The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) Closes Friday July 31 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro Brazil After Six Days of Programming (July 26-31) With Approximately 10,000 In-Person and Virtual Attendees Under the Conference Theme 'Rethink. Rebuild. Rise.'; Signature Presentations Across the Week Included the Wednesday July 29 Gilead-Merck ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 Late-Breaker on the Investigational Once-Weekly Oral Islatravir/Lenacapavir HIV Treatment Regimen, Gilead's Twice-Yearly Injectable Lenacapavir PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 52-Week Open-Label Extension Data, and the UNAIDS 'United to End AIDS' 2025 Data Report Documenting 2025 HIV Funding Cuts
The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) closed Friday July 31, 2026 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after six days of programming under the conference theme 'Rethink. Rebuild. Rise.' Approximately 10,000 attendees participated in person and virtually. Signature presentations across the week: the Wednesday July 29 Gilead-Merck ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 late-breaker with Week 48 detailed Phase 3 data on the investigational once-weekly oral single-tablet islatravir 2 mg / lenacapavir 300 mg regimen (0% ISLEND-1 vs 0.3% daily Biktarvy at Week 48; 0.3% ISLEND-2 vs 1.3% daily standard-of-care); Gilead's twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir (Yeztugo for HIV prevention) 52-week open-label extension data from Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 (zero new infections across 7,178 person-years, one infection across 5,295 person-years); the Monday July 27 UNAIDS 'United to End AIDS' 2025 data report on 2025 HIV funding cuts; and Thursday July 30 lenacapavir implementation-science programming with a cross-country demand generation playbook for scale-up. Generic lenacapavir from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Hetero Labs, and four other manufacturers is expected in 2027 at approximately $40 per person per year across 120 low- and lower-middle-income countries. The next International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2028) will be held in Barcelona, Spain.