Study Reveals: Biannual Shot Gives 100% AIDS Protection

Biannual injections used to treat AIDS were found to be 100% effective in preventing new infections in women, as per study results released on Wednesday. The study involved around 5,000 young women and girls in South Africa and Uganda, none of whom contracted HIV after receiving the shots, researchers reported. In contrast, approximately 2% of those given daily prevention pills became infected with HIV from their partners. The injections, developed by U.S. drugmaker Gilead and marketed as Sunlenca, are approved for HIV treatment in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and other regions. The company is awaiting test results in men before seeking approval for the injections as a preventive measure. The findings in women were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at an AIDS conference in Munich. Gilead funded the study, and some researchers involved are company employees. Due to the highly promising results, the study was concluded early, and all participants were offered the injections, also known as lenacapavir.