From the CEO: A Prevention Revolution?
A groundbreaking study has shown that a new long-acting injectable drug is safe and 100% effective at preventing HIV acquisition among women. That’s right—one hundred percent. The study involved injections every six months of the Gilead antiretroviral lenacapavir among 2,000 women in South Africa and Uganda. Further studies are being conducted in the U.S. among cisgender women and people who inject drugs.
Used as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), lenacapavir could transform HIV prevention among women, potentially increasing much-needed uptake and offering a discreet alternative to taking a daily pill. As always, pricing and access will determine how much of a game-changer this could be. And though it may be premature to speculate, further study of the activity and potency of the drug may indicate that an annual injection—much like a flu shot—provides adequate protection against HIV.
As Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the new director of NIAID and a respected HIV prevention researcher, discusses in a wide-ranging interview (cover story, pages 16-19), the dapivirine vaginal ring—already approved for use in some African countries—has also proven to be a safe and effective prevention option for women. Dr. Marrazzo points to the tantalizing possibility down the road of a vaginal ring that could combine an antiretroviral and a contraceptive, preventing both HIV and pregnancy.
In this issue of Innovations, we are proud to salute some of the remarkable women in the vanguard of the HIV response who have helped elevate women to its center after years on the sidelines. In 2004, for example, amfAR held a World AIDS Day Symposium drawing attention to the issue and titled Women and HIV/AIDS: A World of Indifference. Finally, 20 years on, we’re developing tools that, if brought to scale, could truly revolutionize HIV prevention for women and potentially change the trajectory of the global epidemic.
With grateful thanks, as always, for your continued support.
Kevin Robert Frost
Chief Executive Officer
Click Here to read more from the July 2024 issue of amfAR INNOVATIONS.
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