The Kingdom of Eswatini has become the first African country to receive lenacapavir, the world’s first twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention treatment.
The shipment, delivered to the central medical stores in Matsapha (in the center of the country), was officially received on Tuesday, and its nationwide rollout will begin on December 1.
Lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, has shown near-complete protection in clinical studies. The injection is administered once every six months and is part of a broader prevention program supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“The first phase will target the populations defined in the National HIV Strategic Framework, including adolescent girls and young women, women aged 25 to 34, pregnant and breastfeeding women, key populations, high-risk men, and HIV-negative individuals seeking a long-acting HIV prevention option,” said Apollo Maphalala, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, during the reception of the injections.
Ten high-risk African countries have been identified for the first phase rollout of this medication, which was approved in the United States in June.
Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO of Gilead Sciences, told international media that the rollout in Eswatini was significant because it marks the first time in history that a new HIV medicine reaches a sub-Saharan African country in the same year as its approval in the United States.
HIV remains one of the major public health challenges in Eswatini, with official data showing an adult prevalence rate above 25%, while adolescent girls and young women continue to face the highest risk of new infections.
