Cost, insurance limits threaten global progress in HIV treatment

Japan’s lack of generic PrEP options has made therapies inaccessible to most patients.

Access to newer HIV therapies remains a major challenge in the global HIV treatment landscape, largely due to high costs and limited insurance coverage, according to GlobalData.

Whilst long-acting antiretroviral and prevention therapies such as ViiV Healthcare’s Apretude (cabotegravir) and Gilead Sciences’ Yeztugo (lenacapavir) offer improved adherence and reduced dosing frequency, their uptake remains constrained, said GlobalData’s latest report, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): Seven-Market (7M) Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2033.

In the US, coverage restrictions have slowed access to these products, despite their clinical advantages. 

Similarly, in Japan, a lack of affordable generic PrEP options has made such therapies inaccessible to most patients.

GlobalData notes that insurance barriers are forcing patients to continue using older, less convenient therapies, even in high-income markets. 

GlobalData warns that without broader insurance support and cost-reduction strategies, the benefits of newer therapies may not reach the populations most in need, threatening progress in HIV control and increasing the risk of drug resistance due to improper use.