Rajesh Didiya
Bhaktapur. Long-acting injectable lenacapavir (LEN) continues to demonstrate promising results for HIV prevention, particularly in diverse populations.
Recent findings from the PURPOSE-2 trial, announced in September 2024, show that LEN significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition, offering a 96% reduction compared to background HIV incidence.
LEN, administered via subcutaneous injection twice a year, was highly effective among cisgender men, transgender men, transgender women, and gender non-binary individuals who have sex with partners assigned male at birth.
The trial enrolled over 3,200 participants across multiple countries and compared LEN with daily oral TDF/FTC (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine). Results showed that only two new HIV cases were recorded among those receiving LEN, compared to nine new cases in participants using TDF/FTC.
The efficacy of LEN, combined with its convenience of biannual dosing, offers a significant advantage over daily oral PrEP, especially for individuals facing challenges with adherence due to stigma, pill fatigue, or access issues.
These findings build upon earlier data from the PURPOSE-1 trial, which demonstrated zero HIV infections among cisgender women in sub-Saharan Africa who received LEN. Together, the results from both trials suggest that LEN has the potential to transform global HIV prevention efforts, offering a new option to populations at high risk.
WHO has expressed optimism about these results and is working towards issuing new guidelines for LEN use following a full scientific peer review.
The organization is collaborating with international partners and pharmaceutical companies to ensure the affordable and equitable distribution of LEN, contributing to an expanding toolkit of HIV prevention options alongside other methods like the dapivirine ring and long-acting cabotegravir.
