Why A Single Drug Could Change Everything For HIV And AIDS
CHENGDU, CHINA - DECEMBER 1: (CHINA OUT) A migrant worker wears a red ribbon during an event ... More organized by the local government to promote HIV/AIDS knowledge among migrant workers . (Photo by)
A twice-yearly injection of a drug known as Sunlenca offered 100% protection against HIV among young women and girls in South Africa and Uganda, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Over 5,000 girls participated in the study, with participants receiving either the twice-yearly shot or an oral pill for HIV prevention. Of those receiving the oral pill, 2% eventually acquired HIV from infected sex partners. The study did not examine what the effect of Sunlenca would be on men.
The twice-yearly shot is manufactured by U.S. drug maker Gilead and is sold as Sunlenca (Lenacapavir), but only to treat HIV, not prevent it. If found to prevent HIV infection with 100% efficacy in men too, the drug could be a huge game-changer for HIV and AIDS. Here is why.
The drug operates differently from most HIV medications that usually target enzymes. Sunlenca, on the other hand, targets the HIV capsid which is a protein shell that encases the virus's genetic material. This allows the drug to interfere with multiple stages of the HIV life cycle, including but not limited to the virus's ability to assemble new viral particles, replicate and enter cells. This unique mechanism of action plays a huge role in its success to prevent the HIV virus from proliferating in a person's body.
The drug is also long-acting and is injected as opposed to taken orally. This has many advantages, since taking daily oral pills can be difficult for most patients. In one study, the median rate of compliance in taking an oral pill for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among men was just about 64%, highlighting a major barrier in HIV prevention. Many patients on drugs for any reason struggle with the burden of taking daily pills, leading to missed doses and suboptimal treatment for their specific disease. Sunlenca's twice-yearly dose regimen eases compliance to treatment and could potentially lead to very low if not zero rates of HIV infection in the future if it were ever recommended for prevention.
Sunlenca also has the potential to mitigate the stigma and psychological toll of patients that have or may be at high risk of getting HIV. Taking daily oral pills to treat or prevent HIV can act as a constant reminder of HIV for an individual, a viral infection acquired primarily through sexual contact or sharing of needles. HIV stigma refers to the negative beliefs and attitudes regarding people with HIV, which include but are not limited to judging people who are taking steps to prevent HIV or treating them differently. A twice-yearly injection can reduce this stigma, allowing people to live more normal lives without the constant reminder of their HIV status.
Finally, Sunlenca can have broader implications for public health. Globally, there are approximately 40 million people living with HIV, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Imagine a world where people can take an injection once every six months, and not worry about ever contracting the virus. This could be a reality if Sunlenca is shown to prevent HIV in a broader population, as it already has shown to be 100% effective among young girls in South Africa and Uganda.
Although more thorough research and testing will be needed, Sunlenca could be a game-changer for HIV prevention. It offers a much needed hope for the millions around the world who could potentially prevent getting HIV altogether.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
27 minutes ago
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Although diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is characterized by aggressive clinical behavior, standard treatment can provide good long-term survival outcomes. However, management can be complex, with certain comorbidities exacerbating disease severity and complications such as extranodal involvement significantly affecting prognosis. Understanding the nuances of DLCBL presentation, diagnosis, and management is key to delivering the best outcomes to patients affected by this rapidly progressive disease. What do you know about DLBCL? Check your knowledge with this quick quiz. Both primary and secondary Sjögren syndrome are strongly associated DLBCL. Other autoimmune disorders that have been associated with DLBCL include hemolytic anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Crohn's disease. In addition to autoimmune disorders, viral infections have also been linked to DLBCL; these include HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and Epstein-Barr. Further, data have shown that patients with rheumatic diseases have a heightened risk of DLBCL development. Though fugal or bacterial pneumonia, humoral deficiency, and bone infections (such as osteomyelitis) can occur in patients with DLBCL, data have indicated that survivors of DLBCL were more likely to experience these conditions, rather than being strongly linked to DLBCL itself. Learn more about DLBCL staging. In the NCCN's guidelines, PET/CT is the preferred modality for imaging in DLBCL workup. C/A/P CT with contrast can also be used in a complementary setting to help stage the disease and