[AIDS 2026] MedPage Today: Long-acting lenacapavir still delivered effective HIV PrEP after a year
![[AIDS 2026] MedPage Today: Long-acting lenacapavir still delivered effective HIV PrEP after a year](/api/imagekit?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eatg.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2F1674900.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Clinical trial extensions for the injectable HIV prevention drug lenacapavir have shown high efficacy with almost no new infections reported over a year. The study included diverse populations across South Africa, Uganda, and other regions.
Why it matters
The success of long-acting injectable PrEP represents a major advancement in global HIV prevention strategies, offering a more convenient alternative to daily pills.
Only one person has developed a new HIV infection during a year-long extension of the landmark PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 trials testing twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir (Yeztugo) for PrEP, according to twin open-label extensions.
There were no new HIV cases in the PURPOSE 1 52-week open-label extension among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda. That extension included 2,136 patients who remained on lenacapavir after the trial’s randomized blinded phase ended, and 2,496 patients who switched at the extension’s start to lenacapavir from either daily oral emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy) or emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada).
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in