Gilead Sciences and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have reached a new agreement aimed at accelerating access to twice-yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention across Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

The partnership creates a regional pathway through PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds, giving all PAHO Member States a coordinated mechanism to pursue access to the long-acting HIV prevention drug and support country-led adoption and implementation.

 

The agreement comes as the region continues to face gaps in HIV prevention. According to Gilead, new HIV infections in Latin America and the Caribbean increased 13% between 2010 and 2024, while use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains uneven.

 

“The agreement between Gilead and PAHO reflects our shared commitment to help countries move as quickly as possible from scientific innovation to real-world access to HIV prevention and public health impact,” said Johanna Mercier, Chief Commercial & Corporate Affairs Officer, Gilead Sciences. 

 

“For decades, Gilead has worked alongside governments, public health organizations and communities to expand access to HIV innovation around the world. 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 deal specifically creates a new access route for 14 countries that are outside Gilead’s existing voluntary licensing agreements: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

 

Gilead said the arrangement complements existing generic-access pathways and is part of a broader strategy combining voluntary licensing, technology transfer, no-profit supply and regional partnerships.

 

PAHO said the agreement could help countries expand their HIV prevention options and address access gaps.

 

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