In the latest dustup over a groundbreaking HIV prevention medicine, Doctors Without Borders has harshly criticized the manufacturer for refusing to sell its treatment directly to humanitarian organizations.
The move came after months of talks in which Doctors Without Borders asked Gilead Sciences for a “limited” supply of lenacapavir. The drug has been in demand after studies showed a single set of injections every six months can offer virtually complete protection from infection, a form of prevention known as preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
The organization currently obtains lenacapavir through The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a worldwide partnership of governments, civil society groups, and the private sector that, in late 2024, reached a deal with the company to distribute lenacapavir to 2 million people in low- and middle-income countries.
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