Wedoany.com Report-Nov. 29, The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) released its 2025 HIV/AIDS surveillance report on 27 November, presenting 2024 data from the 53 countries in the WHO European Region. The report recorded 105,922 new HIV diagnoses in 2024, showing a slight decline compared to 2023. However, more than half (54%) of individuals diagnosed in 2024 received their diagnosis late, significantly reducing the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increasing transmission risk.

The ECDC's 2025 HIV Surveillance Report has found that 54% of patients diagnosed with HIV in 2024 were diagnosed too late to receive fully effective treatment.

Late diagnosis was most common among heterosexual men and people who inject drugs. The ECDC warned that without substantial improvement in early testing, the shared 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat across Europe remains at risk.

To reverse the trend, the ECDC and WHO Regional Office for Europe recommend widespread introduction of routine HIV testing, including self-testing and community-based programmes, alongside immediate linkage to care following diagnosis.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge, emphasised the need to address barriers that prevent people from getting tested. Pamela Rendi-Wagner, ECDC Director, highlighted the importance of innovative testing approaches combined with rapid treatment initiation to improve health outcomes.

Globally, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2024. Modern ART regimens enable those who start treatment early to achieve near-normal life expectancy and effectively eliminate transmission risk.

The most prescribed HIV therapy worldwide remains Gilead Sciences' Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide), which recorded $3.5 billion in sales in the second quarter of 2025, representing 9% year-on-year growth. Analysts expect Biktarvy to maintain market leadership even after patent expiry expected as early as October 2027.

Prevention options continue to expand. In June 2025, the U.S. FDA approved Gilead's Yeztugo (lenacapavir) as the first long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) administered only twice per year, offering a new tool for individuals at risk of HIV acquisition.

Research toward curative approaches also progresses. American Gene Technologies is preparing further clinical studies of its cell therapy candidate AGT103-T following encouraging Phase I results. Additionally, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative has advanced an adenovirus-based preventive vaccine into Phase I trials in Africa, currently enrolling both HIV-negative and HIV-positive participants.

The 2025 surveillance findings underscore the continued need for expanded testing access and early treatment initiation across Europe to meet public health objectives and sustain progress against HIV.