By MESHA Reporter | info@meshascience.org
The 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science kicked off in Kigali, Rwanda bringing together 4,000 participants in person and virtually.
The spotlight is on groundbreaking advancements in long-acting HIV prevention and treatment amid urgent calls to address global funding challenges.
The conference highlighted new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, innovative licensing agreements and promising research that signal a transformative approach in HIV care.
Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana opened the conference, sharing how Rwanda met global HIV goals in surpassing the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by focusing on people and strategic partnerships.
“We are using long-acting medicines to help people, but we need to make sure everyone can get them,” he said.
A major announcement was the WHO’s new guidelines endorsing long-acting injection called Lenacapavir for HIV prevention. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General called lenacapavir “the next best thing” citing its ability to prevent nearly all HIV infections in studies.
“We are working to get this to communities fast,” he said.
Another exciting update is a deal between the Medicines Patent Pool and ViiV Healthcare to make long-acting cabotegravir, a treatment injection recommended by WHO for HIV treatment. This medicine, one of its kind, helps people control HIV without taking daily pills. “This expansion shows that innovation and access can go hand in hand,” said Esteban Burrone of the Medicines Patent Pool.
Researchers also showcased news about, a promising phase 2 data on MK-8527, a once-in-a-month oral pill for HIV prevention from MSD now moving to phase 3 trials in Africa. Dr. Rebecca Plank from MSD Research Laboratories said it’s safe and could help people in need of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
However, experts like Yvette Raphael from Advocates for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS warned that these new tools won’t help unless they are affordable and available.
“We can’t let these medicines stay out of reach for those who need them most,” she said.
UNAIDS reported that while 73% of people with HIV are doing well on treatment, shortages could undo this progress, especially for groups hit hard by HIV.
The conference, running until July 17th, will keep exploring how to turn these discoveries into real help for people, especially in places most affected by HIV. New journal articles released by IAS 2025 also look at challenges and solutions for better HIV care.
As IAS President Dr. Beatriz Grinstjen noted, “This is a testament to what’s possible when researchers, industry and communities unite. Our next challenge is to secure the resources to make these innovations part of everyday care.”
