Clinical trials of a new chassis of long - act pre - exposure prophylaxis forHIV , commonly known as PrEP , have launch in the US . As well as hopefully leading to a new alternative for HIV prevention , the trials are aim to handle an unmet need inHIV researchby focalize on two populations that have often been egest over : cisgender women and people who use injectable drugs .

The introduction ofPrEPrepresented a peachy step forward in the continuing fight against HIV . When make as order , itreduces the riskof catching HIV through sex by 99 per centum , and through injecting drugs by 74 percent .

PrEP generally pack the form of a pill that you need to take every day to be sure of maximal protection . In 2021 , the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approved aninjectable formof preparation that is only administered every two months , but that ’s not available everywhere yet .

The new type of preparation that ’s presently under clinical tribulation has been rise with the target that the injection will only have to be given every six month , which could make it more convenient and approachable for some people . It use a drug name lenacapavir , which is alreadyFDA approvedfor use in treatment - resistant HIV .

The trials , based out of the University of California San Diego Antiviral Research Center , are currently recruiting participants from two populations that have historically been underrepresented in HIV study : cisgender women(those whose biologic sex is female and whose gender identity aligns with this ) , with a particular centering on Black and Latina participants ; andpeople who currently shoot drug , including opioids and cocaine .

These population account for 18 percent and 7 per centum of unexampled HIV name in the US respectively , according to astatementfrom the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) . While much of the enquiry up to now has focus on men who have sexual activity with adult male – who report for 70 percent of new HIV infections in 2021 according toHIV.gov – there have been margin call in late years for trials and probe to be more representative of the diverse group that are affected by this virus .

The studies will take station at site across the US , enrolling people who run across the inclusion criteria and who could benefit from taking PrEP . Participants will willy-nilly be assigned to receive the newfangled lenacapavir injection or an oral PrEP formulation that ’s already approve for use . The researchers will focus on safety machine , how the drug works in the body , and whether the participants live side effects .

Theoutlookfor people new diagnosed with HIV has come avery long wayin the last 50 years . Awareness of safe sexual drill has help unknowable identification number of peopleavoid infection , and advances in antiretroviral treatments have entail that reducing someone ’s viral loading to indiscernible – which also means they canno longer pass the infection on – is a realistic destination for many . The more recentintroductionof PrEP gave at - peril the great unwashed another way to protect themselves from becoming infect .

It will be some metre before we see any resolution from these trial run ; but , if they ’re successful , it could herald an even more accessible means of preventing HIV infection , as well as bolster up scientific cognition about group of hoi polloi who are all too often leave out of the conversation .