Prime Highlights
- The Global Fund and the U.S. are targeting 3 million people with lenacapavir by 2028, expanding access across 21 countries in total.
- Doctors Without Borders warned that the expanded rollout is insufficient, calling it a tiny fraction of what is truly needed to fight the HIV epidemic.
Key Facts
- The Global Fund is an international partnership that funds programmes to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria worldwide.
- Lenacapavir is a twice-yearly injection that eliminates the need for daily HIV prevention pills.
Background
The United States and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria are joining hands with Gilead Sciences to expand access to lenacapavir, a new HIV prevention drug. The two organizations set a goal to reach 3 million people by the year 2028.
The Global Fund announced that initial supplies of the drug have already reached nine African countries. It also plans to extend the programme to 12 more countries, including the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Indonesia, Morocco, Rwanda, and Thailand.
In mid-last year, the Global Fund and Gilead agreed to supply lenacapavir to low-income countries, with enough doses to cover up to 2 million people over three years.
Lenacapavir is a twice-yearly injection given under the skin. It addresses key challenges linked to daily oral PrEP pills, such as missed doses and inconsistent supply. Early programme data shows strong uptake among pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescent girls, young women, and first-time users.
Gilead has issued voluntary licences to multiple manufacturers to produce affordable generic versions of the drug, which is expected to support wider access in the future.
However, Doctors Without Borders raised concerns, saying the expanded access falls far short of what is needed. The director of its Southern Africa Medical Unit said reaching one million more people over three years is a small fraction of what is required to meaningfully reduce the HIV epidemic.
