“This requires a nice healthy request to ensure that for every public company, it is worth the time,” says bekker. “We all hope that governments [across sub-Saharan Africa] They write the general product in their budgets for the future, but the truth is that we were in the meantime, we were relying on donor financing. Even my country, South Africa, which has a good gross domestic product and funds 80 percent of HIV response, already buys antivirus for 6 million individuals annually. I imagine that it will take a few years so that they can mobilize money for Lenacapavir as well. “
With Pepfar appears to appear primarily on the treatment of existing patients, at the expense of prevention, doctors like Nomathemba Chandiwana, a doctor doctor at DesMond Tutu Health Foundation in South Africa, are concerned that the infection rate will start to rise instead of falling, This will have a noticeable impact on public health on the African continent and what Behind it.
Speaking at the NCD Alliance Forum last week in Kigali, Chandiana explained that the consequences of new injuries are not only related to HIV itself. Research is increasingly showing that people with long -term HIV infections, even those who control it by anti -viral therapy, are sub -Saharan Africa. “HIV disrupts the same metabolic process, as many antivirus does,” says Chandiana. “We see the same chronic diseases in people with HIV as we do in the general population, but at an early age and quickly.”
For this reason, there is also a need for a new generation of HIV treatments, and one of the concepts that were explored was the use of LenacAPAVIR as a basis for future treatments for mixed for those who already have a virus. In addition to alleviating some metabolic side effects, it was hoped that this would lead to treatment protocols that do not require individuals with HIV to take daily medications.
“The various ideas have been presented,” says Baker. “Can you combine Capotrygavir every two months with LenacAPAVIR injection for six months [as a form of viral suppression]So, it will only come six times a year for treatment, and everything will be injected? There is a weekly antiviral pill in business, and can you combine this with injection for six months? This may be very free to people, because they tell us all the time how stigma is to take daily medications. “
However, many of these studies are now suspicious, as bekker says it was expected to be funded by American resources. “It is not just pepfar. As we are concerned about the restrictions that are placed on other types of research financing, such as the National Institutes of Health.” “It will be difficult to innovate and move forward forward.”
According to NGURE, there is still hope that other donors can show those who can support the World Fund in buying LenacAPAVIR, while bekker says it explores new options for financing HIV and research through European agencies, and perhaps donor financing from sources in Scandinavian countries, Japan Australia. At the same time, you believe that the events of last month have made it clear that African countries need to become able to finance protective efforts themselves.
“In some way, Africa needs to rise and contribute to the fighting,” she says. “I think this is the big question. To what extent we can also contribute to this continent through countries that have not necessarily cover a great deal of research and development but in the future you need this.”
At the same time, you are afraid that without the same resources coming from the United States, the unique opportunity can be lost by the Lenacapavir.
“It is incredible that this has happened exactly as we got a breakthrough,” she says. “I think this will bring us many years and eventually cost us a lot of spending on public health. Because in the end, if we can bring this epidemic under control more quickly, the planet will save more money in the long run, and provide lives as well.”