Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Af new HIV prevention drug will be made available at a lower cost in over 100 lowincome countries within two years — a move expected to give millions access to the breakthrough treatment and potentially bring the world closer to ending the HIV/Aids epidemic.
The drug, called Lenacapavir and administered by injection, is due to be rolled out as early as the end of this year, at a cost of $28,000 (£20,000) per person annually.
The latest announcement promises to slash that price to just $40 — around 0.1% of the original cost. The lower-cost version will be rolled out in 2027 across 120 low- and middleincome countries.
Scientists say the drug stops the virus from replicating inside cells. The landmark deal to provide cheaper antiretroviral drugs for people with HIV in developing countries was brokered by former US President Bill Clinton after negotiations with pharmaceutical companies.
The agreement announced on September 24 was reached between the Clinton Health Access Initiative in partnership with the Gates Foundation and other groups, including South African research institute, Wits RHI. Lenacapavir has delivered impressive trial results and, in July, it received official backing from the World Health Organization for HIV prevention.
The injection is taken twice a year and provides six months of protection against HIV infection at a time. The new, generic version is still pending regulatory approval but it is hoped it will be available within 18 months.
According to UNAIDS, more than 40 million people are currently living with HIV.
About 1.3 million people still contracted HIV last year, and more than 600,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, says BBC. South Africa remains the country with the highest number of HIV cases, with almost eight million people living with the virus. It will be one of the countries to access the new, cheaper drug.
