Antiviral drugs are famous for helping to suppress HIV in most people. But antiviral therapy drugs don’t work for everyone living with HIV. This is because they resist most or all of the currently used drugs, including Truvada.
However, there seems to be hope for this group of people, as seen in a new report released at the 11th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science. The report disclosed that a drug under development from Gilead Sciences, Lenacapavir, helped achieve an undetectable viral load in trial patients.
The drug is a capsid inhibitor taken as a subcutaneous (under the skin) injection in the belly. The capsid serves as the container for HIV RNAs (genetic material). The distinguishing mark of the virus appears in microphotographs as a dark, cone-shaped core. Lenacapavir prevents the virus from unsheathing its capsid to release its genetic material into the cell’s nucleus.
It also stops the virus from baring its capsid as it tries to reproduce. The report further disclosed that 88% of the participants taking Lenacapavir in a CAPELLA study experienced at least 0.5 logs (more than threefold) drop in the viral load than the 17% that received a placebo. If the drug passes all the tests and gets released into the market, HIV patients and high-risk individuals need to take the shot only twice a year.
In the meantime, Truvada, a product of Gilead Sciences, continues to be a leading antiviral treatment, although it has some shortcomings. These shortcomings are severe side effects like loss of bone density, weight loss, kidney damage, etc. The preceding are the grounds of several Truvada lawsuits, with those affected seeking compensation.
Find out all about the Truvada lawsuits and whether or not you qualify to file an action for compensation from our mass tort attorneys.
