Africa unveils groundbreaking HIV-prevention injection
Story by Mercy Adaje
South Africa, Eswatini, and Zambia on Monday began administering a groundbreaking HIV-prevention injection—lenacapavir—in the drug’s first public deployment on the African continent, which carries the world’s heaviest HIV burden.
Lenacapavir, taken just twice annually, has demonstrated more than 99.9% effectiveness in reducing HIV transmission, making it comparable to a powerful vaccine. In South Africa, where one in every five adults is living with HIV, the rollout is being overseen by a Wits University research unit under a Unitaid-funded programme.
Unitaid confirmed that the first users have already received doses, marking one of the earliest real-world applications of the six-monthly shot in low- and middle-income countries. Although the organisation did not disclose how many people have been treated so far, the United States price stands at $28,000 per person per year—well beyond reach for most without subsidy. A national scale-up is planned for 2025.
Zambia and Eswatini, which received 1,000 doses each last month under a U.S. initiative, were scheduled to begin distribution alongside World AIDS Day commemorations.
As part of the programme, Gilead Sciences has committed to supplying lenacapavir at no profit to two million high-risk individuals over a three-year period. However, some observers argue this falls short of regional needs and stress that pricing remains a significant barrier.
Eastern and southern Africa account for 52% of the 40.8 million people living with HIV globally, according to UNAIDS 2024 figures. Relief may come as generic versions are expected by 2027 at about $40 per year, following agreements with Indian manufacturers brokered by Unitaid and the Gates Foundation.
For over ten years, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in pill form has helped prevent HIV, but strict daily adherence has limited its reach—making long-acting injectables like lenacapavir a potentially game-changing advancement in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
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