The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a potential breakthrough medication to prevent HIV. With FDA approval, the PrEP medication lenacapavir can now be given is a twice-yearly injection rather than a daily pill. For many people, only having to take the medication twice a year makes all the difference. Lack of transportation, limited access to doctors, regular blood tests, and stigma related to HIV-prevention meds, and cost are just some of the challenges people have with the daily pill.
The price tag remains very high, however, which could put it out of reach for many Americans. The drug’s producer, Gilead, lists the price as $28,000. While this isn’t the price patients will pay, the final cost would remain too high for some patients.Still, if Gilead and insurers set affordable costs to patients, this new treatment could truly be a game changer in the fight against HIV.
Full Story: The Associated Press, PBS
