Dominic Hughes

Also in the podcast... People are talking about trying to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 and experts are saying this could be a real game changer.

Also in the podcast... People are talking about trying to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 and experts are saying this could be a real game changer.

There are already drugs available, daily pills, even an injection that you can have every eight weeks that reduces the risk of contracting HIV. Now, these are known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP medicines. These treatments are really effective, around 90% effective. But taking them consistently, particularly if you're taking daily pills, can be a real challenge.

There are already drugs available, daily pills, even an injection that you can have every eight weeks that reduces the risk of contracting HIV. Now, these are known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP medicines. These treatments are really effective, around 90% effective. But taking them consistently, particularly if you're taking daily pills, can be a real challenge.

Particularly if that's not a part of your life that you want to concentrate on all the time and you're taking daily pills for it, you can see that might be challenging. So a drug like this that lasts much longer can be a real help and is being seen as a really significant breakthrough. Yeah, and what did this trial reveal? So this is what's known as a Phase 1 safety trial.

Particularly if that's not a part of your life that you want to concentrate on all the time and you're taking daily pills for it, you can see that might be challenging. So a drug like this that lasts much longer can be a real help and is being seen as a really significant breakthrough. Yeah, and what did this trial reveal? So this is what's known as a Phase 1 safety trial.

It's all about that, really. Is the drug safe to take? So 40 people, none of whom have had HIV, they were given the drug with what's called an intramuscular injection. Otherwise, it's injected into the muscle. They reported no major side effects or safety concerns. Now, interestingly, even after 56 weeks... the medicine, that drug, was still detectable in their bodies.

It's all about that, really. Is the drug safe to take? So 40 people, none of whom have had HIV, they were given the drug with what's called an intramuscular injection. Otherwise, it's injected into the muscle. They reported no major side effects or safety concerns. Now, interestingly, even after 56 weeks... the medicine, that drug, was still detectable in their bodies.

So this trial was focused very much on safety and how the body responds to that, the physiological response. It wasn't measuring how well this drug might prevent HIV infection. But we know there's a version of this drug that is like basically the six-month version of this drug that is much further down the road in clinical trials. And so they are confident that this version of that other drug

So this trial was focused very much on safety and how the body responds to that, the physiological response. It wasn't measuring how well this drug might prevent HIV infection. But we know there's a version of this drug that is like basically the six-month version of this drug that is much further down the road in clinical trials. And so they are confident that this version of that other drug

is also going to be effective.

is also going to be effective.

Yeah, so they have to now see through further phased trials whether that protective element does persist to a degree that it will give actual protection against HIV and also how it will react internally. in different groups of people. So will it react differently in men or women? Will it react differently in people from a South Asian background, from an Afro-Caribbean background?

Yeah, so they have to now see through further phased trials whether that protective element does persist to a degree that it will give actual protection against HIV and also how it will react internally. in different groups of people. So will it react differently in men or women? Will it react differently in people from a South Asian background, from an Afro-Caribbean background?

So they need to do those trials to make sure that it is the sort of drug that is going to be useful.

So they need to do those trials to make sure that it is the sort of drug that is going to be useful.

Well, people are talking about trying to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. And experts are saying this could be a real game changer, this drug, and it could play a very, very important part in that. Clinical trials are a bit elastic sometimes in how long they take to complete and how long they take to go through the system.

Well, people are talking about trying to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. And experts are saying this could be a real game changer, this drug, and it could play a very, very important part in that. Clinical trials are a bit elastic sometimes in how long they take to complete and how long they take to go through the system.

But experts are confident, or they're hoping I think, that this drug could play a really important part in certainly curbing the number of HIV infections within the next few years.

But experts are confident, or they're hoping I think, that this drug could play a really important part in certainly curbing the number of HIV infections within the next few years.