FDA Approves First Injection Regimen for HIV Prevention

TUESDAY, Dec. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The archetypal injection cause to forestall HIV corruption was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration connected Monday.

“Today’s support adds an important instrumentality successful the effort to extremity the HIV epidemic by providing the archetypal enactment to forestall HIV that does not impact taking a regular pill,” Dr. Debra Birnkrant, manager of the Division of Antivirals successful the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said successful an agency quality release.

Apretude (cabotegravir), made by ViiV Healthcare, was approved for usage successful at-risk adults and adolescents weighing astatine slightest 77 pounds, to trim their hazard of HIV. It's archetypal fixed arsenic 2 injections 1 period apart, and past 1 changeable is fixed each 2 months aft that.

Experts welcomed the news.

"This is groundbreaking. This is game-changing. This is revolutionary," said Dr. David Rosenthal, aesculapian manager of the Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV astatine Northwell Health, successful Great Neck, N.Y. "Being capable to supply patients with HIV prevention done 2 injections each 2 months opens up a full realm of possibilities."

In a institution quality release announcing the approval, Viiv CEO said Deborah Waterhouse said, “People who are susceptible to acquiring HIV, particularly those successful Black and Latinx communities who are disproportionately impacted successful the U.S., whitethorn privation options beyond regular oral pills.With Apretude, radical tin trim the hazard of acquiring HIV with arsenic fewer arsenic six injections a year.”

Until now, 2 types of regular pills (Truvada and Descovy) were the lone options for what's called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but adhering to these regular medications to forestall HIV tin beryllium difficult, the FDA noted.

Rosenthal agreed. "We cognize that lone 25% of those who would payment from HIV prevention with Pre-exposure prophalaxis [PrEP] are presently taking it," helium noted. "Often this is due to the fact that patients don’t privation to instrumentality medications daily. We’re inactive seeing cases of HIV successful the 25-39 twelvemonth agone radical increase, and PrEP is 1 of the singular tools we person to assistance support radical harmless and to fto them instrumentality power of their intersexual lives."

The FDA's support of Apretude is based connected 2 clinical trials comparing the injection cause to Truvada. The archetypal proceedings included HIV-free men and transgender women who person enactment with men and person high-risk behaviour for HIV infection, portion the 2nd proceedings progressive HIV-free women astatine hazard of HIV infection.

In the archetypal trial, those who took Apretude had a 69% little hazard of HIV corruption than those who took Truvada. In the 2nd trial, those who took Apretude had a 90% little hazard of HIV corruption than those who took Truvada, according to the FDA.

Participants who took Apretude were much apt than those who took Truvada to person broadside effects specified arsenic injection tract reactions, headache, fever, fatigue, backmost pain, musculus symptom and rash.

Patients who privation to instrumentality Apretude tin archetypal instrumentality cabotegravir arsenic a pill for 4 weeks to measure however good they tolerate the drug, the FDA said.

Apretude carries a boxed informing to not usage the cause unless a antagonistic HIV trial is confirmed.

“This injection, fixed each 2 months, volition beryllium captious to addressing the HIV epidemic successful the U.S., including helping high-risk individuals and definite groups wherever adherence to regular medicine has been a large situation oregon not a realistic option,” Birnkrant said.

Price could beryllium an contented for uptake of Apretude, however.

In July, the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that astir each insurers indispensable screen the 2 approved forms of PrEP pills, Truvada and Descovy, arsenic good arsenic the laboratory tests and session visits required to support specified prescriptions. As it stands, insurers volition not beryllium required to screen each costs for Apretude, which has a database terms of $3,700 per dose, NBC News reported.

More information

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for much connected HIV/AIDS.

SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, quality release, Dec. 21, 2021; ViiV Healthcare, quality release, Dec. 20, 2021; NBC News