About The Jab...

 

HIV/AIDS education is important.  Some people have the notion Gilead's Lenacapavir, the long lasting PReP option is a cure or a vaccine.  It's neither.  This medication can't cure an HIV+ person.  It can only prevent transmission of the virus.  What this drug could do if properly & widely administered is slowly starve out HIV in a type of siege war.  It would die with those currently infected with no other transmissions.

There's a lot of info regarding HIV, even more misinformation.  We have access to an abundance of resources to learn from.  That may not be the same everywhere in the world.  Education, awareness & prevention will always be as important as treatment.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

FDA, Gilead, Yeztugo Again...

 

This article notes the FDA is allowing Gilead to proceed with an investigation into prescribing Yeztugo as a weekly, oral PrEP med.  It's already approved as a bridge between normal PrEP medications & the long acting, injection of Yeztugo or lenacapavir. 

If successful, it will be another option for prevention.  Some people may want or not tolerate the long acting injections for PrEP.  For them, oral meds may remain the better option.  Still, weekly means 52 doses not 365.   That's over 300 less pills & chances to miss the dose.

This was a good article, give it a read.  Take care.

Cya...

Goodbye March...

 

It's the end of March.  This was a tiring month & there's still things left to do.  I haven't been feeling well & this morning's been rough.  I'm trying not to get really sick.  Mornings have been hard.

I saw a couple of articles like this piece.  Gilead is refusing to sell MSF (Doctors WIthout Borders) their long lasting prevention medication lenacapavir.  No reason has been given.  This is not a good look for the drug company.

The other article I saw was about being 50+ & living with HIV.  These articles have yet to impress me.  They usually detail the same issues anyone over 50 would face, then add HIV.   None I've read so far have been that informative.

That's all for now, Goodbye March.

Cya...

Resistant...

 

HIV can develop resistance to any med.  This can be deterred by maintaining a regimen, giving the virus little chance of microevolution.  This is important & the link provided above gives more info on resistance.  Much can be found on Google as well.  

Gilead has posted about resistance to lenacapavir.  No medication is immune to resistance.  This piece details more on that.  This is an arms race between meds & HIV.  Resistance to lenacapavir is rare & might be treated with the addition of another med to the dose to further disable the virus' ability to resist. 

This is why medical research & new meds will always be needed.  Even if HIV is someday cured, other viruses will remain.  Medication & it's knowledge base must constantly evolve to keep up with current health issues.

Give these pieces a read & maintain your regimen.  Take care.

Cya...

Weekly Pill...

 

Lots of links coming here.  This article & this prior piece, discuss a 2 drug combination medication from Merck & Gilead.  Their drugs, Islatravir & Lencapavir have been combined into a single, weekly dose, oral medication.  These studies show some of the progress & efficacy of the research.  With both meds already having governmental approval, this should be just to prove the viability of the approach.  This could be an option for HIV+ people in the near future.  Personally, I'd opt for the weekly pill over the weekly injection.  

This morning has been rough.  I woke to 70° & it felt hot.  Add to that, wind & allergies are an issue.  My body wasn't ready for this & soon it'll be back to seasonal temps.  

We're trying to get our holiday plans in order.  It'd be nice if the worked.  Things seldom go as planned for us.  But we try.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

HIV In 2025...

 

The articles are starting to review the year.  There have been some high points like Gilead's lenacapaivir or Yeztugo the twice a year injection for prevention.  There  are new daily meds being developed.  Researchers have made some headway in other means to fight HIV & it's reservoirs, such as cancer treatments.   

Still, there's been the dark cloud of abrupt fund cutting.  This is all due to that orange bastard.  IMO, everyone single new case or death from HIV & similar ailments is in some part his fault.  He probably gets off on knowing that.  Between his cuts & ongoing combat throughout some regions, the fight against HIV/AIDS could be drastically set back.

There's not happening today, so this is it.  Take care.

Cya...

Same Chilly Same...

 

It's still cold & article land is lacking.  It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow & stay fairly warm for the week.  Most articles were still dealing with funding cuts & rising transmission rates in some areas.  There were some on Gilead's new 2-drug combo.  It's a single dose pill with lenacapavir that's in the 3rd stage of research.  If it gets approval, this would add to available regimens for people living with HIV.  It would further the use of lenacapavir, which should lower the price.  Soon, most people will have single dose or long acting options.  That's a far cry from where these regimens started.

