Tygedeo News

Researchers and human rights activists are calling on Gilead to significantly reduce the price to overcome the HIV epidemic.

Gilead’s drug Yeztugo has become a breakthrough in the fight against the virus, but its high price is a cause for concern.
The US Food and Drug Administration has officially approved the Yeztugo injection for HIV prevention, reports ScienceAlert. The drug, developed by Gilead Sciences, is administered twice a year and, given its effectiveness, is a real breakthrough in the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus.

The real name of the drug is lenacapavir, but it will be sold under the trade name Yeztugo. During clinical trials among adults and adolescents, it demonstrated an effectiveness of over 99.9%.

Despite its effectiveness, experts’ optimism is overshadowed by the likely high cost. A similar drug, cabotegravir, which is given every two months, costs tens of thousands of dollars a year and is still not widely available. Yeztugo is expected to start at $25,000 a year in the United States, although it should be less than the current $39,000 cost of a course of lenacapavir for preventive use.

Researchers and human rights activists are calling on Gilead to significantly lower the price to help tackle the HIV epidemic.

Gilead itself signed deals with six pharmaceutical companies in October to manufacture and distribute the drug in 120 low- and middle-income countries. It also has agreements with the Global Fund and PEPFAR to provide doses for two million people. However, cuts to PEPFAR funding under the Trump administration have cast doubt on the long-term viability of the initiative.