AIDS remains one of the most significant public health problems in the world, with approximately 38 million HIV-infected individuals and 1.7 million new cases worldwide.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a method of preventing HIV infection. It involves regularly taking antiretroviral drugs by HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of infection in the future. This preventive measure is particularly suitable for high-risk populations, such as those who have sexual intercourse with HIV-positive partners, inject drug users, and male homosexuals.

At present, the most commonly used PrEP drug is Truvada, which contains two antiretroviral drugs: emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. These drugs prevent HIV infection by blocking the virus from replicating in the body.

The effectiveness of PrEP has been verified in multiple clinical trials, and if used properly, it can reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 90%. However, the effectiveness of PrEP is highly dependent on adherence to the medication. If the medication is not taken strictly according to instructions, the preventive effect will be greatly reduced. Additionally, people taking PrEP need to have HIV testing and other relevant health checks done every three months to ensure they are not infected with HIV and to monitor the impact of the medication on their bodies, which requires a certain amount of time and resources.

The good news is that in recent years, pre-exposure prophylaxis, long-acting HIV drugs, and new post-resistance treatments have gradually moved towards clinical trials, which are expected to break the patients' resistance dilemma.

Lenacapavir

Lenacapavir is an HIV capsid inhibitor developed by Gilead Sciences, an American biopharmaceutical company, which is administered every six months via subcutaneous injection.

On June 20th, local time, Gilead Sciences, an American biopharmaceutical company, announced on its official website that its developed "Lenacapavir" (Lanacapavir) has shown 100% effectiveness in preventing HIV.

Over 5,300 participants were randomly assigned in a 2:2:1 ratio to receive Lenacapavir, Descovy, and Truvada for HIV exposure prevention (PrEP). The test results showed that there were no HIV infection cases among the 2,134 female participants in the Lenacapavir group. The experimental results bring Gilead closer to introducing a new form of exposure prevention (PrEP) and expanding its HIV business.

What are the advantages over traditional PrEP?

• Multi-stage resistance: Lenacapavir is different from the current approved antiviral drug categories and is designed to work in multiple stages of the HIV-1 virus life cycle, providing a new treatment approach for developing long-term treatment regimens for HIV-1 infected individuals or high-risk populations. Traditional antiviral drugs usually only target a single stage of viral replication, while lenacapavir's development goal is to inhibit HIV-1 in multiple key life cycle stages.
• Convenience and cost savings: Lenacapavir, a subcutaneous inhibitor, has the advantage of requiring only one injection every six months, which reduces the time and cost of other resources, making it more convenient for people receiving PrEP treatment.
• Resistance to drug resistance: Traditional PrEP drugs such as Descovy and Truvada often face the problem of drug resistance. However, Lenacapavir has no overlapping resistance with the currently approved antiretroviral therapy (ART), and has strong antiviral activity. Lenacapavir is currently being developed for use in combination with other antiretroviral drugs for patients whose antiretroviral therapy has failed due to resistance, intolerance, or safety issues, including children and adults with MDR HIV-1 infection weighing over 35 kg.

On the secondary market, US stocks closed on Thursday, with Gilead Sciences (GILD) surging 8.46% to close at $68.49, with its market value surging by $6.65 billion (approximately RMB 48.3 billion) overnight, reaching $85.32 billion (approximately RMB 619.51 billion) in the latest figures. On Friday, US stocks closed, with Gilead Sciences (GILD) continuing to surge by 3.18%, closing at $70.6.