WHO Urges Global Expansion of Lenacapavir Access Amid Funding Cuts on World AIDS Day

Sharp reductions in international funding this year have caused major disruptions to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on governments and partners to urgently scale up access to new WHO-approved HIV prevention tools, including lenacapavir (LEN), amid ongoing disruptions caused by cuts to international funding. Announced on World AIDS Day 2025, this appeal highlights the need for rapid action to protect vulnerable populations and maintain progress against the global HIV epidemic.

Despite dramatic reductions in foreign aid, the global HIV response gained momentum in 2025 with the introduction and WHO prequalification of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). LEN offers a highly effective, long-acting alternative to daily oral pills, helping people who face challenges with adherence, stigma, and limited access to healthcare. In July 2025, WHO released new guidelines recommending LEN as an additional PrEP option, enabling countries to implement this transformative intervention for populations at highest risk.

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Funding Cuts Disrupt HIV Prevention

Sharp reductions in international funding this year have caused major disruptions to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services. Community-led programs, including traditional PrEP services and harm reduction initiatives for people who inject drugs, have been scaled back or halted in several countries.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgent need to protect at-risk communities:

“We face significant challenges with cuts to international funding and prevention stalling. At the same time, we have significant opportunities with new tools that can change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic. Expanding access to these tools for people at risk must be priority number one.”

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Key Statistics Highlight Urgent Needs

• In 2024, 1.3 million new HIV infections occurred globally, with prevention efforts stagnating.

• Almost 49% of new infections were among key populations: sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender women, people who inject drugs, and their sexual partners.

• Infection risk is disproportionately high: transgender women (17x), men who have sex with men (18x), and people who inject drugs (34x) compared with the general population.

• Globally, 40.8 million people are living with HIV, with 630,000 HIV-related deaths.

• The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition estimates that 2.5 million people lost access to PrEP in 2025 due solely to donor funding cuts.

These disruptions threaten the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

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Momentum Through Innovation

Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs, stressed the importance of pairing medical innovations with decisive action and community engagement:

“By removing structural barriers and supporting key populations, we can ensure full access to life-saving HIV services.”

Lenacapavir has already received WHO prequalification (6 October 2025) and national approvals in South Africa (27 October), Zimbabwe (27 November), and Zambia (4 November), facilitated through the WHO Collaborative Registration Procedure (CRP). WHO is collaborating with global partners including CIFF, the Gates Foundation, Global Fund, and Unitaid to ensure affordable access.

LEN’s long-acting formulation is expected to improve adherence, reduce stigma, and broaden HIV prevention coverage in key and vulnerable populations.

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Integrating HIV Services into Primary Health Care

WHO stresses that ending the AIDS epidemic requires a rights-driven, evidence-based, and fully integrated approach under primary health care systems. Strengthening health systems, increasing domestic investment, and protecting human rights will help countries safeguard past gains. Community leadership remains central to advancing prevention, ensuring no population is left behind despite global funding challenges.

WHO calls on governments and partners to prioritize scaling up LEN and other innovative HIV prevention tools, supporting communities at risk, and protecting the hard-won progress of the past decades.