(Science) – Developing lenacapavir, the drug newly approved to protect against HIV for six months in one shot, took basic science, sophisticated chemistry, and perseverance

The approval caps a tortuous, 2-decade-long scientific journey for Gilead Sciences, a pharma company specializing in HIV drugs. Lenacapavir blocks an HIV protein that scientists initially thought was not a suitable drug target, and finding a molecule that was both potent and stable enough took many years and more resources than Gilead had ever invested in a drug development program. “The project almost died multiple times,” says Stephen Yant, a virologist on Gilead’s development team.

But management had difficulty killing the project, says one director of development who did not want to be named, because the team was always “one atom away” from success. (Read More)