The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday recommended Gilead’s lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection, as a tool to prevent HIV infection.
The recommendation, issued at the International Aids Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, comes nearly a month after the US health regulator approved the drug, giving patients new hope of interrupting virus transmission.
The twice-yearly injectable offers a long-acting alternative to daily oral pills and other shorter-acting options, reshaping the response to the disease especially among those who face challenges with daily adherence, stigma or access to healthcare.
“While an HIV vaccine remains elusive, lenacapavir is the next best thing,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO’s recommendations come at a critical moment as HIV prevention efforts stagnate, with 1.3-million new HIV infections in 2024 as funding challenges and stigma about the disease persist.
The infections disproportionately affect populations such as:
- Sex workers.
- Men who have sex with men.
- Transgender people.
- People who inject drugs.
- People in prisons.
- Children and adolescents.
WHO has also recommended a public health approach to HIV testing using HIV rapid tests that would remove a major access barrier by eliminating complex and costly procedures.
Lenacapavir, part of a class of drugs known as capsid inhibitors, proved nearly 100% effective at preventing HIV in large trials last year.
Reuters
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