U.N. ​​Strikes Deal To Distribute HIV Prevention Shot In Low-Income Countries

Breaking Business U. N. ​​Strikes Deal To Distribute HIV Prevention Shot In Low-Income Countries Robert Hart Forbes Staff I cover breaking news.

New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Jul 28, 2022, 10:47am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has signed a deal to boost access to an groundbreaking HIV prevention drug, global health agency Unitaid announced on Thursday, a landmark deal that could save lives and help turn the tide of the AIDS pandemic. A generic form of injectable PrEP is being licensed to manufacturers in some countries.

Getty Images Key Facts Under the terms of the deal, ViiV Healthcare, an HIV-focused venture owned by drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Shionogi, will provide voluntary licensing of an HIV drug in poorer countries. MPP will be able to coordinate with qualified manufacturers to inexpensively produce generic versions of the drug in 90 countries where over 70% of new HIV infections occurred in 2020. The drug, long-acting (LA) cabotegravir, is an injectable form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that protects against HIV for two months after each injection, a mode of delivery that could overcome some of the obstacles preventing wider uptake of other forms of PrEP.

PrEP is a highly effective way of preventing HIV but until very recently has only been available as an oral pill, a form that has limited its effectiveness due to challenges with stigma and adherence. Unitaid spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said access to long-acting HIV prevention marks a “key advancement for HIV prevention” that could “significantly contribute to ending HIV transmission by 2030,” adding that the deal will “bring a much-needed” preventative to countries with high HIV transmission. Key Background When first developed, PrEP was hailed as a gamechanger for preventing infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

It took the form of a daily pill that dramatically cut the risk of getting HIV, up to 99%, according to the CDC. Less commonly, the drug is taken on-demand, based around higher risk activities like sex. Relatively few of the people at risk from HIV are making use of oral PrEP due to a variety of factors including cost, accessibility, slow rollouts and the strict adherence required for them to be effective not being suitable for some people.

Injectable, longer acting PrEP offers an attractive alternative that overcomes some of these obstacles and ViiV Healthcare’s shot was approved for use in the U. S. by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2021.

Big Number 1. 5 million. That’s how many people were newly infected with HIV globally in 2021, according to UNAIDS.

The majority of these occurred in resource-limited countries and women and adolescent girls are disproportionately impacted. Around 5,000 adolescent girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 years are being infected with HIV every week worldwide. Tangent An estimated 38.

4 million people globally were living with HIV in 2021 and there were around 650,000 AIDS-related deaths, according to UNAIDS. Since the HIV epidemic began, an estimated 40. 1 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses and 84.

2 people have become infected. The development of antiretroviral drugs now means many people living with HIV can live near-normal lifespans, will not develop AIDS-related illnesses and have an undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot pass HIV on during sex. These drugs are not always accessible and efforts are underway to boost availability, particularly in less affluent nations.

Crucial Quote Linda-Gail Bekker, Director of the Desmund Tutu HIV Centre at the University of Cape Town, said the deal is an “important step along the road” to ensuring the innovation of injectable PrEP is available to all who would benefit. “Primary prevention is key to controlling HIV globally but to get the most from innovation we need access and scale up,” Bekker added. Further Reading ‘Gamechanger’: HIV transmission dropped 90% for men taking PrEP, Australian study finds (Guardian) Stop squandering opportunities to end AIDS: be responsive to the needs of HIV prevention users (STAT News) Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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