That's about it for now, take care.

Cya...

CDC Rec...

 

I've never been a big advocate or PrEP over other means of HIV prevention.  However, if taken properly, the regimen is effective.  Adherence is a big "If" here.   Regimen maintenance is not high on a lot of people's list & it can lead to issues in prevention.

It shouldn't be surprising, the CDC is recommending the long acting injectable lencapavir, Yeztugo.  Gilead's med could be a part of a real game changer in prevention strategy.   This article is a clinical abstract on the matter. 

It's a new stance by the agency.  Give the piece a read.  That's all for now.

Cya...

More Long Options

Viiv is promoting findings for their long acting PrEP & HIV meds.  They promote data that supports the efficacy of & preference for their long acting meds; Apretude, Vocabria & Cabenuva.  These injections aren't as long acting as Gilead's Lenacapavir.  There may be other reasons to prefer Viiv's options.

The company has also pledged to let some low income countries manufacture & market generic versions of these meds.  Making these drugs far more affordable.  This & Gilead's similar pledge were most likely due to public pressure & the US ceasing funding to HIV programs.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Getting Around....

 

I'm trying to get around a little quicker this morning.  I don't know if that will work or not.  My roomie has an appointment.   I still need to get around & cleaned up.  Here's hoping it doesn't rain anymore for a bit.  It's steamy & bugs are everywhere.  

The FDA formally approved Lenacapavir for use in the US.  This could be a game changer, especially if they do something about the price.  Too bad they probably won't.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Costs...

 

Regulators have been trying to get pharmaceutical companies to reign in prices for years.   This crap with the orange stain & his funding cuts has made it even more imperative.  This piece is about Gilead's Lenacapavir.    

This med is currently to be marketed for between upper 30K & lower 40K annually.  Research found the med could be made for as little as $40 annually if 2 million doses were sold yearly.  If the more of the drug was produced the price would fall.

It could, be made for only $25 (£18.40) a year – including a 30% profit margin – analysis from the University of Liverpool and others suggests.

At the original price, even affluent nations couldn't afford the medicine.  Estimates have 1M+ people in the US using PrEP.  The numbers are there.  Then include the nearly 40M living with HIV & this drug, or meds like it, could be made very affordable.

Unfortunately as long as conservatives, religious bigots & greedy people exists, HIV & other illnesses will never be cured or eradicated.  They're just too profitable.  Corporate avarice & political corruption are the illnesses we all suffer from.

That's all for now.  

Take care.

Cya...

Other Options...

 

If a injection to handle your HIV is a bit much for you, there may be other options soon.  Although, Gilead's lenacapavir injection is sounding promising as a biannual option, it's still a shot.  Not only is it an injection & very new, it's very expensive.  

For those who don't handle injections well or whose insurance won't cover the bill, there might be another choice besides a daily regimen on the horizon.  For many, a daily regimen has proven easier to handle than the multi-pill cocktail approach of the past.  If that boosted adherence, then a weekly should do even better.

This piece details how Merck has recently developed Islatravir & has combined it with lenacapavir.  Together they are being administered  as weekly, oral option for handling HIV.  The research looks promising.  I have a feeling, most insurances are going to cover this before they consider the expense of Gilead's biannual lenacapavir injection.  

There are new things coming to treat this virus.  That's always good news.  Give the article a read.  Take care.

Cya...

Great, If You Get It...

 

There've been a lot of articles this morning discussing how Gilead is allowing for generics of it's new twice yearly HIV med & PrEP med, Lenacapavir.  This will only happen in about 120 poorer countries, leaving the rest of the world to foot the bill.   

This isn't the 1st time this has happened.  A few years back they did this to other meds.   Dropping the drugs price significantly for African countries.  What would pay for a few days of the medication in the US, would be year's worth there.   

