PH Secures 15K Doses of Injectable PrEP Amid Rising HIV Infection
The Department of Health (DOH) has secured a donation of 15,000 doses of the long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug Lenacapavir (LEN) through a joint initiative with the United States Department of State to combat the country’s rising HIV infection rates.
The DOH, in a public advisory recently, said the incoming supply will be distributed for free across selected HIV care facilities nationwide.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the drug is highly efficient, with a 96-percent efficacy rate in preventing HIV infections among individuals who test negative for the virus.
Unlike daily oral medications, the long-acting injectable requires a patient to receive only one dose every six months, or just twice a year. The deployment of the 15,000 doses comes as the DOH continuously pushes for HIV to be declared an Urgent Public Health Concern, driven by a steady surge in confirmed cases across the Philippines.
The country recorded 4,633 newly reported HIV cases from January to March 2026, equivalent to an average of 51 new diagnoses per day.
The cumulative number of reported HIV cases in the country reached 168,079 from January 1984 to March 2026.
Individuals aged 25 to 34 accounted for 46 percent of new cases, followed by those aged 15 to 24 at 31 percent.
People aged 35 to 49 comprised 18 percent, while those aged 50 and older represented 3 percent. Less than 1 percent of cases involved individuals younger than 15 years old. By region, the National Capital Region recorded the highest number of cases with 989, representing 21 percent of the total.
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