FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

NEW YORK, NY — On September 18, following the June FDA approval of lenacapavir (brand name Yeztugo), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recommended lenacapavir—a new six-month injectable preexposure prophylaxis option for HIV-prevention—for use. In response, PrEP4All’s Executive Director Jeremiah Johnson released the following statement:

“PrEP4All welcomes the CDC’s guidance for providers to prescribe this novel long-acting injectable PrEP. We are on the cusp of ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. and continued innovation and widespread access to lifesaving HIV-prevention medication will be critical for success.

“Injectables have the potential to improve success for those who need or prefer a long-acting option. Despite this progress, barriers to PrEP remain far too high for far too many people, especially in vulnerable communities most impacted by HIV.

“For years, Gilead– who manufactures lenacapavir– has put corporate profits ahead of people’s lives, and with a $28,000 per year price tag we are seeing history repeat itself.  The company’’s price gouging on PrEP, HIV, and hepatitis C medications has sabotaged access for the communities in most need of PrEP and other lifesaving care. 

“While Gilead keeps prices high, CVS Health has declined to include  lenacapavir on its formulary for the foreseeable future. That is unacceptable. We will not get any closer to ending the HIV epidemic in America if one of America’s largest pharmacy benefit managers refuses to create a pathway to access for this FDA-approved and CDC-recommended medication. PrEP4All calls on CVS Health and Gilead Sciences to work together to make lenacapavir accessible, while also calling on Gilead to explicitly commit to a U.S. pricing strategy that puts patients first.

“CVS and Gilead’s negotiations serve as an urgent call to action: America needs a federally-funded National PrEP Program that fills in the gaps on access for un- and underinsured populations and builds a pathway toward access to innovations in PrEP for everyone. Corporate greed will continue to create barriers to access, and the government has a responsibility to public health first and save lives.”

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Background

With current attacks on healthcare and public health infrastructure, including a proposed $2 billion in cuts to HIV funding in Congress and Health Secretary Kennedy’s undermining of the CDC, Gilead’s charitable assistance program is not enough to cover the full scope of PrEP care, including for lenacapavir, for those who need it most. Recently, CVS Health has declined to include lenacapavir on its formulary for the foreseeable future, while Gilead continues to gouge the price at $28,000 annually for a medication that costs approximately $40 to manufacture. 

Gilead has benefitted significantly from taxpayer-funded NIH research, and even factoring in additional research and development costs, the high price tag of lenacapavir does not remotely justify a 70,000% mark up. Corporate greed continues to be a barrier to PrEP access and the astronomical price point on lenacapavir appears to be no different. 

PrEP4All continues to push for a federally-funded National PrEP Program to address gender and racial disparities. In addition to addressing medication access, a National PrEP Program would be the first of its kind to address the full scope of PrEP including lab and provider access, while also funding demand creation activities. We cannot expand access to the 2.2 million Americans who could benefit from PrEP without addressing cost barriers to new modalities such as long-acting injectable PrEP.  

About PrEP4All:

PrEP4all is fighting to put lifesaving medication into the hands of everyone who needs it. Everyone, everywhere should be able to access HIV prevention and treatment regardless of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. Universal access to HIV PrEP and treatment can help us end the HIV epidemic. prep4all.org