On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever long-acting injectable medication for use as pre-exposure prevention against HIV.
The new drug, Apretude, is injectable and given every two months. It serves as an alternative to HIV prevention pills, like Truvada and Descovy that are shown to reduce the risk of HIV by 99% when taken daily.
The trial done by the FDA showed that the drug did a better job of protecting against HIV infection than daily oral medications. It was 69% better for men and 90% better for women.
Part of Apretude’s superior efficacy was due to the participants adhering to the every-other-month regimen, compared with taking a pill every day.
Dr. Debra Birnkrant, the director of the antivirals division at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, talked about the benefit of the new drug and what it means for HIV.
“Today’s approval adds an important tool in the effort to end the HIV epidemic by providing the first option to prevent HIV that does not involve taking a daily pill,” Birnkrant said in a statement.
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Birnkrant added that the new method for delivering the medication is crucial in helping fight the epidemic.
“This injection, given every two months, will be critical to addressing the HIV epidemic in the U.S., including helping high-risk individuals and certain groups where adherence to daily medication has been a major challenge or not a realistic option,” Birnkrant said.
According to the CDC, only 25% of the 1.2 million people who pre-exposure prevention medication is recommended for were prescribed it.
The hope is that the newly approved drug will make adherence to the medication easier, increase usage, and drive down the national HIV rate.
