US and Global Funds Increase Commitment to Long-Term HIV Prevention as Drug Rollout Accelerates in Individual Countries – Update

The U.S. and Global Funds are increasing their commitment to long-term HIV prevention as country rollouts speed up

April 14, 2026

– The United States and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the “Global Fund”) today announced a broader commitment to expand access to long-acting lenacapavir (LEN) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), with the goal of reaching a further 1 million people over the subsequent three years. Building on the unique commitment, this can bring the full shared goal to three million people through LEN by 2028.

“This expanded engagement with the United States reflects both the scale of the opportunity and the urgency of the moment,” he said. “Long-acting lenacapavir has the potential to reshape HIV prevention by overcoming some of the structural challenges that have long limited its use. The challenge now is to translate scientific advances into broad, equitable access – quickly and at scale.”

LEN is a long-acting, twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug that has been shown to be almost 100% effective in stopping recent HIV infections in clinical trials. By offering a highly effective, discreet and user-friendly alternative to each day oral PrEP, LEN has the potential to significantly reduce recent infections and transform prevention efforts.

This recent milestone comes as countries begin implementing LEN, a crucial step towards expanding access to the subsequent generation of HIV prevention tools. The first deliveries reached nine African countries: Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

As of today, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe have began rolling out LEN, and other early adopters will begin rolling out the service soon. Early data from this system indicates that uptake is especially high amongst priority populations, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescent girls and young women, and first-time PrEP users, highlighting LEN’s potential to succeed in individuals who haven’t previously used preventive care. Data continues to be collected and consolidated as programs scale across countries.

Building on this momentum, the Global Fund has also expanded support for the rollout of LEN PrEP to 12 additional countries: Benin, Botswana, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Georgia, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda and Thailand – reflecting the strong and growing global demand for long-acting HIV prevention options.

Gilead Sciences has granted several manufacturers voluntary licenses to supply generic versions of LEN, helping to pave the way in which for expanded and cheaper supplies. This milestone comes after the Global Fund launched a worldwide call for expressions of interest (EOI) [ download in English ] for manufacturers to submit their LEN PrEP products for review by the Expert Panel – a crucial step towards accelerating the provision of quality-assured generic products and increasing global supply capability in the approaching months. At the identical time, early deliveries of the unique product proceed to reach in countries.

“This is a key moment in the fight against HIV,” he said. “We are delighted that the first deliveries have already been made on schedule in nine countries. This reflects the close collaboration between partners and a shared commitment to move quickly. By expanding our supplier base to both originator and generic manufacturers, we are working to ensure sustainable and affordable access at scale.”

Countries in lots of regions have expressed strong interest in introducing LEN as a part of their HIV prevention strategies, reflecting the necessity for more discreet, long-acting options that can assist overcome adherence issues related to each day oral PrEP.

“The level of domestic demand we are seeing is both encouraging and urgent,” he said. “Countries recognize the transformative potential of LEN to reach populations that have not been adequately served by existing tools. Our focus now is on supporting rapid, responsible rollout – ensuring programs are ready to go and communities can benefit from them as quickly as possible.”

The Global Fund works closely with countries, partners and producers to make sure implementation is fair, effective and consistent with national strategies. Community-led organizations play a key role in supporting implementation, constructing trust, raising awareness and driving uptake amongst probably the most at-risk populations. The organization goals to significantly increase supply through a two-pronged approach – supporting each the unique product and accelerating the introduction of quality-guaranteed generic medicines to the market, with increased availability expected already in 2027.

Welcoming the launch of LEN in Eswatini, the national organization said: “Lenacapavir represents a breakthrough in HIV prevention, particularly for communities that face barriers to daily adherence to treatment. As one of the countries preparing for early rollout, Eswatini is committed to ensuring this innovation reaches those who need it most. By expanding access to long-acting prevention, we aim to significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections and accelerate progress in eliminating HIV as a public health threat.” We value the Global Fund and the United States’ partnership in helping us act quickly and effectively.”

Today’s announcement underscores the Global Fund’s commitment to accelerating access to modern health technologies and ensuring that life-saving tools reach the communities most affected by HIV. These efforts are made possible by strong partnerships, including with the United States and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), that help expand access to this breakthrough prevention tool.