"A historic day in the fight against HIV": The United States authorizes a preventive "vaccine" against the virus

The United States has approved a new preventive treatment for HIV , announced the pharmaceutical company Gilead, which is developing it. This green light could revolutionize the fight against this epidemic, even if the question of its accessibility remains unanswered.

Called Yeztugo, this treatment, sometimes referred to as a "vaccine" due to its duration of action, consists of two annual injections. It represents a minor revolution in the field of drugs that prevent HIV transmission, known as "pre-exposure prophylaxis," or "PrEP."

Taken by people who are not infected but considered at risk, these treatments generally require taking one tablet daily.

Yeztugo offers more effective and less invasive prevention, requiring only two injections per year. This could significantly facilitate the treatment of at-risk individuals, particularly in developing countries. Experts say it could even end the AIDS epidemic.

"This is a historic day in the fight against HIV," said Daniel O'Day, CEO of the American biotech company, in a press release announcing the approval.

According to the company, the new treatment will now be available in the United States for "adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg" and "who need or want PrEP."

Gilead has been offering an antiretroviral treatment, Sunlenca, developed from the same molecule, lenacapavir, since 2022. This treatment is offered to people already infected and helps prevent the virus from multiplying in the body.

These treatments offer unprecedented efficacy and could be a game-changer in the fight against AIDS, according to experts. The company's two clinical trials for the preventive treatment showed a reduction in the risk of HIV transmission of more than 99.9% in adults and adolescents, making it the closest option to a vaccine.

But the hopes raised by these excellent results could be dashed by the astronomical costs of the treatments.

Asked by AFP, the company acknowledged that the price of Yeztugo in the United States will be $28,218 per year, "in line with existing PrEP options." However, "we are working to make Yeztugo accessible to everyone who needs or wants it, and we expect significant insurance coverage," a Gilead spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Sunlenca, another treatment already available on the market, costs more than $39,000 per year. And Apretude, the first injectable PrEP treatment developed by ViiV Healthcare and approved in the United States in 2021, costs tens of thousands of dollars per year for bimonthly injections.

However, according to a recent estimate by several researchers and published in the journal Lancet, lenacapavir could be produced for costs ranging from only $25 to $46.

"If this game-changing drug remains unaffordable, it will change nothing," insisted UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima in a statement on Wednesday, urging Gilead to make the right decision.

"Lower the price, increase production, and give the world a chance to end AIDS," she urged.

Gilead announced last year agreements with manufacturers to produce and sell low-cost generics in more than 100 developing countries and supply many more doses.

But these initiatives could be undermined by the actions of Donald Trump's government, which has cut international funding that was supposed to support them.