The launch of the injection in the country will be held soon by President Cyril Ramaphosa and minister of health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. The first batch of the six-monthly injectable arrived in the country on Thursday (2/4).

Lenacapavir will boost the country’s efforts to reduce new HIV infections to end Aids as a public health threat by 2030 and sustain the HIV response after 2030 in line with the Global Aids Strategy for 2026 to 2030.

It is expected to expand HIV prevention choices, improve adherence, especially amongst the most vulnerable priority groups, including adolescent girls and young women, sex workers, and men having sex with men.

Lenacapavir, taken twice a year, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99%. It is administered under the skin every six months.

“The department will, in the next few weeks, announce the official launch of this game changer, where the phased implementation plan will be outlined,” said national health spokesperson Foster Mohale.

“We welcome the arrival of the first batch of HIV prevention medicine, Lenacapavir, in South Africa, which consists of 37,920 doses. This is part of people-centred HIV prevention services which offer new hope for people who face barriers to existing HIV prevention methods.”

Lenacapavir is a preventive medicine, not a vaccine, considered one of the most exciting HIV prevention advances in years, he said.

Approximately 40-million people worldwide are living with the virus, of whom almost a quarter live in South Africa. About 1.3-million new cases are diagnosed each year.

The first-in-human clinical trial of a new HIV vaccine was officially launched in Cape Town in February, marking a historic milestone for Africa. The country has an estimated 8-million people living with HIV, the most of any country in absolute numbers.

In SA, adult HIV prevalence stands at 14.4%, compared with 28.3% in Eswatini, 26.2% in Lesotho, and 23.1% in Zimbabwe. The study was launched at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation at Groote Schuur Hospital, and it enrolled its first group of 20 HIV-negative volunteers who will help scientists assess the safety and immune response of the vaccine.

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