With omicron wreaking havoc around the world, it’s easy to forget that we are still in the throes of another health crisis. While HIV treatment and prevention has come a long way in the past few decades, the disease has not been eradicated and millions of people around the world still suffer from the debilitating, and potentially deadly, effects of the virus. There is new reason for hope, though, because yesterday the F.D.A. approved Apretude, the first injectable H.I.V. preventative.
Daily PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) pills, such as Truvada and Descovy, have been available for around a decade and they’ve gone a long way in curbing the spread of H.I.V. The problem with the pills has always been that you have to take them everyday for them to be effective. Daily adherence to a pharmaceutical regime has proven to be challenging and unrealistic for many. That is all to say that an injectable medication like Apretude could make a big difference.
