Gilead's HIV prevention treatment found 100% effective in late-stage trial

By Eleanor Laise

Company reports first Phase 3 HIV prevention trial ever to show zero infections

Gilead Sciences Inc.'s stock (GILD) jumped 4.5% early Thursday after the company said its experimental twice-yearly injection for HIV prevention was found 100% effective in a late-stage trial.

The injection, lenacapavir, proved superior to Gilead's once-daily oral treatment Truvada in preventing HIV in cisgender women, the company said. The study is the first phase 3 HIV-prevention trial ever to show zero infections, according to Gilead.

Based on the results, an independent data monitoring committee recommended that Gilead offer lenacapavir to all trial participants, halting the blinded phase of the study, the company said.

Previous trials have found challenges with patients adhering to daily pills for HIV PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, underscoring the potential significance of a twice-yearly option.

If approved, lenacapavir "could provide a critical new choice for HIV prevention that fits into the lives of many people who could benefit from PrEP around the world - especially cisgender women," Linda-Gail Bekker, director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Center at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, said in a statement. The twice-yearly injection "could help address the stigma and discrimination some people may face when taking or storing oral PrEP pills," while also increasing adherence, Bekker said.

Gilead is also studying lenacapavir for HIV PrEP in cisgender men who have sex with men, transgender men, transgender women, and other groups, with results expected later this year or early next year.

Gilead's stock is down 18% this year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 15.2%.

-Eleanor Laise

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-20-24 0945ET

Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.