A new HIV prevention drug will soon be made available at a much lower cost in over 100 low-income countries. This move is expected to give millions of people access to the breakthrough treatment and could bring the world closer to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The drug, called Lenacapavir, is given by injection. It was set to be rolled out at the end of this year at a cost of about $28,000 (£20,000) per person each year.
However, Wednesday’s announcement revealed that the price will be reduced to just $40 per year — which is only 0.1% of the original cost. The cheaper version will be introduced in 2027 across 120 low- and middle-income countries.
Scientists explain that the drug works by stopping the virus from multiplying inside the body’s cells.
The price cut was made possible through an agreement between the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Gates Foundation, and other partners, including South Africa’s Wits RHI research institute.
Professor Saiqa Mullick of Wits RHI told reporters that affordable HIV prevention is a necessity, not a luxury, for low- and middle-income countries. She said Lenacapavir could transform prevention efforts, especially for young people and vulnerable communities who find regular clinic visits difficult.
She added that the next step is to work with communities and governments to raise awareness, build demand, and prepare health systems so countries are ready to use the drug quickly and on a large scale.
Lenacapavir has already shown strong results in trials. In July, the World Health Organization gave it official backing for HIV prevention.
The injection is given twice a year and provides six months of protection against HIV infection each time.
Experts believe long-lasting injections like Lenacapavir could reduce new infections in high-risk groups such as adolescent girls, young women, LGBT people, sex workers, and people who use drugs.
It is expected to replace the current HIV prevention drug known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which is taken as a daily pill. PrEP also costs $40 a year but has limitations — many people find it hard to take the pill every day, and in some communities, its use carries stigma. According to the Gates Foundation, only 18% of those who could benefit from PrEP currently use it.
Lenacapavir was approved this year by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission.
Last year, the US drug company Gilead announced that its Lenacapavir trial had a 100% success rate.
The cheaper, generic version of the drug still needs regulatory approval, but it is expected to be available within 18 months.
One study suggests that if just 4% of the population uses Lenacapavir, it could prevent up to 20% of new HIV infections.
Scientists say the drug can both protect people from contracting HIV and treat those already living with the virus.
The announcement comes at a challenging time for global health, especially the fight against HIV/AIDS, following funding cuts by the US government’s foreign aid programme, USAID, under the Trump administration.
Currently, more than 40 million people around the world are living with HIV. While global efforts have reduced new infections and AIDS-related deaths since 2000, about 1.3 million people contracted HIV last year, and over 600,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses.
South Africa, which has nearly eight million people living with HIV — the highest in the world — will be among the countries to access the new affordable drug.
The South African Department of Health told the BBC it supports all efforts to make life-saving treatments like Lenacapavir available at affordable rates to low- and middle-income countries.
