The PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 trials last year showed outstanding efficacy of twice-yearly lenacapavir injections as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The journal Science named the drug the 2024 breakthrough of the year, reflecting a potential to reshape the HIV prevention landscape, and the development was widely covered in mainstream media. Although HIV remains a persistent and complex global health challenge, it is unusual to see such high-profile coverage and discussion about a development in HIV, which too often struggles to capture focus in high-income countries.