The World Health Organization (WHO) just approved a new HIV prevention shot that people only need twice a year, according to a press release from WHO. The drug is called lenacapavir, and it could change how the world fights HIV. Instead of taking daily pills, people can get just two shots per year and stay protected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it “the next best thing” to an HIV vaccine. Trials show it prevents almost all HIV infections among people at risk. The announcement came at a big AIDS conference in Rwanda, right after the FDA approved the drug in the US.
This matters because daily HIV prevention pills are hard for many people to stick with. Some struggle to remember taking medication every day. Others face stigma when they go to clinics or pharmacies. The new shot fixes these problems by working for six months at a time.
The timing is urgent. Last year, 1.3 million people got infected with HIV. The virus hits some groups especially hard—sex workers, gay men, transgender people, people who use drugs, and those in prisons. WHO also made it easier to get the shot by simplifying HIV testing. Now people can use rapid tests instead of complex, expensive procedures. This means pharmacies, clinics, and telehealth services can offer the prevention shots more easily.
Lenacapavir joins other prevention options like daily pills, another injectable drug called cabotegravir, and a vaginal ring. Having multiple choices means people can pick what works for their lives. Right now, access to lenacapavir outside clinical trials is limited. But WHO wants governments and health groups to start using it immediately.
WHO says this gives people more control over their health. With HIV prevention efforts stuck globally, lenacapavir offers hope for finally getting ahead of the virus by making prevention easier for the people who need it most.
