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Long-Acting Injectable Drug Prevents HIV Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women

Posted on May 18, 2020

Source: NIH

Long-Acting Injectable Drug Prevents HIV Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women

"NIH Study is First Large Trial to Find Long-Acting HIV Prevention Highly Effective--Companion Study in Women Is Ongoing"

"An investigational long-acting form of the HIV drug cabotegravir injected once every 8 weeks safely and effectively prevents HIV acquisition in men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men. This finding, from a planned interim analysis of study data, marks the first time a large-scale clinical trial has shown a systemic, long-acting form of HIV prevention to be highly effective. The trial and an ongoing companion study evaluating long-acting injectable cabotegravir for HIV prevention in women are sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health."

"Daily oral pills containing the drugs tenofovir and emtricitabine, such as Truvada or Descovy, are the only currently FDA-approved form of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Taking a daily pill while feeling healthy can be challenging for some people, so investigators have been working to develop a long-acting alternative to oral PrEP that would be at least equally effective at preventing HIV. Such a long-acting prevention method may offer an easier, discreet option that may be more desirable for some people."       

"NIAID collaborated on the Phase 2b/3 clinical trial in men who have sex with men and transgender women with ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences, Inc., and the NIH-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN). NIAID and ViiV Healthcare co-funded the trial, called HPTN 083, and ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences, Inc., provided the study medications."

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