The Daily Populous Friday April 24th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by statnews.com and submitted by Krankenitrate

Ed Silverman, a senior writer and Pharmalot columnist at STAT, has been covering the pharmaceutical industry for nearly three decades. He is also the author of the morning Pharmalittle newsletter and the afternoon Pharmalot newsletter .

An experimental HIV prevention pill being developed by Merck could be mass produced for less than $5 per patient a year according to a new analysis, and the researchers argue the low cost means the company should find it easier to license the drug so that low- and middle-income countries can gain easy access.

The pill, dubbed MK 8527, is currently undergoing a pair of late-stage clinical trials that are expected to determine whether the medicine can lower HIV transmission when given to people at high risk of infection. The results are due in the latter half of 2027, according to separate postings on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Already, the pill is generating considerable interest after Merck released mid-stage results last summer showing its drug holds promise. In addition to being safe and effective, the study found it could protect against infection, a form of prevention known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, within 24 hours after being taken. Merck noted the pill works in a novel way.

winpickles4life on April 24th, 2026 at 02:02 UTC »

So $12,000 per dose

sudomatrix on April 24th, 2026 at 02:00 UTC »

Not so fast UpliftingNews… they said $5/year to MAKE, not that they will charge $5/year. This is going to be very expensive; it’s life or death and they will make people pay.

xcircledotdotdot on April 24th, 2026 at 01:58 UTC »

Prepare to pay 1000/pill so the pharmacy overlords can buy their second yacht.