identify other factors such as extranodal disease or visceral involvement, but it is not preferred. Although not essential, head CT/MRI or neck CT/MRI with contrast (as well as bone marrow biopsy) can be useful for workup in selected cases. Specifically, bone marrow biopsy can be helpful in identifying indolent or low-volume disease. However, the NCCN notes that bone marrow biopsy is not needed if PET/CT shows bone disease. Learn more about DLBCL workup. Data indicate that extranodal involvement occurs in approximately 30%– 50% of patients with DLBCL; further, it is reported that gastrointestinal involvement is the most common extranodal site. Other affected sites include the skin, bones, spleen, and central nervous system; kidneys, testicles, and the liver can also be impacted, but they are not regarded as the most common. Learn more about DLCBL and extranodal involvement. A population-based study involving over 30,000 patients with extranodal DLBCL found that the best outcomes are associated with heart and mediastinal sites, with a 42% reduction in mortality risk compared with involvement of the intestinal tract. Involvement of the pancreas and hepatobiliary system, respiratory system, or nervous system are associated with significantly greater risks of mortality compared with the intestinal tract. Other factors associated with greater mortality risk include late age at onset, history of other malignancy, late age at presentation, and Black, non-Hispanic ethnicity. Learn more about DLBCL prognosis. CAR T therapy is typically utilized as a second-line treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL. CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy is considered ' the standard of care' for relapsed/refractory DLBCL, with three treatments approved for this population. Although a number of factors can lead to CAR T cell therapy resistance, the key mechanism is typically down regulation or loss of CD19 expression. Abnormal differentiation and dysfunction of T cells can also cause poor response to CAR T therapy, and being unable to collect enough T cells can also negatively affect the impact of CAR T products; however, these factors are not considered key mechanisms for resistance to CAR T-cell therapy. As such, early collection of T-cells in high-risk patients with DLBCL is one strategy to ensure enough T cells are available when needed. Partial response or relapse after CAR T therapy should prompt third-line therapy, such as alternative systemic therapy not previously given, clinical trial, palliative involved-site radiation therapy, or best supportive care. Learn more about relapsed or refractory DLBCL.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
HHS reinstates more than 450 CDC employees fired in April reorganization, including childhood lead poisoning team
The US Department of Health and Human Services is reinstating more than 450 employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who were fired as part of a massive reorganization in April, including workers focused on HIV and childhood lead exposure. More than 200 employees had their firings rescinded at the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention, along with 158 at the National Center for Environmental Health, an HHS spokesperson confirmed. Another 71 were brought back in the Office of the Director and two dozen more at the Global Health Center. The reinstatements represent almost 20% of the 2,400 CDC employees who HHS said it was dismissing in a mass Reduction in Force, or RIF, in April. The cuts also affected employees across the US Food and Drug Administration, the US National Institutes of Health and the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but an HHS spokesperson said Wednesday's reinstatements applied only to employees at the CDC. 'Under Secretary Kennedy's leadership, the nation's critical public health functions remain intact and effective,' HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon said in a statement. 'The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services – whether it's supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases. 'HHS is streamlining operations without compromising mission-critical work,' he continued. 'Enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans remains our top priority.' Fox News earlier reported the reinstatements. The cuts had wiped out the CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch as it was in the midst of helping the city of Milwaukee address a lead exposure crisis in its public schools. The firings meant the CDC had to deny a request from the city for specialists to help. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was repeatedly pressed by reporters and lawmakers over the situation, and he said he didn't intend to eliminate the branch. On Wednesday, the entire lead team was rehired, along with its parent group, the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, according to its newly reinstated director, Dr. Erik Svendsen. 'You previously received a notice regarding the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) upcoming reduction in force (RIF),' read an email to reinstated employees, obtained by CNN, who had been put on administrative leave since the notice of their dismissal. 'That notice is hereby revoked. You will not be affected by the upcoming RIF.'
