US approves promising HIV preventative treatment, hailing 'historic day' in fight against AIDS

This treatment could revolutionize the fight against HIV and AIDS. The United States has approved a highly anticipated new treatment for HIV prevention, the pharmaceutical company Gilead, which is developing it, announced on Wednesday, June 18. Called Yeztugo, this treatment, which consists of two annual injections, would significantly facilitate preventive care.

Medications to prevent HIV transmission, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, have been around for over a decade. Taken by people who are not infected but considered at risk, these treatments typically require a daily pill. In 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first injectable drug for this purpose, Apretude from ViiV Healthcare.

According to Gilead, the new treatment will now be available to "adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg" and "who need or want PrEP." "This is a historic day in the fight against HIV," said Daniel O'Day, CEO of the American biotech company, in a press release announcing the approval.

Gilead has been offering an antiretroviral treatment, Sunlenca, developed from the same molecule, lenacapavir, since 2022. This treatment is offered to people already infected and helps prevent the virus from multiplying in the body.

The company's two clinical trials for the preventive treatment showed a reduction in the risk of HIV transmission of more than 99.9% in adults and adolescents, making it the closest option to a vaccine.

But the hopes raised by these excellent results could be dashed by the astronomical costs of the treatments. Interviewed by Agence France-Presse, the company acknowledged that the price of Yeztugo in the United States will be $28,218 (approximately €24,500) per year, "in line with existing PrEP options." Nevertheless, "we are working to make Yeztugo accessible to all those who need or want it, and we expect significant insurance coverage," said a Gilead spokeswoman.

Sunlenca costs more than $39,000 (around €34,000) per year. And Apretude, the first injectable PrEP treatment developed by ViiV Healthcare and approved in the United States in 2021, costs tens of thousands of dollars per year for bimonthly injections.

According to a recent estimate by several researchers and published in the journal Lancet , lenacapavir could be produced for costs ranging from only $25 to $46.