People at risk of contracting HIV could have access to a long-acting injectable medicine next year as Guyana moves to introduce lenacapavir into its public healthcare system, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said.
Anthony told Ignite News that the Ministry of Health is awaiting regulatory approval before making the medication available free of charge through public hospitals.
Production of generic lenacapavir has begun in India, and one manufacturer has already registered with Guyana’s Food and Drug Department, he said.
“One of those companies has registered themselves with the Food and Drug Department here in Guyana and very soon that portfolio of lenacapavir will be presented to the Food and Drug Department for its approval. Once that is done we will be able to access the medication,” Anthony said.
Lenacapavir is designed to prevent HIV infection in people at risk and offers an alternative to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which currently requires tablets to be taken daily or around periods of potential HIV exposure.
Anthony said a single injection provides protection for six months, reducing the need for daily medication.
Patients would receive another injection when the six-month period ends.
The Health Ministry is developing clinical protocols to guide the use of the medication and determine eligibility. Anthony said healthcare workers across the country are already trained to provide HIV prevention services.
“We have physicians that are trained throughout the system, so once you come to those facilities, we will be able to treat the patient. It’s not difficult, it’s kind of routine and we have protocols that have been established on how we do pre-exposure prophylaxis, so those protocols will be put in place so people can access it,” he said.
Once approved, lenacapavir will be provided free through the public healthcare system and made available at hospitals nationwide.
The planned rollout comes as a recent UNAIDS report warned that, despite advances such as long-acting HIV prevention medicines, the global HIV response remains fragile.
According to the report, an estimated 1.2 million people acquired HIV in 2025 and about 570,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses. It warned that without renewed investment and wider access to prevention tools such as lenacapavir, more than three million additional people could become infected with HIV by 2030.
