LAI Roadmap...

 

This piece is a statement from a senior VP from ViiV Healthcare.  It's a plan to embrace decades of research, development & patient input to develop the future of HIV/AIDS treatment with the endgame of ending the virus.

The focus is on long acting injectables (LAI).  Some for prevention, others for treatment.  They could come in varying injection intervals.  This isn't a cure, it's a siege war against HIV.  If the virus can't spread & is contained in those currently HIV+, it will either die out with those patients or be handled if a cure ever is developed.

Like all things with HIV, this is now & will continue to be in development, striving to be the best approach possible.  Again, this isn't a cure, but it's a solid step to ending HIV.

Give this a read.  Take care.

Cya...

Injectables & Adherence...

 

Since the beginning of HIV treatment, the game has been the same.  Medications have to be accessible, tolerable & reliable.  Then there's adherence.  The best meds in the world won't matter if they aren't taken regularly. 

90 - 95% adherence is what's needed for HIV meds to be effective & help prevent resistance.  The aim was to create regimens that were accessible with ease of regimen maintenance.  We went from handfuls of pills to a few, to a single pill.  Now there are injectable options given weekly, monthly, quarterly & at larger intervals.  Until a cure is found, they'll probably aim for annual injections.

For many adherence is a serious challenge.  Injectables could be a much better option for many.  After taking handfuls of pills daily, a single dose at wide intervals would be astounding.  Even if it was a weekly pill, that would be a drastic improvement.  

Adherence makes this all work.  Any threat to that is a threat to that person.

Cya...

Last, Best Choice...

 

The way things are with global funding for HIV, long acting medications may be necessary.  These  monthly to bi-annual injections from Gilead, ViiV, Merck, etc...  may be the only real option.   Even with the extreme costs, these meds won't need as much infrastructure.  Patients won't need daily doses, so that overhead will be less.

Long acting meds aren't cures.  But, if enough people were treated, it could buy time.  Time to either come up with a vaccine/cure or to starve the virus out of existence. 

Even if this is the best option, it may still not be a choice.  These things are very costly & the funds may not be available.  The orange stain declared war on the fight against HIV.  He & his could cost the world decades of advancements.  They are evil & disgusting.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Injections & Adherence...

 

This article promotes patients should move from oral meds to long acting injections sooner.  The reason  was a better assurance of adherence to the regimen.  There are a lot of reasons taking daily medications may prove difficult.  These injections are currently ranging from monthly to every 2 months for most people.  Soon, those dosage intervals could be a little as every 6 months.  Gilead is even aiming for a year. 

While I can see where this will be beneficial for a lot of people, there may be limits with their insurance.  Add to that, the longer the interval, the larger the dose & deeper the injection.  The annual shots are going to do more than just sting a little.

It's an interesting read & this is the current front runner for the future of HIV treatment & prevention.  That's it for this cloudy morning, take care.

Cya...

Further Developments...

 

This piece is over Gilead pushing their injectable lencapavir from a twice a year subcutaneous injection to an annual intramuscular application.  According to research, the results show a better concentration of the medicine than the current approach.  The yearly shot had a higher dosage & injection site pain was common.  

For those not interested or can't get the injections, Merck has developed another daily med with only 2 drugs.  I don't know much on it so far, but I found this article.  

We have an unexpected errand today.  I hope things go well.  I tried to do better yesterday.  I didn't & spent most of the day on edge.  Everything keeps piling on & I can't keep up or handle it.   I'm not sure how things will go, but I am trying.   It just doesn't seem to be enough.

That's all for now.

Cya...

Unsure Resolution...

 

Yesterday's plumbing issue seems to have resolved itself.  We could look at this as a good thing, nothing had to be done or money spent.  However, we don't know what happened, so there's that.  Hopefully, it is actually resolved.

This morning a light bulb was blinking, it'll probably go out soon.  I have to order those because they're hard to find locally.   It took me a bit, but I did find & order them.  I still have some for now, but I'd like not to run out.

The only HIV news is that drug makers are looking to extend the dosage intervals for long acting injectables.  The current for most is 1 - 2 months.   They're pushing for 4 - 6 months.  I get the appeal, but a shot getting months worth of meds in your upper ass could be bit rough.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

High & Low Point Uggh...

