16 ms·

This is incredibly exciting! The main method available for PrEP, in the United States, at least, is a daily pill. I think (I don't know) there is a monthly shot

This is incredibly exciting! The main method available for PrEP, in the United States, at least, is a daily pill. I think (I don't know) there is a monthly shot, too. Daily pills take a lot of time investment; monthly shots are better; but once every 6 months is awesome! Especially in circumstances where it might be difficult to guarantee a daily pill or even a monthly shot.

heavyset_go 2y ago
There's a shot that lasts a couple months mentioned in the article.
bobthepanda 2y ago
There is a generic daily pill (Truvada), a more expensive one (Descovy) and an every two months shot (Apretude.) Apretude has lower efficacy than Descovy or Truvada, but once you factor in human error in taking a daily pill regimen, it is more even. Human error is a significant factor since the current treatment protocols say if you’re not sure whether or not to take it, it is safer to skip than to accidentally double the dose.
- m3kw9 2y ago
  Seen these on commercial, I wish they stop with commercial for meds. Depressing asf, keep reminding me of my mortality while I’m trying to relax and enjoy a moment
  - UltraSane 2y ago
    Do you mean you don't want to be reminded of the risk of STDs when about to engage is sex?
    - m3kw9 2y ago
      I was talking about med ads in general, and yes I don’t need to be reminded humans can get stds from unprotected sex, nor I think that is a place for it
  - IshKebab 2y ago
    Definitely one of the weird things I noticed in America. Most countries do not have medical adverts, for obvious reasons.
    - jcul 2y ago
      Yeah was going to comment the same. Always really strange to see so many adverts for medication when I visit the US.
- cosmotic 2y ago
  The data I've seen shows apretude is more effective, not less
  - cosmotic 2y ago
    First party, but I assume there's a lot more rigor and regulation on this than normal first party claims: https://apretude.com/about-apretude/clinical-trials https://apretude.com/about-apretude/clinical-trials
thaumasiotes 2y ago
> Daily pills take a lot of time investment; monthly shots are better That is a matter of opinion. How much time do you think it takes to swallow a pill?
- t-writescode 2y ago
  You need to be in the same place, at the same time, every day, and always have them with you, continually. You also need to keep them dry and at room temperature all the time, so no leaving them in your car. Here's another example of a pill that needs to be taken every day, at approximately the same time of day: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill/how-effective-is-the-birth-control-pill https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-... From this article on that pill, > But people aren’t perfect and it’s easy to forget or miss pills — so in reality the pill is about 93% effective. That means about 7 out of 100 pill users get pregnant each year. You mess up and you have HIV for life. It's better to have something that provides more stable protection :)
  - 2Gkashmiri 2y ago
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directly_observed_treatment,_short-course https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directly_observed_treatment,... This is already possible by DOTS. In India it did wonders
    - rcxdude 2y ago
      It's also quite expensive
    - slashnode 2y ago
      DOTS is effective for TB because it’s a time-limited treatment (usually 4 months for drug susceptible strains of TB) and is only relevant for treating infected individuals DOTS wouldn’t be feasible for a prophylactic treatment like this as the number of participants would be huge and the treatment period is indefinite (ie: the patient’s lifespan)
    - 2y ago
gadders 2y ago
[flagged]
- mort96 2y ago
  From USAID: > When used correctly and consistently, male condoms are estimated to be 90 percent effective in reducing HIV transmission. They work to a degree, but they're not perfect
  - l5870uoo9y 2y ago
    They are however effective in preventing transmission of many other STDs that PREP doesn't prevent (and that PREP perhaps indirectly contribute to increasing transmission of including antibiotic resistant STDs).
    - mort96 2y ago
      Yeah, my comment wasn't meant to be anti-condom
      - l5870uoo9y 2y ago
        Fair enough.
- t-writescode 2y ago
  In some parts of the world, rape victims are a frequent recipient of HIV. I imagine their assailants don't feel obligated to wear a condom. Please recall the regions of the world where these shots are going to be the least expensive, etc, per the article.
  - gadders 2y ago
    I think this is a great initiative for poor areas of the world like sub-Saharan Africa. In the first world there are other options available.
quitit 2y ago
The problem is the cost, in Europe and the USA the treatment is over $40,000 USD per year, which isn't realistic for regular people.
- cyberlurker 2y ago
  Isn’t that the starting price? Insurance and countries can buy in bulk and bring it down. Then overtime doesn’t the price come down due to competition from generics?
  - quitit 2y ago
    The $40k price is the current price in the USA. Generics aren't possible in markets where the patent holder enforces their rights. The article is about how Gilead will allow certain poverty ridden countries to access the drug without the need to pay a licensing cost (i.e. they can receive a "generic").
- droningparrot 2y ago
  Drug plans often bring this down to $0-600/year out of pocket
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    It's frankly nuts that we don't make preventative medicine for transmissable diseases free in the rich world. It's so obviously in the collective interest to reduce prevalence.
    - mschuster91 2y ago
      The problem is, as usual, payment. There have been many failed attempts at developing suppressive, curative and preventative medicine against HIV over the decades, and not all of that was funded by charities or government grants that don't expect repayment - especially not the later stage trials.
      - 2y ago
JeremyNT 2y ago
Am I wrong in thinking this is a huge development? Maybe one of the most important stories for public health this decade? AIDS kills more people than malaria, and preventing malaria has long been viewed as one of the lowest hanging fruits in public health. Hoping for eradication is too much with the limited immunity duration, but if we can mass produce a vaccine - even if it has to be administered twice a year - this could save millions of lives over the course of a decade.

