Six Months Without Fear: The Yeztugo Injection and (Almost) a Victory Over HIV

In the media state...that scientists have defeated HIV with a single injection—for the first time in 44 years ago, the FDA approved a drug offering complete protection. "The Yeztugo vaccine does not give It prevents the virus from entering cells and stops infection.“, the media write. It's not that simple...

What on earth is that?

Yeztugo (active ingredient: lenacapavir / lenacapavir). This is not a vaccine, while the HIV prevention medication, the new standard for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), is taken once every 6 months.

Yeztugo — this is long-acting injectable an FDA-approved drug June 18, 2025 for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) HIV-1 in adults and adolescents (≥ 35 kg) who are at risk. / The Wall Street Journal

In other words, the medication is not suitable for people with HIV-positive or without confirmation that there is no infection.

The medication works by lenacapavir, which was first used to treat a multidrug-resistant form of HIV under the brand name Sunlenca.

How does it work, and how effective is it?

Required 2 injections per year, appointment at the clinic.

First, you need to accept two tablet doses: one right at the clinic, the second the next day, to achieve a therapeutic level of the medication within the first 4 days / The Washington Post.

Data from two large randomized trials (PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2):

• In a group of approximately 3,300 men and gender-diverse individuals — 99.9% did not become infected; there were more infections in the group compared to Truvada barrons.com.
• In a study of 2,134 women from South Africa, the efficacy was 100% (no cases of infection) / pharmexec.com.

Safety and Warnings

The media write that "side effects rare and weak“. Но это не совсем так. Побочки встречаются в ≥ 5% случаев: reactions at the injection site (pain, swelling, redness, and even rare cases of necrosis if the technique is incorrect), headache, nausea / Gilead.

The substance remains in the body up to 12 months after the last injection, so failing to follow the schedule could lead to resistance Gilead

Available "Boxed Warning" on the risk of formation drug-resistant HIV, if the medication is prescribed for an undiagnosed or latent infection — Be sure to confirm a negative status before each injection and if you experience any symptoms / drugs.com / wsj.

Availability and Price

This is where it gets interesting. In the U.S., Yeztugo is sold for $14,109 per injection or $28,218 per year before insurance is taken into account / The Washington Post.

Gilead is actively working with insurance companies and assistance programs, to minimize costs for patients—in some cases, the cost to the user may be zero / investors.gilead.com.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already Recommended by Yeztugo as yet another tool for HIV prevention, particularly due to its ease of dosing and high effectiveness: reducing the risk of infection by 96% according to estimates in the reports / pharmaceutical-technology.com.

Yeztugo — a major step forward in safety and convenience HIV prevention: one injection every six months, effectiveness 99.9%, but only if the schedule is strictly followed and rigorous HIV testing is conducted. The price is steep, but insurance and charitable programs can help ease the financial burden on the user.