When Freddie first launched in the province of Alberta in Canada, the goal was simple: to make HIV prevention easier to access for people who needed it.
But even in those early days, the ambition was bigger than one province or one country. Freddie was built around the idea that better access to PrEP could change lives ā and that, over time, the work could have an impact far beyond North America.
Today, that next step is becoming real.
Freddie is partnering with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to support the rollout of generic lenacapavir for HIV prevention in early-adopter countries across Africa. The partnership will help accelerate access to long-acting PrEP for people who face some of the greatest barriers to HIV prevention.
Through the initiative, Freddie will support the procurement of generic lenacapavir, helping provide six months of injectable PrEP for approximately 14,500 people in Africa.
The partnership also includes opportunities for Freddie team members to work alongside CHAI through placements supporting rollout efforts on the ground.
Why prevention needs to scale
Global HIV treatment has come a long way. Today, approximately 31 million people around the world are on HIV treatment ā more than four times the number in 2010. But prevention has not scaled at the same pace. In 2024, there were still 1.3 million new HIV infections globally.
That gap is why PrEP access matters.
Oral PrEP is highly effective, but daily medication is not the right fit for everyone. In many communities, people face barriers including stigma, privacy concerns, limited clinic access, and inconsistent availability of prevention services. For people at higher risk of HIV, those barriers can make prevention harder to start and harder to continue.
Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable PrEP option, has the potential to change what HIV prevention can look like. But new medicines only make a difference when people can actually access them.
That is where CHAIās work comes in.
Why CHAI
CHAI was founded in 2002, when treating one person for HIV cost more than US$10,000 per year, putting treatment out of reach for the countries hit hardest by the epidemic.
Over two decades of work alongside governments, manufacturers, and global health partners, that cost has fallen to US$45. CHAIās work has helped bring best-in-class medication to more than 28 million people in low- and middle-income countries, while AIDS-related deaths have fallen 64% from their 2005 peak.
That cost reduction reflects CHAIās broader market-shaping model. CHAI now runs more than 20 programs spanning HIV and other areas of global health in over 35 countries. Together with partners, it has negotiated more than 150 deals, extending access to medicines, diagnostics, and other health commodities while generating billions in savings for health systems worldwide.
Now CHAI is applying that same model to lenacapavir. The drug lists in the U.S. at approximately US$28,000 per person per year, but an agreement CHAI brokered with Unitaid, Wits RHI, and generic manufacturer Dr. Reddyās brings the cost of generic lenacapavir down to approximately US$40 per person per year, helping make long-acting HIV prevention affordable at scale.
How the Freddie x CHAI partnership works
Freddieās grant funds CHAIās early procurement of generic lenacapavir (LEN), so supply is in place and ready to move as soon as each country grants regulatory approval, shortening the time between approval and patient access.
The partnership has two key parts.
First, Freddieās grant will support CHAIās catalytic procurement of generic lenacapavir. The goal is to help make doses available sooner as early-adopter countries advance toward rollout.
Second, Freddie and CHAI will work together to support implementation. That includes wraparound support for national PrEP programs in areas such as regulatory readiness, forecasting, and demand generation. Freddie team members will also have opportunities to embed with CHAI teams through short-term placements.
For Freddie, the partnership is a way to connect the work we do every day with a broader global prevention effort. As more people start PrEP through Freddie in North America, this initiative helps extend that impact by supporting access for people in countries where long-acting prevention options are still harder to reach.
A shared commitment to access
CHAI has described Freddieās support as more than a financial contribution. The organization has also recognized the experience Freddie has built in helping people start and stay connected to PrEP ā experience that can help inform broader prevention efforts as lenacapavir rollout advances.
That shared commitment is what makes this partnership meaningful. It brings together CHAIās global health infrastructure and Freddieās experience delivering PrEP in North America, with a shared goal of helping prevention reach more people.
HIV prevention breakthroughs only matter if people can access them. This partnership is one step toward making sure more people can.
What comes next
This announcement marks the beginning of a broader collaboration between Freddie and CHAI.
Over the coming months, CHAI will continue preparing for the rollout of generic lenacapavir in early-adopter countries, including catalytic procurement, implementation planning, and support for national PrEP programs. Freddie team members will also have opportunities to work alongside CHAI through placements, helping support this next phase of implementation.
Weāll also continue sharing more about the partnership, the evolving role of long-acting PrEP, and the global effort to expand access to HIV prevention.
For Freddie, this partnership represents an opportunity to connect the work we do every day ā helping people access PrEP and other essential sexual healthcare ā with a broader global effort to ensure that lifesaving HIV prevention reaches more people, wherever they live.
For more information, please visit: www.clintonhealthaccess.org