 

I have an article & some crappy news.  I'll start with the article.  GlaxoSmithKline & ViiV Healthcare are have released a long acting injection of of Cabotegravir, sold as Cabenuva.  This news has been out for a bit.  It's a bimonthly injection given at the doctor's office for treating HIV.  They're currently working to extend the time between doses.  However, the news is that they're trying to have this medication be something that is self administered at home every 3 months.  They'd like to see that by the end of the decade.   This is doable.  The base meds are there.  With a little improvement & using current at home injection pens, this could happen.

On to the crap news.  At this moment, I no longer have a primary care physician.  I called to confirm my upcoming Monday appointment (it was the Wednesday before) & was told he had taken medical leave, retired & was not coming back into the office.  Now, I'm scrambling to find a new doctor.  It will probably be a nurse practitioner since there are very few actual doctors left in my area.  I have some ideas, but I'm not sure at this time.  I didn't need this stress.

That's my life at the moment.  More stress & another long term relationship ending without so much as a good bye.  

Hope things are better for everyone else.

Cya...

Reaction To Long Acting...

 

This is going to be short.  It's threatening to storm, so I want to get this over with in case it kills the net or power.  This article is an OpEd about a man's reaction to making the switch from HIV pills to long an acting injection.  It doesn't answer every question, but it's definitely a perspective.  It also asks the question of whether or not adherence would be any better.  It'd be easier yes, but not necessarily better.

That's all for take care.

Cya....

Another Step...

 

This piece notes, Gilead's Sunlenca (lenacapavir) has been approved in Europe for a twice yearly injection to treat HIV.  This article has some interesting info on the matter.  The Wiki page has a bit more on technical of the drug.  This med is primarily meant for combating the virus in those with multidrug resistant HIV.  It will also be helpful in places/peoples where regular regimen adherence is difficult.  Give this a read.

Cya..

Lenacapavir...

 

Lenacapavir is the topic of this article.  The article talks about using the med to treat HIV+ patients, all of which had multi-drug resistant variants of the virus. This med is new & not completely out to the public yet.  It attacks the capsid parts of the virus.  This weakens the virus' ability transport, integrate & protect itself.  Currently the med is also being researched as a long acting, injectable PrEP measure.

It's  a goodread.   The 1st version I found was a very jargon heavy abstract that was difficult at best.  This is supposed to be a 2 part piece.  Give it a read.

Cya...

Sort Of Surprised...

 

I found an interesting piece this morning.  This article dealt with women, not men or transgenders.   That alone is a rarity.  I'm not going to discuss this much, it should be read.  It deals with the successful outcomes of an injectable PrEP in women.  It is worth a read.  

I have to get around & go shopping.  So far it's a  nice, bright morning.  It's  supposed get warmer  finally.  I'm over the cold weather.  

Take  care.

Cya...

Spreading...

 

Since their approval in the US & other countries, There's been talk of moving from daily pill regimens for HIV to injections.  There have been articles over how the UK & Scotland are starting to move towards the injection as a 1st line approach over pills. 

This could change a lot for people.  Getting a periodic injection could alter how many people adhere to their regimens.  This could help a lot of people.

As for myself, I haven't been offered anything like this yet.  I doubt I will for a while.  The price point will have to come down before it's offered to me.  Even then, I want it to be out there for a bit before I go for it.  This most likely is the next full step in HIV treatment.   

Cya...

Again WIth The Dark...

 

I don't wake up well in the dark & that's all we've had for a few days.  Apparently it's,  No Sun November.  We have to handle 1st of the month stuff this morning.   I hate it when it falls  on Wednesday.  We already have  enough to do then.

I saw a few articles over injectable meds & PrEP.  The whole point of  the pieces was that the injection was easier to conceal then meds.  Making it  easier  for people facing stigma over their   HIV status.  Well, duh.  Of course it's more private.   I get the point of the pieces, but that was all they had.   Those were blips being passed  off  as  articles.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Not Great...

 

I'm not  taking great to this time change, Spring or allergies this year.   I've felt off all weekend & woke up late.  We have to go shopping soon, so this will be short.

There are articles about other drug makers vying to be the next company to come up with the 2nd long lasting, injectable for HIV.   It's expected, but the info is still newish.  It's a good thing, that means more competition to make a newer array of meds.

