Lenacapavir: could new HIV drug help end the pandemic?
In recent trials in South Africa and Uganda, the drug was found to protect young women from contracting HIV. But as yet, no one knows what the drug will cost for poorer countries.
βThat will be a miracle on its own because when I started taking ARVs I began with 20 tablets.β
In June, the US drug company Gilead announced that a trial of its HIV drug Lenacapavir had got a 100% success rate.
The drug - a twice-yearly injection β can be used to protect people from catching the virus, but also to treat those who have it.
But the question of pricing remains β with people in poor countries unable to afford the current price tag of $40,000 per person per year. One analysis has suggested it could be mass produced as a generic drug for about $40 per person per year.
In this episode of Africa Daily podcast Peter Musembi speaks to Dr Moupali Das who oversees the development of HIV prevention drugs at Gilead β and also gets reaction with two people living with HIV.
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