Generic versions of a breakthrough injectable HIV-prevention drug are set to become available for as little as $40 a year in more than 100 countries by 2027, Unitaid and the Gates Foundation announced on Wednesday, September 24.
The organisations said they had reached separate agreements with Indian pharmaceutical companies to manufacture affordable versions of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection shown to cut the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent. The drug, currently marketed in the United States under the brand name Yeztugo by California-based Gilead Sciences, costs around $28,000 annually.
Health advocates hailed the agreements as a turning point for global HIV prevention. “Far cheaper generic versions are really critical for the scale-up of prevention of HIV,” said Carmen Perez Casas, Unitaid’s strategic lead for HIV, in an interview with AFP. “Now, with this product, we can end HIV.”
In October last year, Gilead signed licensing deals with six generic manufacturers to produce and distribute the world’s first long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in low- and middle-income countries. Building on that, Unitaid confirmed Wednesday that it had partnered with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and Wits RHI to supply the drug at $40 per person annually in 120 nations beginning in 2027.
“The product is going to be at the beginning manufactured in India,” Perez Casas explained, while noting that plans were underway to expand regional production in the future.
The Gates Foundation separately announced a similar arrangement with Indian drugmaker Hetero. “Scientific advances like lenacapavir can help us end the HIV epidemic, if they are made accessible to people who can benefit from them the most,” said Trevor Mundel, head of global health at the Gates Foundation.
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UNAIDS data shows that while global HIV prevention efforts have reduced new infections by 40 percent since 2010, an estimated 1.3 million people contracted the virus in 2024. Campaigners argue that affordable access to lenacapavir could accelerate progress toward ending the epidemic.
Pending the rollout of generic versions, an interim agreement between Gilead and the Global Fund will support access to lower-cost supplies in poorer countries. Earlier this month, Washington confirmed it would uphold a 2024 commitment to finance the project, protecting it from budget cuts under President Donald Trump’s foreign aid policy shift.
Following US regulatory approval of Yeztugo in June, the initiative aims to deliver the first doses to at least one African country by the end of this year, paving the way for a wider rollout before generics become available in 2027.
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