WHO welcomes the news that long-acting injectable lenacapavir as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in preventing HIV acquisition in women. This represents a significant breakthrough in HIV prevention.

The full results of the PURPOSE 1 trial, presented at the 25th International AIDS Conference, demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the long-acting injectable antiretroviral drug lenacapavir (LEN) for PrEP in HIV-negative cisgender women. LEN is a HIV-1 capsid inhibitor that is delivered by subcutaneous injection twice a year for HIV prevention. The PURPOSE 1 study showed zero new infections among those taking LEN.

LEN has the potential to further increase the range of effective and acceptable prevention choices available to women, overcome challenges including those related to effective use of oral tablets and improve uptake and use of prevention.

While WHO is excited by these results, there remain several important issues to address...Read More