LEN is injected under the skin of the abdomen once every six months to prevent HIV in a negative person /HANDOUT
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched a campaign demanding that the highly effective HIV prevention medicine Lenacapavir is widely accessible across the globe.
In a statement on Wednesday, MSF called on governments to use available resources and help manufacturers boost the global supply and further reduce prices.
MSF further stated that the drugs supply have been restricted to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
In the US, the drug costs over $28,000 per patient annually, making it unaffordable for most people globally.
“Millions of people need lenacapavir right now,” MSF’s Southern Africa Medical Unit (SAMU) director Dr Tom Ellman said.
“In the early days of HIV/AIDS, we were left empty-handed in places like South Africa as pharmaceutical corporations sold their antiretrovirals to the highest bidders. We know how this ended: we saw our patients with HIV die, and entire communities were devastated. We can’t let history repeat itself with this transformative prevention medicine. Gilead and governments must do more to increase access to this medicine for people everywhere.”
MSF said the HIV prevention medicine must be available for $40 per year, everywhere.
Lenacapavir is a long-acting injectable form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) administered just twice a year that is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing someone from acquiring HIV.
It is especially valuable for people at heightened risk, including men who represent themselves with different genders, transgender individuals, people who use injectable drugs, and sex workers.
It is also a critical tool for people on the move, people living in remote areas with few health care options, and people caught in humanitarian emergencies. About 1.2 million people worldwide acquired HIV in 2025.
Long-acting injectable Lenacapavir is emerging as one of the most powerful new tools in HIV prevention.
The drug, also called LEN, is injected under the skin of the abdomen once every six months to prevent HIV in a negative person.
Each injection contains just one to 2 ml of liquid, manufacturers say. This is a small amount that can fit inside a bottle cap.
The drug works by blocking a key outer shell of the HIV virus called the capsid, which the virus needs to enter human cells and multiply. Blocking this shell, it stops HIV from taking control of your body’s immune cells and spreading.
The main trials that prove the drug prevents HIV infection were called PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2, and were conducted between 2021 and 2024.
