HIV Prevention (PrEP)
The FDA has recently approved a new twice-yearly injectable medication for HIV prevention. This new drug, lenacapavir (brand name YEZTUGO), is designed to be an alternative to daily pills for HIV prevention. Currently two oral medications have FDA approval for HIV prevention, also known as PrEP. Lenacapavir was shown to be 100% effective in one study amoung women and 96% effective among gay and bisexual men
With an effective prevention method like lenacapavir, the real test will be to see how readily available it is to those who need it, and whether it can be made available to individuals without access to insurance.
As of 9/18/25 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls twice-a-year injectable lenacapavir is “a highly recommended, additional option for HIV prevention and a significant step forward for the 2.2 million Americans that could benefit from PrEP.” [CDC]
News Alert -September 9, 2025
The U.S. State Department announced that it will partner with drugmaker Gilead Sciences and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to deliver the HIV prevention drug lenacapavir, given as a shot every six months, to low-income countries, Reuters reported. [Doubts about the viability of PEPFAR remain – Ed.]
HIV Remission
It was reported at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) that two additional cases of “functional HIV cure” have occurred. These represent the 8th and 9th cases of such a cure. All but one of these cases remained HIV free from stem cell transplants, most from donors with a rare mutation (CCR5-delta32).
Researchers do not look at these cases as a model for an HIV cure but each case adds to the knowledge about how a cure can be achieved. [Positively Aware May/June 2025]
HIV Vaccine Trials
The search for an HIV Vaccine has been ongoing since the early days of the pandemic (1980s). This search, to say the lease, has been elusive. There are many characteristics of HIV replication that have made this difficult.
Over the years some very promising vaccine trials have failed, or rather they were halted when efficacy could not be established. This has been very disappointing.
Currently there are two vaccine trials that are showing proof of concept and these trials are getting some buzz in the HIV research community. These are Phase 1 Trials, which are conducted with a small number of people to help determine drug safety. This is a long way from a shot at your local pharmacy, but these successful trials are hopeful.
Long-Acting HIV Treatments
For many living with HIV, oral medications have been a part of daily life. From taking as many as 20 pills a day, now down to one pill per day for most, there has been significant progress.
A new phase in HIV treatment involves what are being called long-acting treatments. Currently there is one injectable treatment that is taken at a doctor’s office every other month. For some, this is a welcome alternative to daily oral meds.
There is hope that current research could lead to HIV treatments, both oral and injectable, that could span months – even up to a year.
Learn more about Long-Acting HIV Treatments [HERE].