Achieving the ambitious global goal of ending the HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 relies on the collective ability to expand and utilize effective HIV prevention and testing options. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a vital part of this effort.
APCOM has been collaborating with WHO and other partners which resulted in the groundbreaking World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation in 2014 for oral PrEP, and their guidance now includes a wider range of PrEP products. This commitment ensures key populations have diverse and effective choices to protect themselves from HIV, reflecting the evolving science and varied community needs. This dynamic approach is crucial for reaching the 2030 target.
PrEP is a powerful tool for preventing HIV, particularly for at-risk communities. The field of HIV prevention is continually advancing, with long-acting injectable PrEP emerging as a notable new development.
This innovative injectable drug offers a longer-acting alternative to current PrEP products, promising better adherence, greater convenience, and improved real-world effectiveness for key populations. Its potential to simplify prevention methods and its high efficacy could revolutionize the HIV response, marking a significant step forward in the fight against the epidemic.
In response to this exciting development, WHO at the IAS 2025 in Kagali, Rwanda released a bundle of two related guidelines on 14 July 2025, including one specifically focusing on LEN. These guidelines are a vital step forward, consolidating new evidence on LEN’s efficacy for HIV prevention across various populations.
They also provide essential guidance on testing strategies for long-acting prevention. While not exclusively for key populations and community-based organizations, these guidelines are valuable resources. They can be a powerful tool to strengthen advocacy, improve service delivery, and increase access to innovative prevention, especially for those in low- and middle- income countries.
Guideline development occurred in the first half of 2025, with support from a Guideline Development Group and an External Review Group (ERG). Both groups, convened by WHO, comprised diverse experts from various countries, including community experts. This ensured that perspectives from different communities were meaningfully represented and reflected in the guidelines. APCOM was part of the ERG, contributing to the peer review of the final technical document, systematic reviews, evidence summaries, and other technical updates related to the guidelines.
In June just before these guidelines launched, UNAIDS and the Gates Foundation hosted an HIV Modelling Meeting on Long-Acting PrEP in London, UK. Attended by researchers and representatives from governments, international agencies, donors, and community-based organizations, the meeting aimed to refine models for estimating LEN’s impact on reducing new HIV infections and assess its cost-benefit implications. It also sought to align messaging on LEN’s impact through a consensus statement. APCOM’s Executive Director, Midnight Poonkasetwattana, attended, highlighting community perspectives on LEN implementation, specifically focusing on the issues and ground realities faced by communities across Asia and the Pacific.
“The launch of these pivotal guidelines can change the course of HIV prevention if a real choice for long acting injectable PrEP can be offered to our communities on the ground. Our region can benefit from having long acting injectable PrEP as an option for HIV prevention, as our current PrEP access is an abysmal 3% only.”
Commented Midnight, Executive Director of APCOM.
LEN, with its groundbreaking twice-yearly dosing schedule, marks a monumental advance in HIV prevention. Its highly effective, long-acting nature offers a significant leap forward in convenience and adherence for individuals at risk, as demonstrated in a study that made headlines in 2024 by showing a 96% reduction in HIV acquisition. While challenges like cost and equitable distribution remain, drug manufacturers, donors, and governments must prioritize this critical innovation based on its significant scientific backing and immense potential benefit.
This life-saving, powerful tool will hopefully soon be widely accessible for all communities who needs it most.
“Community voices, through relentless advocacy, are fundamental to making this vision a reality. APCOM is working with our Regional Community Caucus to do a 10 anniversary of the PrEParing Asia conference which we did in 2015 so that this tool can be a real choice for our communities, and they can choose a prevention method that they prefer,”
concluded Midnight.
See what APCOM did in 2015 with PrEParing Asia conference
