The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a groundbreaking new HIV prevention drug that offers near-total protection with just two injections per year.
Sold under the name Yeztugo, the shot has shown remarkable effectiveness in clinical trials. Dr. Gordon Crofoot, an infectious disease specialist who helped test the drug in men, said, “These were two amazing studies with amazing data that basically shows 100% prevention of transmission in the majority of the population.”
Unlike existing HIV prevention treatments, which often require daily pills or more frequent injections, Yeztugo is administered just twice a year.
CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook called the approval “huge,” noting how far treatment and prevention have come since the early days of the AIDS crisis.
“I remember my first patient with HIV/AIDS in March of 1981. He died, and so did every single patient with HIV I saw for years,” LaPook recalled. “Then we had these new drugs that were effective and the concept of taking a pill every day to prevent HIV/AIDS.”
The drug’s manufacturer has pledged to support patients who cannot afford its estimated $28,000 annual price tag, though LaPook noted federal programs for HIV prevention have seen recent declines.
The twice-a-year shot is now the latest tool available to prevent HIV in high-risk groups.
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