Doctors Without Borders demands cheaper HIV protection
A drug can prevent HIV with two injections per year. But Lenacapavir is too expensive for many people. At the World AIDS Conference in Rio, access to the drug is therefore also a topic.
Rio de Janeiro.
Doctors Without Borders is demanding a drastically lower price for the drug Lenacapavir to prevent HIV infection. "No one should be excluded from HIV prevention just because a drug is artificially kept expensive," said Melissa Scharwey, global health expert at Doctors Without Borders, at the start of the World AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro. The organization is demanding a price of about US$40 per person per year and widespread production of cheaper generic drugs.
According to Doctors Without Borders, the US pharmaceutical company Gilead currently charges US$28,000 for an annual dose of Lenacapavir with two injections. However, this price applies to the treatment of people already infected with HIV in the US, not for preventive use. For health systems in low- and middle-income countries, such a price is unaffordable, the organization criticizes.
Two injections instead of daily tablets
Lenacapavir is injected twice a year for HIV prevention and can thus be an alternative to daily tablets for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Daily intake is difficult for many people because they live in conflict zones, refugee camps, and remote rural areas.
1.2 million new infections worldwide
According to the Action Against AIDS alliance, around 1.2 million people worldwide are newly infected with HIV each year, and about 570,000 people die from AIDS. For the first time, more than half of new infections are now occurring outside sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the global fight against HIV is under pressure due to a sharp decline in international health funding.
The World AIDS Conference takes place from July 26 to 31 in Rio de Janeiro. Scientists, politicians, companies, activists, and representatives of affected groups will discuss the future of the global fight against HIV. Access to Lenacapavir is one of the central topics of the meeting. (dpa)
