A few weeks ago, Grant Ogren and Rhea Ashby-Durall, the executive director and the outreach manager of SAN (formerly Spokane AIDS Network), met with their representative from Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company known for its antiviral drugs that treat and prevent HIV and AIDS.
It was an impromptu meeting meant for the trio to catch up, but it soon turned out to be one of the most exciting they’ve had in the last decade.
As they began chatting in SAN’s cozy Sprague Avenue office, Ogren says the representative alluded to a medical milestone that was on its way, but said she couldn’t spill the beans just yet. Moments later, however, the big announcement came through — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved a twice-yearly injection of the drug lenacapavir (Yeztugo) to prevent HIV…