Since the identification of HIV in 1983, the role of community non-profit organizations in prevention, care, and working toward an eventual cure has been critical. As innovations emerge, such as improvements in antiretroviral treatments and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication, these community organizations work to educate the public and provide treatments and preventive measures to those who need them most.
Hope & Help of Central Florida is one such organization, serving the Central Florida area since 1988. Now, they are at the forefront of helping Central Florida benefit from the latest innovation in HIV prevention: lenacapavir.
A new option offers PrEP with less burden
PrEP for HIV hit the market under the brand name Truvada in 2012. Since then, scientists have been working on alleviating the daily pill burden of the early PrEP medications. They have succeeded with lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection that blocks HIV’s protective shell, called a capsid, stopping the virus from entering and replicating within cells.
The FDA approved lenacapavir just this year, and it will soon be available under the brand name Yeztugo. In trials, known as PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2, lenacapavir demonstrated striking results, with disease infection prevention rates reaching nearly 100 percent among women and 96 percent among men, leading international experts to call it one of the most significant advances in the fight against HIV in decades.
For Hope & Help, this giant leap forward for HIV prevention is an exciting development. “Lenacapavir is a safe and effective PrEP option per the FDA,” says Hope & Help CEO Thresa Giles. “The twice-yearly injection option removes one of the largest barriers for HIV prevention: remembering to take a pill and stay on schedule.”
Expanded affordability, primary care assistance, and access
With Yeztugo hitting the market, concerns about accessibility and affordability are sure to follow. Part of Hope & Help’s mission includes expanding access to the newest preventative measures and treatments for HIV and AIDS. The organization works with vulnerable communities that face ongoing barriers to access to breakthrough medications and treatments.
“It’s not just vulnerable populations that see barriers to access to these new preventative medications,” explains Giles. “There are also geographic hurdles to overcome and an ongoing stigma that surrounds HIV to contend with.”
There are also cost concerns, with brand-name Yeztugo’s list price sitting at an astronomical $29,000 a year. However, a generic version of the medication is set to be available by 2027 for around $40 per person annually, though it remains to be seen whether this more affordable version will be available in the United States right away.
Hope & Help works hard to stay abreast of every shift in the accessibility and affordability of emerging preventative medications like lenacapavir. “It’s our job to make sure the communities most impacted by HIV, such as Black and Latino men and women, can benefit from such incredible breakthroughs,” says Giles.
A legacy of compassion and patient empowerment in FL
Hope & Help has been around long enough to witness numerous innovations and improvements aimed at eliminating HIV once and for all. Founded as a direct response to the various community needs during the AIDS crisis, Hope & Help is not just an HIV clinic in Orlando, but one of Florida’s most comprehensive HIV and STD service organizations, serving thousands across Orlando, Tampa, and surrounding regions.
As both a healthcare clinic and a network of community resources, Hope & Help offers free HIV testing and other testing for STIs such as hepatitis, free condoms, access to PrEP, prevention education and medical care, syringe exchange programs, condom mail delivery, peer mentorship, telehealth appointments, and case management. The organization offers judgment-free healthcare with services in English and Spanish, accessible and patient-centered care even for the uninsured, and inclusive outreach designed to meet people where they are emotionally as well as geographically.
Hope & Help’s High Impact Prevention Program uses evidence-based interventions to reach those at highest risk and need for HIV services, including men who have sex with men, transgender and nonbinary people, and those who inject drugs. The organization also partners with local businesses through its Business Response to AIDS initiative, promoting HIV and STI education and condom distribution in neighborhoods most in need.
Hope & Help’s leadership and volunteers see lenacapavir as another tool in its prevention and treatment tool belt, one that will help prevent more cases of HIV from hitting the Central Florida area. As the organization’s team weaves the use of lenacapavir into their care approach, they understand that this simplification of prevention measures could lead to a turning point in an area of the United States that sees some of the highest rates of HIV.
A future of wellness without HIV
Lenacapavir is a monumental advancement for HIV prevention. With the help of community organizations like Hope & Help and providers, those who need access to preventative measures like lenacapavir the most will have the ability to protect themselves and others.
As HIV prevention evolves, the release of lenacapavir stands as a milestone moment. Hope & Help’s role is to act as a bridge between these breakthrough preventative measures and the vulnerable populations who can most benefit from their use.