{"id":26115,"date":"2026-10-07T17:57:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T13:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/?p=26115"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:13:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:13:25","slug":"regional-cooperation-against-hiv-and-tuberculosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/regional-cooperation-against-hiv-and-tuberculosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Regional Cooperation Against HIV and Tuberculosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

A regional workshop on strengthening HIV and tuberculosis responses in Central Asia and Eastern Europe was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 29\u201330 September 2026. The meeting was organized by WHO\/Europe and M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res, together with Uzbekistan\u2019s Ministry of Health. It brought together approximately 90 participants, including representatives of national HIV and tuberculosis programmes from 11 countries in the region.<\/p>\n

The workshop focused on the linked challenges facing the region: tuberculosis, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and concentrated HIV epidemics among vulnerable populations. Participants discussed how countries can improve access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while ensuring that people can continue receiving care when they move across borders.<\/p>\n

Regional health challenges<\/h2>\n

According to WHO\/Europe, tuberculosis incidence in the European Region declined by 39% between 2015 and 2024. Despite that progress, an estimated 204,000 people developed tuberculosis in the region in 2024, and approximately one in five cases was not detected. The region also continues to have a high burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis, with major gaps in access to recommended treatment.<\/p>\n

HIV remains another major concern. WHO reported that new HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are not declining, while AIDS-related deaths continue to increase. Late diagnosis is also common: 54% of new HIV diagnoses in the wider WHO European Region are made at a late stage. Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV.<\/p>\n

These figures formed the background for discussions about earlier testing, integrated HIV and TB services, improved access to treatment and more people-centred models of care.<\/p>\n

Georgia\u2019s role and planned lenacapavir introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The working meeting reviewed the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation on the use of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable drug for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).<\/span><\/p>\n

Developed by Gilead Sciences, lenacapavir is a long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor.<\/span> In the European Union, it was first approved in 2022 under the brand name Sunlenca for heavily treatment-experienced patients with multidrug-resistant HIV.<\/span> In June 2025, the U.S.<\/span> Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a twice-yearly injectable formulation marketed as Yeztugo for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike traditional antiretroviral drugs that target enzymes such as reverse transcriptase or protease, lenacapavir binds directly to the HIV capsid\u2014the protein shell enclosing the virus\u2019s genetic material.<\/span> By disrupting multiple stages of the viral lifecycle, the drug can inhibit nuclear entry, viral replication, and the assembly of new infectious particles.<\/span> For prevention, following an initial dosing regimen, it is administered at six-month intervals, offering a groundbreaking alternative to daily oral PrEP.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Georgia is set to become the first country in the region to introduce lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable medicine developed for HIV prevention, according to the Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center.<\/p>\n

The centre said that Professor Akaki Abutidze, Deputy Director for Science at the T. Tsertsvadze Center for Infectious Pathology and AIDS, participated in the 29\u201330 September regional workshop in Uzbekistan. During the meeting, he presented Georgia\u2019s experience and achievements in HIV prevention and treatment to international participants.<\/p>\n

A central topic was the introduction of lenacapavir as an additional HIV-prevention option. Unlike daily oral PrEP, the injectable medicine is administered at longer intervals. It is intended for HIV-negative people who seek protection from infection and works by targeting a structure of the virus involved in replication.<\/p>\n

The centre described Georgia\u2019s planned introduction of lenacapavir as an important step in expanding modern HIV-prevention services and sharing the country\u2019s experience with other health systems in the region. The Global Fund has included Georgia among countries receiving support for the introduction of long-acting lenacapavir for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.<\/p>\n

A specific date for the start of rollout in Georgia has not yet been announced. The introduction will require national planning, including regulatory and procurement arrangements, clinical guidance, HIV testing before administration, follow-up and appropriate monitoring.<\/p>\n

Cross-border continuity of care<\/strong><\/p>\n

A central issue discussed at the workshop was continuity of treatment across borders. Migration and movement between countries can interrupt HIV or TB care, particularly when patients depend on specialist services or treatment regimens that are not readily transferable between health systems.<\/p>\n

WHO and MSF emphasized the importance of cooperation between countries, stronger referral systems and approaches that allow people to continue treatment when they move. The meeting also addressed improved access to services for people with advanced HIV disease and the use of shorter treatment regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis.<\/p>\n

The workshop did not announce a single regional solution. Its focus was on practical cooperation: improving diagnosis, expanding access to effective prevention and treatment, strengthening people-centred services and reducing interruptions in care. For Georgia, the discussions are relevant to the country\u2019s ongoing involvement in regional TB cooperation and to future decisions about the introduction of additional HIV-prevention tools.<\/p>\n

Source: <\/span>WHO<\/span><\/a>; <\/span>\u10ef\u10d0\u10dc\u10d3\u10d0\u10ea\u10d5\u10d8\u10e1 \u10de\u10dd\u10e0\u10e2\u10d0\u10da\u10d8;\u00a0<\/span><\/a>O’zbekiston Milliy axborot agentligi<\/a><\/p>\n



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A regional workshop on strengthening HIV and tuberculosis responses in Central Asia and Eastern Europe was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 29\u201330 September 2026. The meeting was organized by WHO\/Europe and M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res, together with Uzbekistan\u2019s Ministry of Health. It brought together approximately 90 participants, including representatives of national HIV and tuberculosis programmes from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":26116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1594],"tags":[2478,7326,7327,2094,2004],"class_list":["post-26115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-hiv","tag-lenacapavir","tag-t-tsertsvadze-center-for-infectious-pathology-and-aids","tag-tuberculosis","tag-who"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26115"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26125,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26115\/revisions\/26125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}