UNAIDS welcomes expanded rollout of HIV prevention medicine and calls for urgent action to ensure equitable and affordable global access

GENEVA, 15 April 2026-UNAIDS commends the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the United States for their commitment to further increase access to long-acting HIV prevention medication. In a recent statement they pledged to increase their initial ambition of reaching 2 million with lenacapavir, twice yearly injections which prevent HIV, to reach 3 million people by 2028.

UNAIDS encourages all countries to continue this momentum to scale up HIV prevention efforts. -at least 20 million people need to be accessing antiretroviral-based prevention by 2030 to end AIDS as a public health threat as outlined in the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 and global targets for 2030.

"This expanded commitment is an important step forward, and we applaud the Global Fund and the United States for accelerating access to lenacapavir," said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "However, to end AIDS as a public health threat, we must urgently go further-by enabling large-scale generic manufacturing, especially on the African continent, lowering prices through transparent, equitable pricing frameworks that enable widespread uptake in low- and middle-income countries."

Lenacapavir has shown to be at least 96% effective in preventing HIV. To date deliveries have reached Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Many are already implementing the roll out to people at higher risk of HIV including adolescent girls and young women, pregnant women, and key populations including men who have sex with men and sex workers. UNAIDS continues to support countries and communities on the ground by helping to align policies to ensure access, affordability, and availability of this and other innovations.

UNAIDS urges immediate acceleration of technology transfer, clear production timelines, and expansion of licensing to additional manufacturers-particularly in Africa-to ensure sustainable and affordable supply at scale.

"Communities have waited too long for prevention options that meet their needs. Lenacapavir can be transformative-but only if it is accessible, affordable and available everywhere. We call on all partners to work together to break down barriers, speed up generic production, and invest in manufacturing, particularly in Africa which remains the epicentre of the epidemic, so that no one is left behind."

UNAIDS' new Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 lays out a path for collective action over the next five years and beyond. It aims to ensure that by 2030: 40 million people living with HIV are on HIV treatment and are virally suppressed; 20 million people are accessing antiretroviral-based HIV prevention options; and all people can access discrimination-free HIV-related services.

UNAIDS stresses that reaching 20 million people with antiretroviral-based HIV prevention options, including lenacapavir, by 2030 is critical to reduce new HIV infections, which remain unacceptably high at an estimated 1.3 million per year globally.

This moment represents a historic opportunity to transform HIV prevention. UNAIDS calls on governments, donors, manufacturers and communities to act with urgency and accountability to ensure lenacapavir reaches everyone who needs it, no matter where they live.