HIV Breakthrough as New Injection 89% More Effective Than PrEP [Video]

A brand new drug might be more effective at preventing HIV than current methods.

Many people take daily oral antiretroviral medication—known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)—to protect themselves from catching HIV, but according to a new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, a twice-yearly injection is “significantly more effective than the daily oral PrEP.”

This drug, Lenacapavir, resulted in a 96 percent reduced risk of infection overall if taken once every 6 months, according to a recent Gilead-funded clinical trial led by physicians at Emory University and Grady Health System.

“Lenacapvir, which is injected under the skin every 6 months, provided 96 percent protection from acquiring new HIV infection,” study lead author Colleen Kelley, a professor in the School of Medicine at Emory University and co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research, told Newsweek.

“Once FDAapproved, this will be an incredible new option for people to use as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (HIV PrEP) as …