WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Gilead's twice-yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention showed 96% efficacy reduction in HIV infections, surpassing daily Truvada in Phase 3 trials. The company aims to ensure broad, sustainable access in high-incidence, resource-limited countries, pursuing a robust voluntary licensing program. Regulatory filings for lenacapavir for PrEP are planned by end of 2024, with a focus on high-incidence, low-resource countries. Pricing for lenacapavir for PrEP is yet to be determined, with a commitment to access pricing in high-incidence, resource-limited countries.

Lenacapavir, an HIV treatment, reduced infection risk by 96% in a Phase 3 trial, proving 89% more effective than Truvada. The trial's success led to early unblinding, allowing all participants access to lenacapavir. Gilead plans to use trial data for drug approval in multiple countries by year-end, prioritizing high-incidence, low-resource regions.

Liraglutide (Saxenda) is safe and effective for children aged 6-12 in reducing BMI, per SCALE Kids trial results presented at EASD. Published in NEJM, the study shows a 7.4% BMI reduction compared to placebo, with improvements in blood pressure and blood sugar control. Liraglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is the first to be studied for pediatric obesity treatment.

Heersink School of Medicine awarded nine staff members the 2024 Dean’s Excellence Awards for Staff, recognizing their exceptional contributions to education, clinical care, and research.

Europe approves sotatercept (Winrevair; Merck) as a combination treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in World Health Organization Functional Class II to III patients, following FDA approval. Based on the Phase 3 STELLAR trial, sotatercept improved exercise capacity, reduced risk of death or clinical worsening, and improved functional class. The drug, a first activin signaling inhibitor, is administered subcutaneously every 3 weeks.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, implements five initiatives to improve health equity in gynecological care, including cervical cancer prevention, global health education, mapping cancer genes, clinical trial access, and using big data to target disease burden.

HGP2 aims to sequence >1% of the world population (80M individuals from >100 countries) and contribute 50,000 T2T phased diploid reference genomes to a Human Pangenome Project. It will define standards for integrating multi-omics into precision medicine and create large multi-omics cohorts (>0.1% of the world population). HGP2 will implement clinically actionable reporting and intervention for all sequenced genomes, conduct health economics studies, catalog genetic and multi-omic variation, clarify clinical relevance, and embed findings into clinical practice. It will address economic, organizational, infrastructural, scientific, and ELSI challenges through international collaboration and funding initiatives.

The 2024 NIDA International Forum, held in Montreal, featured over 200 attendees from 73 countries, focusing on addiction research, treatment, and policy. Key sessions included updates on NIDA's strategic priorities, discussions on drug policy reforms, medical cannabis education, opioid stigma in pharmacies, and real-world interventions. The event also highlighted international research collaborations and the importance of addressing substance use in humanitarian settings.