IAPAC Urges Gilead Sciences to Further Expand Lenacapavir Access
Statement by Dr. José M. Zuniga, President/CEO
3 October 2024 ▪ Washington, DC
Gilead Science’s announcement to make a generic version of injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention available in multiple countries is a significant step forward in our global efforts to end the HIV epidemic. However, the decision not to include certain regions, notably Latin America, raises serious concerns about health equity. Access to life-saving HIV prevention innovations should not be determined geographically. We must work towards a global standard of care where everyone, everywhere, has the same opportunity to avoid acquiring HIV, regardless of where they call home.
Expanding access to lenacapavir and other HIV prevention tools is a matter of public health and a public good. Universal access to these tools is critical if we are to meet global targets and eliminate HIV as a public health threat. The widespread availability of injectable lenacapavir could make a considerable impact in reducing new HIV infections, but only if it is truly accessible to all populations at risk, without exclusion based on geography. We urge Gilead Sciences and all manufacturers of HIV technologies to ensure that their innovations reach everyone who needs them, without exception.
However, access to medications alone is not enough. For HIV prevention to be effective, we must also strengthen and expand the HIV workforce and provide ongoing support to community-led initiatives to reach vulnerable populations. The slow pace of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) scale up is in part due to a strained health workforce that requires augmentation by primary care providers and community health workers. Additionally, too many individuals still face stigma, discrimination, and social barriers, such as poverty and lack of stable housing, that prevent them from accessing and utilizing HIV prevention services. These social determinants of health must be addressed in tandem with expanding access to prevention tools if we are to make real progress in the fight against HIV.
Ending the HIV epidemic is a whole-of-society priority. All health science corporations, whether manufacturing pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, or other health technologies, have a responsibility to ensure their products are equitably distributed. Universal access and the elimination of disparities must guide every aspect of the HIV response if we are to meet our global HIV goals and targets by 2030. We are certain that Gilead Sciences, which has taken an important first step towards expanding access to lenacapavir, will heed the HIV community call for further expanded access to this highly effective prevention tool if it aims to fulfill its stated mission of “delivering transformative therapies and advancing health equity.”
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Representing 30,000 members, IAPAC is the largest association of clinicians and allied health professionals working to end the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis, as well as eliminate HBV and HCV, by 2030. IAPAC is also a core technical partner to the 550+ Fast-Track Cities network and the Secretariat for its Fast-Track Cities Institute. For more information about IAPAC, please visit: https://www.iapac.org/
