A Scientometric Mapping of Global Lenacapavir and HIV Research: Dynamism, Visualization, and Emerging Patterns

Lenacapavir, an HIV capsid inhibitor, has shown powerful promise for HIV treatment and prevention purposes. Its new mechanism of action, and other abilities to inhibit viral replication have shown a significant advance, especially in treatment-resistant cases. This bibliometric analysis aimed to assess the scientific literature that relates to lenacapavir particularly around HIV treatment and prevention efforts.

Following the RAMIBS guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on January 8, 2025, using Scopus. The search included documents mentioning "lenacapavir" or its synonyms combined with HIV-related terms published between 2019 and 2025. Documents not meeting these criteria or unavailable in full text were excluded. Data were analyzed using VOSviewer for keyword co-occurrence, Bibliometrix for descriptive and network analysis, and SciVal for advanced impact metrics.

A total of 156 documents from 101 sources were analyzed, showing an annual growth rate of 89.86%. The average document age was 2.03 years, with 12.29 citations per document. The study involved 990 authors, with an average of 8.36 co-authors per document and 24.36% international co-authorship. Gilead Sciences, Inc., and the University of Washington were the prominent contributors. Key journals included "Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS" and "Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy." The USA led the international collaboration.

This study highlights the significant scientific output and collaboration in the field of lenacapavir and HIV research. The findings are useful for identifying key sources and authors, facilitating future research and collaboration. The findings highlight how crucial international collaboration is for driving progress in scientific research and tackling worldwide health issues.