Gilead Partners With Pan American Health Organization on Lenacapavir Access for Latin America, Caribbean

Editor’s Take: The agreement addresses gaps in pre-exposure prophylaxis utilization amid a spike in HIV infections.

Gilead Sciences and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are accelerating access to lenacapavir in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The agreement concerns twice-yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), across all PAHO member states in these regions.

Involved countries are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Gilead and PAHO Build on Relationship

PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds help establish a coordinated regional pathway to expand access to long-acting HIV prevention. Furthermore, the partnership supports country-led efforts for adoption and implementation, amid broader endeavors to end the regions’ HIV epidemic.

Gilead says it has long-standing scientific and access efforts to address HIV incidence in Latin America and the Caribbean. Here, not only have infections increased by 13% from 2010 to 2024, but gaps in PrEP utilization also exist.

Lenacapavir a Top Priority

Johanna Mercier, Gilead Chief Commercial & Corporate Affairs Officer, says this shows commitment to move from innovation to real-world access. Gilead calls it a major milestone in its overall global lenacapavir access strategy.

“For decades, Gilead has worked alongside governments, public health organizations, and communities to expand access to HIV innovation,” Mercier said. “These strategic partnerships are essential to our ambition to help end the HIV epidemic. This agreement demonstrates how collaboration can help accelerate access, support country-led implementation, and create the conditions for sustainable scale.”

“The Americas today have increasingly effective tools to prevent HIV,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa, MD, PhD, said. “But these innovations will have an impact only if they reach the people who need them. This initiative is an important step toward reducing gaps in access to lenacapavir [and] expanding the prevention options available.”