The US on Monday approved the first world injectable medication against HIV/AIDS. The only PrEp (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medication before that had been approved are the pills required to be taken everyday, that is, Descovy and Truvada. Adhearance to daily intake to some people can be very challenging.
“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,” Said Birnkrant . Pill PrEp reduce the risk of getting HIV/AIDS from sexual intercourse by up-to 99 percent, as indicated by CDC. “ It is much less effective when it is not taken as prescribed.”
The injectable dose, Apretude, is given one month first and then once every two months. It was approved for use in “at-risk” adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds. Recipients are required to test negative for HIV before starting the drug and before each injection “to reduce the risk of developing drug resistance,” US FDA said.
The injectable dosage was found in trials much effective than oral medication for preventing HIV infection from sex. In a trial involving 4,566 cisgender men and transgender women who had sex with men, those who had taken Apretude have 69 percent less risk of getting infected as compared to participants who took Truvada, the FDA said. Participants in a trial involving 3,224 cisgender women discovered those who had taken Apretude had 90 percent less risk of getting infected than those who took Truvada.
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