That's all for now.  Hopefully I feel better today.  At least the sun is shining.

Cya...

FDA Approved...

 

I blogged the European Union approved a long acting injectable med for HIV  based on cabotegravir & rilpivirine.  The injection, Cabenuva is given monthly.   An oral regimen will proceed it for a month & is marketed as, Vocabria.  ViiV Healthcare is researching how to extend the time between injections.  The FDA recently approved this med.

 Taken from the piece.

The most common adverse reactions ... were injection site reactions, fever (pyrexia), fatigue, headache, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, sleep disorders, dizziness and rash. 

I'll try to keep up with this.  Take care

Cya...

Long Acting Approved...

 

The European Union has given medical authorization to it's 1st long acting HIV treatment.  According to this piece, Vocabria, also know as Cabotegravir from ViiV healthcare  & Janssen  Pharmaceutical, has been given clearance to move ahead with once monthly injections.

The treatment starts in a traditional manner with daily tablets for a month, to determine tolerance to the meds.  After, the dosage would switch to once monthly injections.  The company is in the process of developing an injection that would be taken every 2 months.   I'd assume the process would be the same; tablets, single month injection & the longer lasting dose.

This could change the HIV game.  It could mean oral meds are heading out of the top tier position.  Patients would have to see a medical professional for the injections.  There'd be more contact with those needing medical care.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Better For Women...

 

Finally some good news for women about HIV meds.  This piece covers research into Cabotegravir from ViiV.  After much medical research excluding women, this was actually aimed at their needs.  

Cabotegravir was developed as a maintenance med for those with well controlled HIV.  However, instead of a daily pill, it's an injection given every 2 months.  This led to it's use as a PrEP drug.

I normally oppose PrEP,  But, this med has shown to be effective.  It also means people have to see medical professional.  

The primary seller here is this research was done in Africa.  This medication means these women can take the drug without anyone else knowing.  They don't have to fear stigma as much.  It helps lessen exposure if their partner isn't cooperative or they're assaulted.

In these instances, this med has proven to be 80% more effective than Truvada.  That's staggering.  Between that & its discreet nature, I can't oppose it.  Especially under these circumstances.   If this article doesn't work for you, this info is easily found on the net.

Cya...

CPT31...

 

Going to be honest, this article is a little headier than those I usually post.  It's not too jargon heavy, but fairly into the mechanics of how this new drug works to fight HIV.  

Scientists from the University  of Utah & the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are looking into a drug being referred to as CPT31.  This approach is an injection of a long acting medication meant to interfere with the virus's fusion. These fusion inhibitors also known as entry inhibitors are among the newest approaches in the fight against HIV.   Simply, they block integration of HIV into host cells.  

This is a long read compared to most articles, but it is interesting.  Approaches like this could be the future of the fight against HIV.  We could eventually see the end of traditional pharmaceuticals being used as the primary approach.   Give this a read.

Cya...

Game Changer, Really...

Here's another article on the injectable form of Cabotegravir.  The claim is the same, an injection taken every 2 months that surpasses the benefits of daily Truvada for PrEP.  Yay! right?  Maybe not.

The problem's the same.  The research has only been conducted on men & those born male.   At least that's the data presented.  For a while, they've claimed research on how the med behaves with women was ongoing.  So far, nothing.

If a med doesn't treat half the population affected by an issue, it's hardly a game changer.  As usual women were left out of a medical study, because the outcomes were different or difficult.   Medical research has to get better or HIV is never going away.

Cya...

Lenacapavir...

Lenacapavir is a new med from Gilead Sciences.   This med is so new I can find next to nothing about it.   I see the article I'm referencing & some referring to a previous study over an oral version.   This study is suggesting it has the potential to be a single injectable med that could control HIV for up to 6 months.

The article gave limited details on the drug, the study & it's limitations.  It appears to be a ways out for now.  Still, if it has any potential a bi-annual shot would aid greatly in controlling HIV.  The only other piece I could find was a research abstract from the company at $50 a pop.

Will this lead anywhere?  I don't know.  But, if this research can offer anything, it'd be a boost to fighting HIV.  Here's hoping.

Cya...