The World Health Organization has recommended that countries include the newly approved HIV drug 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 global recommendation, issued Monday (July 14) at the International AIDS Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, comes about a month after the US Food and Drug Administration approved lenacapavir as a twice-yearly injection for the prevention of the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.
Lenacapavir was approved in 2022 to treat certain HIV infections and in trials for prevention, it was found to dramatically reduce the risk of infection and provide almost total protection against HIV.
Lenacapavir (brand names Sunlenca for treatment, Yeztugo for prevention) is a long‑acting capsid inhibitor that has redefined HIV prevention.
Administered via injection just twice a year, it works by targeting the structural protein (capsid) of the HIV, blocking its ability to replicate in the body.
Dr. Meg Doherty, director of WHO’s Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes, said, “These new recommendations are designed for real-world use. WHO is working closely with countries and partners to support the implementation.”
Doherty added, “The first recommendation is that a long-acting injectable, lenacapavir, should be offered as an additional prevention choice for people at risk for HIV and as part of combination prevention. With that, we call it a strong recommendation with moderate to high certainty of the evidence.”
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The second recommendation in the guidelines is that rapid diagnostic tests like at-home tests can be used to screen someone for HIV when they are starting, continuing or stopping long-acting medication to prevent infection, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
Health leaders, including WHO’s Director‑General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, touted lenacapavir as “the next best thing” to an HIV vaccine.
