Gilead and PAHO partner to expand access to twice yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention across Latin America and the Caribbean

Posted on September 18, 2026

Gilead Sciences has entered a new agreement with the Pan American Health Organization to accelerate access to twice yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention across PAHO Member States in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The partnership will use PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds to establish a coordinated pathway for countries seeking to introduce and expand access to long acting HIV prevention.

The agreement forms part of wider efforts to support individual countries with the adoption and implementation of lenacapavir as pre exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, while contributing to regional efforts to reduce HIV transmission.

Gilead said the collaboration represents another milestone in its global strategy to expand access to lenacapavir. The arrangement combines PAHO’s regional coordination and procurement capabilities with Gilead’s existing access programme to support sustainable expansion of the treatment.

HIV prevention needs remain significant across Latin America and the Caribbean. New HIV infections in the region increased by 13% between 2010 and 2024, while gaps remain in the use of PrEP.

Gilead has previously conducted research in the region through the PURPOSE 2 trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of twice yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention.

The latest agreement establishes an additional access route for 14 countries that are outside Gilead’s existing voluntary licensing agreements for lenacapavir.

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

Existing generic access pathways will continue to operate alongside the new PAHO agreement, with Gilead aiming to broaden the availability of lenacapavir for PrEP throughout the region.

Johanna Mercier, Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer at Gilead Sciences, said the partnership reflects a shared aim of translating scientific advances into practical access to HIV prevention.

She said collaboration between governments, public health organisations, communities and industry will be important in accelerating adoption while creating conditions that support access over the longer term.

Gilead also plans to explore further opportunities to work with PAHO on preparing countries for the introduction and expansion of long acting HIV prevention.

These efforts will align with national priorities and PAHO’s Alliance for the Elimination of HIV in the Americas, which brings governments, communities and other partners together to support progress towards eliminating HIV as a public health issue.

PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said increasingly effective HIV prevention options are becoming available across the Americas, but their public health impact depends on ensuring they reach people who need them.

He said the initiative could help reduce gaps in access to lenacapavir, provide countries with more prevention choices and support progress towards HIV elimination.

Separately, Gilead is continuing discussions with Brazil’s Ministry of Health regarding opportunities to support local production of lenacapavir in Brazil.

The company said this work could contribute to Brazil’s longer term access objectives and complement its wider collaboration with PAHO.

The PAHO partnership is part of Gilead’s broader global lenacapavir access strategy, which includes voluntary licensing, technology transfer, supply on a no profit basis, regional access programmes and partnerships.

Gilead said these approaches are intended to help countries progress from planning to implementation while creating a foundation for sustainable access to HIV prevention at scale.

Gilead and PAHO partner to expand access to twice yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention across Latin America and the Caribbean

Related Topics and Keywords

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and WEBINAR UPDATES