heavyset_go 2y ago

There's a shot that lasts a couple months mentioned in the article.

bobthepanda 2y ago

There is a generic daily pill (Truvada), a more expensive one (Descovy) and an every two months shot (Apretude.) Apretude has lower efficacy than Descovy or Truvada, but once you factor in human error in taking a daily pill regimen, it is more even. Human error is a significant factor since the current treatment protocols say if you’re not sure whether or not to take it, it is safer to skip than to accidentally double the dose.

m3kw9 2y ago
Seen these on commercial, I wish they stop with commercial for meds. Depressing asf, keep reminding me of my mortality while I’m trying to relax and enjoy a moment
- UltraSane 2y ago
  Do you mean you don't want to be reminded of the risk of STDs when about to engage is sex?
  - m3kw9 2y ago
    I was talking about med ads in general, and yes I don’t need to be reminded humans can get stds from unprotected sex, nor I think that is a place for it
- IshKebab 2y ago
  Definitely one of the weird things I noticed in America. Most countries do not have medical adverts, for obvious reasons.
  - jcul 2y ago
    Yeah was going to comment the same. Always really strange to see so many adverts for medication when I visit the US.
cosmotic 2y ago
The data I've seen shows apretude is more effective, not less
- cosmotic 2y ago
  First party, but I assume there's a lot more rigor and regulation on this than normal first party claims: https://apretude.com/about-apretude/clinical-trials https://apretude.com/about-apretude/clinical-trials

thaumasiotes 2y ago

> Daily pills take a lot of time investment; monthly shots are better That is a matter of opinion. How much time do you think it takes to swallow a pill?

t-writescode 2y ago
You need to be in the same place, at the same time, every day, and always have them with you, continually. You also need to keep them dry and at room temperature all the time, so no leaving them in your car. Here's another example of a pill that needs to be taken every day, at approximately the same time of day: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill/how-effective-is-the-birth-control-pill https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-... From this article on that pill, > But people aren’t perfect and it’s easy to forget or miss pills — so in reality the pill is about 93% effective. That means about 7 out of 100 pill users get pregnant each year. You mess up and you have HIV for life. It's better to have something that provides more stable protection :)
- 2Gkashmiri 2y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directly_observed_treatment,_short-course https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directly_observed_treatment,... This is already possible by DOTS. In India it did wonders
  - rcxdude 2y ago
    It's also quite expensive
  - slashnode 2y ago
    DOTS is effective for TB because it’s a time-limited treatment (usually 4 months for drug susceptible strains of TB) and is only relevant for treating infected individuals DOTS wouldn’t be feasible for a prophylactic treatment like this as the number of participants would be huge and the treatment period is indefinite (ie: the patient’s lifespan)
  - 2y ago

gadders 2y ago

[flagged]

mort96 2y ago
From USAID: > When used correctly and consistently, male condoms are estimated to be 90 percent effective in reducing HIV transmission. They work to a degree, but they're not perfect
- l5870uoo9y 2y ago
  They are however effective in preventing transmission of many other STDs that PREP doesn't prevent (and that PREP perhaps indirectly contribute to increasing transmission of including antibiotic resistant STDs).
  - mort96 2y ago
    Yeah, my comment wasn't meant to be anti-condom
    - l5870uoo9y 2y ago
      Fair enough.
t-writescode 2y ago
In some parts of the world, rape victims are a frequent recipient of HIV. I imagine their assailants don't feel obligated to wear a condom. Please recall the regions of the world where these shots are going to be the least expensive, etc, per the article.
- gadders 2y ago
  I think this is a great initiative for poor areas of the world like sub-Saharan Africa. In the first world there are other options available.

quitit 2y ago

The problem is the cost, in Europe and the USA the treatment is over $40,000 USD per year, which isn't realistic for regular people.

cyberlurker 2y ago
Isn’t that the starting price? Insurance and countries can buy in bulk and bring it down. Then overtime doesn’t the price come down due to competition from generics?
- quitit 2y ago
  The $40k price is the current price in the USA. Generics aren't possible in markets where the patent holder enforces their rights. The article is about how Gilead will allow certain poverty ridden countries to access the drug without the need to pay a licensing cost (i.e. they can receive a "generic").
droningparrot 2y ago
Drug plans often bring this down to $0-600/year out of pocket
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  It's frankly nuts that we don't make preventative medicine for transmissable diseases free in the rich world. It's so obviously in the collective interest to reduce prevalence.
  - mschuster91 2y ago
    The problem is, as usual, payment. There have been many failed attempts at developing suppressive, curative and preventative medicine against HIV over the decades, and not all of that was funded by charities or government grants that don't expect repayment - especially not the later stage trials.
    - 2y ago

JeremyNT 2y ago

Am I wrong in thinking this is a huge development? Maybe one of the most important stories for public health this decade? AIDS kills more people than malaria, and preventing malaria has long been viewed as one of the lowest hanging fruits in public health. Hoping for eradication is too much with the limited immunity duration, but if we can mass produce a vaccine - even if it has to be administered twice a year - this could save millions of lives over the course of a decade.