Make HIV treatment accessible for all!

According to the World Health Organization, tens of millions of people were living with HIV by the end of 2023. Recent reports have shown that one of the most successful drugs on the market for the treatment of HIV, which currently costs $42,250 a year, would still be profitable at just $40 a year. Researchers are saying Lenacapavir could be “the closest we have ever been to an HIV vaccine” and since it would only cost $40 a year for every person who needed it, this treatment has the potential to save countless lives if the price was slashed. 

Lenacapavir, sold as Sunlenca by US pharmaceutical giant Gilead,  could be up to a THOUSAND times less than its current price. No working or middle class person can afford a $40,000 treatment plan. This drug could be a breakthrough for HIV prevention worldwide if Gilead produced it quickly and as affordably as possible. 

Given by injection every six months, Lenacapavir can prevent infection and suppress HIV in people who are already infected. There is currently no known cure for HIV, any attempts to stop the spread of infection and treat symptoms should be welcomed. This would be game changing for the millions of people who have HIV across the world. We've come a long way in the treatment of HIV since its discovery in 1981 and know the latest treatments help people live long, healthy lives—but only if people can actually afford this medication. We owe it, not only to those living with HIV now—  but to the hundreds of thousands of people who were killed during the AIDS/HIV epidemic and have been killed by complications from this deadly disease to make treatment affordable to suppress and prevent the spread of HIV. 

Gilead has the potential to treat and extend the lives of millions of people by putting people over profits and dropping the price of this drug to $40 a year.