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kennedy names 8 vaccine committee replacements, including COVID shot critic
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight new vaccine policy advisers to replace the panel that he abruptly dismissed earlier this week. They include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and became a conservative darling for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, a leading critic of pandemic-era lockdowns, and a professor of operations management. Kennedy's decision to 'retire' the previous 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was widely decried by doctors' groups and public health organizations, who feared the advisers would be replaced by a group aligned with Kennedy's desire to reassess — and possibly end — longstanding vaccination recommendations. On Tuesday, before he announced his picks, Kennedy said: 'We're going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel – not anti-vaxxers – bringing people on who are credentialed scientists.' The new appointees include Vicky Pebsworth, a regional director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses, who has been listed as a board member and volunteer director for the National Vaccine Information Center, a group that is widely considered to be a leading source of vaccine misinformation. Another is Dr. Robert Malone, the former mRNA researcher who emerged as a close adviser to Kennedy during the measles outbreak. Malone, who runs a wellness institute and a popular blog, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as he relayed conspiracy theories around the outbreak and the vaccines that followed. He has appeared on podcasts and other conservative news outlets where he's promoted unproven and alternative treatments for measles and COVID-19. He has claimed that millions of Americans were hypnotized into taking the COVID-19 shots and has suggested that those vaccines cause a form of AIDS. He's downplayed deaths related to one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in years. Other appointees include Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 letter maintaining that pandemic shutdowns were causing irreparable harm. Dr. Cody Meissner, a former ACIP member, also was named. Kennedy made the announcement in a social media post on Wednesday. The committee, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC directors almost always approve those recommendations on how vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration should be used. The CDC's final recommendations are widely heeded by doctors and guide vaccination programs. The other appointees are: —Dr. James Hibbeln, who formerly headed a National Institutes of Health group focused on nutritional neurosciences and who studies how nutrition affects the brain, including the potential benefits of seafood consumption during pregnancy. —Retsef Levi, a professor of operations management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. —Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician from Los Angeles. —Dr. Michael Ross, a Virginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist. Of the eight named by Kennedy, perhaps the most experienced in vaccine policy is Meissner, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, who has previously served as a member of both ACIP and the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory panel. During his five-year term as an FDA adviser, the committee was repeatedly asked to review and vote on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines that were rapidly developed to fight the pandemic. In September 2021, he joined the majority of panelists who voted against a plan from the Biden administration to offer an extra vaccine dose to all American adults. The panel instead recommended that the extra shot should be limited to seniors and those at higher risk of the disease. Ultimately, the FDA disregarded the panel's recommendation and OK'd an extra vaccine dose for all adults. In addition to serving on government panels, Meissner has helped author policy statements and vaccinations schedules for the American Academy of Pediatrics. ACIP members typically serve in staggered four-year terms, although several appointments were delayed during the Biden administration before positions were filled last year. The voting members all have scientific or clinical expertise in immunization, except for one 'consumer representative' who can bring perspective on community and social facets of vaccine programs. Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before becoming the U.S. government's top health official, has accused the committee of being too closely aligned with vaccine manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines. ACIP policies require members to state past collaborations with vaccine companies and to recuse themselves from votes in which they had a conflict of interest, but Kennedy has dismissed those safeguards as weak. Most of the people who best understand vaccines are those who have researched them, which usually requires some degree of collaboration with the companies that develop and sell them, said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University health policy researcher. 'If you are to exclude any reputable, respected vaccine expert who has ever engaged even in a limited way with the vaccine industry, you're likely to have a very small pool of folks to draw from,' Schwartz said. The U.S. Senate confirmed Kennedy in February after he promised he would not change the vaccination schedule. But less than a week later, he vowed to investigate childhood vaccines that prevent measles, polio and other dangerous diseases. Kennedy has ignored some of the recommendations ACIP voted for in April, including the endorsement of a new combination shot that protects against five strains of meningococcal bacteria and the expansion of vaccinations against RSV. In late May, Kennedy disregarded the committee and announced the government would change the recommendation for children and pregnant women to get COVID-19 shots. On Monday, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the ACIP, saying he would appoint a new group before the next scheduled meeting in late June. The agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted, but a recent federal notice said votes are expected on vaccinations against flu, COVID-19, HPV, RSV and meningococcal bacteria. A HHS spokesman did not respond to a question about whether there would be only eight ACIP members, or whether more will be named later. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
