Gilead announces new lenacapavir clinical trial in Europe

Gilead announced PURPOSE 5, the first Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate an investigational long-acting HIV prevention option in Europe. The study will assess the persistence-defined as consistent and continuous use-of lenacapavir compared with emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or F/TDF, in people who may benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and who are not currently taking PrEP. The study has an intentional focus on recruiting participants from groups across France and the United Kingdom that are disproportionally affected by HIV and often underrepresented in clinical trials. At this time, it is estimated that less than 15% of people in Europe who could benefit from PrEP are accessing PrEP options. Current PrEP options may not meet the diverse needs of everyone who could benefit from PrEP, hindering the potential impact those medicines could have on reducing new infections.