Highly Effective HIV Drug to Be Offered at Low Cost to Poor Countries

Highly Effective HIV Drug to Be Offered at Low Cost to Poor Countries

A yearly two-shot treatment shown to be highly effective in preventing HIV infections is to be offered at low cost to people in 120 poor nations.

Experts have called the treatment the closest the world has ever come to developing a vaccine against HIV. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is an infection that destroys cells of a person’s immune system and makes it difficult for them to fight off diseases.

The HIV virus can progress to the related disease AIDS. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that AIDS is a term used to describe “the most advanced stages of HIV infection.”

American-based drugmaker Gilead is the developer of the medication, called lenacapavir. The drug is already sold under the name Sunlenca to treat HIV infections in the U.S., Canada, Europe and elsewhere. But Gilead plans to seek approval soon for the medication to be used to prevent HIV infection.

Studies have shown the twice-yearly injection was 100 percent effective in preventing HIV infections in a study of women. And another recent study found the drug worked nearly as well in men.

Winnie Byanyima is the executive director of UNAIDS. She told The Associated Press that the shots had worked so well, she sees them as an “unprecedented” treatment. Byanyima praised Gilead for developing the drug. But she noted that the world’s ability to stop HIV/AIDS also depends on its use in at-risk countries.

Gilead has said it plans to offer low-cost, generic versions of lenacapavir for sale in numerous poor countries with high HIV rates. These are mostly in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.

However, the company does not plan on launching the drug in most of Latin America. HIV infection rates are far lower in Latin America than Gilead’s targeted countries. But critics of the drug company’s deployment plans say HIV in these countries is increasing. So several groups have called on Gilead to reconsider its plans to include sales in Latin America.

In a recent report, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, noted the number of AIDS death last year — an estimated 630,000 — was the lowest since 2004, when AIDS deaths were at their highest. The organization suggested the decreasing numbers mean the world is now at “a historic crossroads,” with a chance to end the epidemic.

There are other methods to protect against HIV infection. These include condoms, daily pills and bi-monthly shots. But experts say the Gilead twice-yearly shots would be especially useful for underrepresented groups. These could include people fearful of seeking care, including gay men, sex workers and young women.

Byanyima told the AP, the treatment “would be a miracle for these groups because it means they just have to show up twice a year at a clinic and then they’re protected.”

A collection of 15 activist groups – in Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala and Colombia – recently wrote to Gilead to voice their concerns. They are asking for the generic version to be made available in Latin America. They say there is “alarming” inequity there in providing new HIV prevention tools with infection rates rising.

Countries including Norway, France, Spain and the U.S. have been paying more than $40,000 per year for Sunlenca. But experts have said it could be produced for as little as $40 a treatment once generic production expands.

In a statement, Gilead said it has “an ongoing commitment to help enable access to HIV prevention and treatment options where the need is the greatest.” Among the 120 countries approved for the generic version are 18 mostly African nations that make up about 70 percent of the world’s HIV cases.

The drugmaker said it is also working to establish “fast, efficient pathways to reach all people who need or want lenacapavir for HIV prevention.”

Dr. Chris Beyrer is the director of the Global Health Institute at Duke University in North Carolina. He said it will be greatly useful to have the Gilead shots available in the hardest-hit countries in Africa and Asia. But he added that rising HIV rates among groups including gay men and transgender populations represents “a public health emergency” in Latin America.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

immune system – n. the cells and tissues in the body that fight against infection

advanced – adj. having developed to a late stage

crossroads – n. a time when you have to make an important decision that will affect your future life

condom – n. a thin rubber covering worn by a man to stop a woman from becoming pregnant

gay – adj. being attracted to others of the same sex

miracle – n. something that is very surprising or difficult to believe

clinic – n. a place where people go to see doctors or receive medical treatment

inequity – n. the state of being unfair, or something that is unfair

access – n. the ability to get or use something

option – n. a choice among things

efficient – adj. working well and not wasting time or energy

transgender – adj. used to describe someone whose gender does not match the body they were born with