Gilead will be asking about $42K+ for the 2 dose med in places like the US.  It has been stated in other articles this med could be made for as low $40 annually.   So, these parts of the world will get a med that most people in the US & similar countries won't be able to get for some time due to  broken healthcare systems.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for these people.  It just seems I'm never in the right market to get these prices.  I know these places are in horrible condition.  Still, I think some people need to look at the level of poverty & horror shows going on in their own backyards before they go touting foreign charity efforts.

Take care.

Cya...

Cure Rush & Cash Stall...

 

Money has always been an issue in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Whether the funds were needed for awareness, testing, treatment, outreach... there was never enough.   

Recently there's been a splash in the world about Gilead's drug Lenacapavir.  Which in trials prevented all occurrences of HIV in the test subjects for over a year with just 2 injections per patient.  The results are amazing.   You can Google for that.

Here's the rub.  This article details how world health organizations see this is the closest thing there will ever been to a vaccine & want it given to everyone at as low a price as possible.  Gilead says the med is for treatment only & not prevention.  

The cost is prohibitive at $42K+ annually.  The world organizations are pushing for a generic.  A study mentioned in the article, states the medication could be produced for as low as $40.00 using the ingredients of Lenacapavir.  That would still leave a profit margin of 30%.  If $40 using generic ingredients leaves that kind of profit, how many thousands of times profit is Gilead clearing off of $42+K?

This is an interesting article with an old argument of prevention vs profit.  We'll have to wait to see how this plays out.  Countries could pass laws overriding Gilead's claims & produce the medication generically.  That may be the only way this ever happens.

Take care. 

Cya...

Tiny Ions & More...

 

This won't be long because the important details are in this article.  This all relates to an ion referred to IP6.   If there is more info out there on this ion besides what's in the article, I didn't find it this morning.  The important thing is this ion is part of capsid of the HIV virus.  The capsid is basically a shell holding the genetic information of the virus.  If this is harmed or prevented from replicating, the virus is inhibited.  Capsid inhibitors have been big research matters.

I've been posting about Lenacapavir.  It was recently approved under the name Sunlenca.   It is a long acting HIV medication.  The 1st in class to inhibit the HIV capsid.  

Give this article & the links a read.  This is a very notable development. Take care.

Cya...

Irritated...

 

There's lots to be irritated with like the weather, allergies or seasons in general.  This morning however, I'm irritated there was another paywall concerning info about a newly approved HIV med.  I've posted on it before, but this info could've been beneficial.  

Lenacapavir is the 1st in class capsid inhibitor.   This med is supposed to be able to inhibit many functions of the virus.  That article is important.  Maybe soon, someone else will repost the info & not be behind a paywall.

Paywalls on medical information are prohibitive to people getting information that might better their health.  Yes, sites need cash to function.  Still, there's got to be a better way.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Frosty Fingers & Sunlenca...

 

It's frigid.  We got down near 0 with wind chills much lower.  Getting this house to near 60 has been difficult.  I have the heaters off for a bit.  Even though it's cold, the stoves can still make it hard to breath after a while.  They'll back on after a short break for them & our breathing.  It actually snowed, not much but enough that with the wind, it seemed impassable.  It really killed visibility.

Gilead has a new product going to market, Sunlenca, also known as Lenacapavir.  It's a long acting med to fight multi resistant HIV.  I've posted about the drug before.  It got approval in Europe a while back.

There are on 8 days left in the year.  There are 11 days before my HIV & this blog's anniversary.  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  This year is almost over.  I hope the holidays go well for everyone.  Most of us need it.

Take care & Happy Holidays.

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...

Biannual Pill...

 

This article is about Gilead's Lenacapavir.   This medication is up for use as a PrEP option & treatment for those facing multidrug resistance.  It is an HIV capsid inhibitor.  Capsid inhibitors affect enzymes & proteins viruses need to replicate.  The novel thing about this drug  is that it's biannual.  A shot  given only twice a year has a  lot  of perks, especially for those who have difficulty with pills.  

This sounds amazing.  It's a new medication with a  newer approach.   That's awesome.  However, this is also a bit worrisome.  What if it fails?   It could mean a several months people weren't protected from HIV or treating their virus.  6 months is long time between intervals.  Maybe I'm overly concerned.  But, this will be the 1st medication of its kind, I think an abundance of concern is warranted.

That's all for now,  take care.

Cya...