WHO adds twice-yearly lenacapavir to HIV prevention options
The July 2025 guidance expanded prevention choices while emphasizing testing, delivery and access.
News report
The World Health Organization recommended injectable lenacapavir as an additional HIV prevention option on July 14, 2025. The twice-yearly approach adds another choice to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, alongside existing prevention methods.
The recommendation followed clinical evidence of high effectiveness in reducing HIV acquisition and was announced during an international HIV science conference in Kigali. WHO emphasized that a longer-acting option could help people whose circumstances make daily pills difficult to sustain.
Lenacapavir used for prevention is an antiretroviral medicine, not a vaccine or a cure for established HIV infection. The U.S. prescribing information for Yeztugo describes its use for eligible HIV-negative adults and adolescents at risk of acquiring HIV. It includes a warning about resistance if it is used in people with undiagnosed infection.
Testing therefore remains part of the delivery system, rather than a detail separate from the medicine. WHO’s guideline also addresses HIV testing for people starting or continuing long-acting injectable PrEP. The development does not remove the need for health services, follow-up or other appropriate prevention choices.
The July 2025 milestone is a recommendation to expand available options. It does not mean the product immediately became affordable or accessible everywhere. WHO’s framework places it within combination prevention, allowing programmes to consider preferences and practical delivery. The potential gain is a broader set of ways to prevent infection, supported by reliable testing and continuing care.
Sources
- WHO recommends injectable lenacapavir for prevention — 2025-07-14
- WHO lenacapavir and testing guideline — 2025-07-14
- FDA: Yeztugo prescribing information — 2025-06
