WHO Recommends Countries Use Lenacapavir For HIV Prevention

CNN (7/14, Howard) reports the World Health Organization issued a global recommendation “that countries include an HIV drug newly approved for prevention, lenacapavir, as a tool in their efforts to fight HIV infections – especially for groups most at risk and in areas where the burden of HIV remains high.” The recommendation, issued Monday at the International AIDS Conference in Rwanda, comes about a month after the FDA “approved lenacapavir as a twice-yearly injection for the prevention” of HIV. Gilead Sciences, maker of lenacapavir, announced last week “it reached an agreement with the nonprofit Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to supply lenacapavir for HIV prevention at no profit to the company.” Reuters (7/14, Roy) adds that 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 health care.” Meanwhile, the WHO on Monday “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.”