HIV TREATMENT DRUGS

Rich hopes as the poor watch 

The United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved twice-a-year injections and tablets for treating HIV in adults with multi-drug resistant infection. Media groups term this as hopes while majority of the world take it as news of the hot air that will evaporate eventually due to the unaffordable high cost of the drug. It's said that the drug will cost $42,250 (5.1 million) for the two shots, with users then required to fork out $39,000 (4.7 million) a year for maintenance shots. Is HIV a natural calamity or a  weapon formed in labs and now an economic bait. 

Since there is urrently, a similar drug called Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine) from the United Kingdom’s GSK, which became the first FDA-approved injectable for HIV in 2021 that, costs $40,000 to $50,000 (Sh4.9 million to Sh6.1 million) a year. The US ought to have upgraded their inventory for a vaccine or a full treatment drose. But the main concern is prices of the drugs that raises concern of affordability.

According to experts, Sunlenca (lenacapavir), which is used to treat people with multidrug-resistant HIV, will be a game changer, but survey indicates that the drug approval is almost of no impact to the poor . Many infected victims would continue suffering when they cannot afford the cost of the  shorts.

“The approval introduces a new type of antiretroviral drugs that may help patients with HIV and have run out of treatment options. Their availability may possibly help these patients live longer, healthier lives, according to Dr Debra Birnkrant, director of the Division of Antivirals in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The approved inhabitor functions by obstructing the capsid protein coat of the HIV-1 virus, interfering with its viral life cycle. It received FDA designations for priority review, quick track and breakthrough therapy. Permission was granted based on a trials that involved 72 HIV patients with high viral loads and were resistant to several types of medicines.

During the trials, Sunlenca or a placebo was randomly given to patients in the first group, while open-label Sunlenca was given to the second group.

Sunlenca is administered in conjunction with other antiretroviral medications, oral tablets and subcutaneous injections serving as the initial dose, and maintenance injections administered after every six months. Nausea and injection site reactions are the most frequent side effects of the drug.

If a patient additionally takes medication that lowers Sunlenca levels, they shouldn’t receive Sunlenca. Loss of virologic response and the emergence of viral resistance may follow from this.

What's your take on this ..do you view it as a hope for the world?

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