# Accelerating Access to Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention
Insights and tools from the Fiocruz study in Brazil will help guide rollout strategies within the country and across Latin America.This work will strengthen ongoing efforts to reach populations most affected by HIV and will be essential for establishing lasting access in regions not yet covered by originator access policies. urgent solutions are needed to ensure these innovations can play their full role in ending the HIV epidemic.
Making new medicines widely available in low- and middle-income countries can take up to a decade or longer as regulatory approvals must be obtained, manufacturing must be secured, and prices must come down. Global momentum behind lenacapavir has set the drug on a rapid trajectory: South Africa registered the drug in record time in late October, followed by Zambia in November, and the first doses have already been delivered in zambia and Eswatini through The Global Fund and PEPFAR. Broader rollout in early adopter countries is expected in early 2026.
In parallel, Unitaid, Wits RHI and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), announced in September a landmark pricing agreement wiht Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories to manufacture generic lenacapavir for US$40 per person per year by 2027, and are working with Ministries of Health and other partners to support lenacapavir introduction and demand generation in countries preparing for rollout.
Together,these efforts are supporting countries to deliver lenacapavir faster and more effectively. Unitaid remains committed to work with countries and partners to address outstanding access barriers.
### About this implementation research
The studies build on Unitaid’s long-standing investments in HIV prevention, which have supported the introduction of oral PrEP, the dapivirine vaginal ring, and long-acting cabotegravir. In collaboration with Gilead Sciences,Inc., these studies use product provided by Gilead, and this research focuses on how best to integrate lenacapavir into existing HIV and primary health care services as a PrEP options.They explore practical questions that shape how quickly and effectively programs can scale up – from which delivery models work best for diffrent groups, including adolescent girls and young women, as well as men who have sex with men, transgender women, and other populations affected by HIV, to how health workers can be trained and supported to deliver the injectable safely and confidently. The studies also look at what drives people’s choices and continued use of different PrEP options.
To study these aims and ensure services reach those most at risk, Wits RHI is integrating lenacapavir into primary health care services in Department of Health clinics and deploying a mobile clinic to educational institutions and community hotspots and engaging peer educators to link young people – especially adolescent girls and young women – to HIV prevention. The team is also using digital platforms that reach more than 200,000 people each month, providing facts and support to help individuals make informed choices about HIV prevention. In Brazil, Fiocruz is integrating lenacapavir into clinic settings in seven cities, including a mobile unit designed to reduce barriers to healthcare access for vulnerable populations.The project focuses on reaching men who have sex with men, transgender and non-binary persons, including adolescents, and will use peer invitations to help generate demand and an “mHealth” intervention to support decision making.
The work is being carried out in close partnership with South africa’s national department of Health and