Every two months
The effectiveness of a drug that protects against HIV for two months has been proven
Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+
One injection of the experimental drug cabotegravir is enough, as tests on 4.5 thousand volunteers have shown, to protect the body from HIV infection for two months. According to scientists, this approach is no less effective than taking a daily combination of antiretroviral drugs approved by the FDA.
In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the drug truvada, intended for HIV prevention. Truvada is available in tablet form and is a combination of two antiviral compounds. To get protection from HIV, the drug must be taken daily. Unfortunately, for many people, this is impossible for one reason or another.
A more practical alternative for them may be a compound called cabotegravir, which blocks the work of the viral integrase enzyme. Studies launched at the end of 2016 and covering more than 4,500 people worldwide have demonstrated that one intramuscular injection of cabotegravir is enough to protect a person from HIV infection for as long as two months, reports Science Magazine.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the interruption of clinical trials of a promising drug. Nevertheless, the collected data is sufficient to speak about its effectiveness and low risk of side infections.
In the group of volunteers who received cabotegravir, only 12 people became infected with HIV. For comparison, there were 38 of them among those who received truvada. This difference was not statistically significant, so the authors of the study consider both prevention options to be equivalent. They recommended that all study participants, including those who received a placebo, get cabotegravir injections.
According to the researchers, the most important task today is to understand why 12 participants who took cabotegravir still contracted HIV. The explanation may be their low weight or the fact that they received the virus before the experiment began.
The test participants were homosexual and bisexual men, as well as transgender women. It is not yet clear whether cabotegravir will be equally effective among other population groups. The results of a parallel study in which heterosexual women received the drug should be made public at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, researchers continue to work on creating a full-fledged HIV vaccine. For example, experts from Stanford have successfully tested an experimental drug on monkeys that activates not only antibodies, but also lymphocytes. The authors of the development believe that a similar principle can be used in the development of vaccines against other diseases, including influenza, hepatitis, malaria and even the new coronavirus.
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