsid protein, offering hope that similar capsid inhibitors could one-day combat other viral diseases.

This innovative therapy holds the promise of safeguarding millions and advancing the global effort to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Access the study

Bekker, L. G., Das, M., Abdool Karim, Q., Ahmed, et al., … PURPOSE 1 Study Team (2024). Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir or Daily F/TAF for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women. The New England journal of medicine, 391(13), 1179–1192. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2407001

Similar Stories like this on MedED

27 October 2024 | Gilead launches groundbreaking programme as talks begin for twice-yearly anti-HIV jab registration in South Africa

This story was compiled from various resources, including:

12 December 2024 | Science | 2024 Breakthrough of the Year

 


Back to top