Guyana plans to acquire long-acting HIV prevention drug lenacapavir, minister says

Guyana intends to purchase lenacapavir, a long-acting antiretroviral drug that scientists say can protect against HIV for up to six months, according to Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony.

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Lenacapavir is used as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a World Health Organization-recommended HIV prevention method. However, Dr. Anthony noted that the drug currently carries a steep market price of about US$25,000 in countries such as the United States.

He said Guyana is preparing to negotiate access to the medication at a lower price once it goes off patent, which he expects could happen within the next year or two.

“We’re hoping that when it goes off-patent that we’ll be able to access that medication at a cheaper cost which would then help,” Anthony said. “A lot of people have said that this can be a game changer in terms of HIV care and so we’re working with our partners to see how we can access that medication.”

The health minister indicated that if Guyana is able to obtain lenacapavir at a reduced, off-patent cost, the government would make the drug available free of charge.

In September 2025, an agreement was reached in South Africa between the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Gates Foundation and other partners, including the South African research institute Wits RHI, to provide a lower-cost version of lenacapavir for about US$40 — roughly 0.1% of the original price. According to the BBC, the reduced-cost version is expected to be rolled out in 2027 across 120 low- and middle-income countries.

Latest official figures show that 449 new HIV-positive cases were reported in Guyana last year.

Dr. Anthony said the health sector continues to focus on ensuring that people living with HIV receive treatment. He said approximately 95% of Guyanese now know their HIV status, although not all those who are HIV-positive are currently on treatment.

The government is also working to ensure that patients receiving treatment achieve viral suppression, meaning they would be unable to transmit the virus.

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“That’s the ultimate goal and that’s what we’re working towards,” Anthony said. “So we have done a lot of work in this area and we want to maintain it.”