HIV prevention drug hailed as breakthrough, but who gets access?
Summary
A new injectable HIV prevention drug called lenacapavir, given twice a year, showed perfect effectiveness in a 2024 study with young women in South Africa and Uganda. Though the drug is approved and seen as a major breakthrough, access to affordable versions is limited in many countries due to licensing and cost issues, just as global HIV funding is shrinking.Key Facts
- Lenacapavir is an injectable drug that prevents HIV with high effectiveness.
- A 2024 trial with over 2,000 young women in South Africa and Uganda found no HIV infections among those using lenacapavir.
- The World Health Organization recommends lenacapavir as a new form of HIV prevention called PrEP.
- Global funding for HIV prevention dropped by 18% in 2025, reducing the number of people receiving prevention medicine.
- The drug costs about $28,000 per person per year in the United States but generic versions could cost about $40 annually.
- The US approved lenacapavir for HIV prevention in June 2025, offering twice-yearly injections.
- Gilead, the company making lenacapavir, provides it at no profit for some HIV programs in Africa but generic versions won’t be widely available until 2027.
- Many middle-income countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru, are excluded from affordable generic licensing, despite having high numbers of new HIV infections.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
