Apretudе

2021: Release of the drug

In mid-December 2021, the pharmaceutical company ViiV Healthcare introduced the first injection drug Apretude for the prevention of HIV infection. The drug Apretude is intended for use six times a year, unlike the current mode of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP), which requires adherence to daily pills.

We need new solutions in our toolkit, and I think this is undoubtedly the most powerful tool, "said Kim Smith, head of research and development at ViiV Healthcare, whose controlling stake is owned by GlaxoSmithKline, in a conversation with the Financial Times. - A significant number of people start oral pre-exposure prophylaxis and stop it because they either forget or do not want to take pills, for example, because of the stigma associated with HIV drugs.

First injectable drug for HIV prevention released - Apretude

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, about a quarter of the 1.2 million people who are recommended for pre-exposure prevention in the United States began taking drugs.

FDA Debra Birncrant, head of antiviral drugs at the Center for Drug Assessment and Research, noted that the drug Apretude will be "critical to fighting the HIV epidemic in the U.S., including helping high-risk people and certain groups where adherence to daily medication is a problem or unrealistic option."

According to GlaxoSmithKline, the drug will be sold at retail at a price of $3,700 per dose in the United States. Kim Smith noted that the company has programs for people who cannot get the drug, including those who do not have insurance.

According to a 2020 study, Apretude is better at preventing infection than a daily dose of Truvada, an oral drug produced by Gilead Sciences.^[1]

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