Yeztugo holds potential to address key unmet needs for PrEP usage

Last week the US Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) Yeztugo (lenacapavir) for the prevention of HIV infection, making the first and only FDA approved HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option offering six months of protection.

The drug has potential to address key unmet needs for PrEP usage, including adherence issues, says pharma analytics company GlobalData.

Yeztugo is a long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor that reduces the risk of sexually acquired HIV in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35kg. The drug will compete with Gilead’s own oral PrEP therapies, Truvada (emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and Descovy (emtricitabine + tenofovir alafenamide), as well as ViiV Healthcare’s Apretude (cabotegravir), the only other injectable PrEP therapy available in the USA. However, Apretude, which is typically administered once every two months, requires more frequent dosing than Yeztugo.