South Africa receives 1st shipment of HIV prevention medicine Lenacapavir

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

A first consignment of 37,920 doses of the groundbreaking, six-monthly HIV prevention injection, Lenacapavir, has arrived in South Africa last week, the National Department of Health announced on Tuesday.

The department described the arrival of the medicine, provided through a 29-million-U.S.-dollar grant from the Global Fund, as a vital reinforcement for the country, which manages the world's largest HIV-positive population of approximately 8 million people, with over 6 million currently on antiretroviral treatment.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is working with President Cyril Ramaphosa to officially launch the rollout in May, which is expected to be provided to initiate and sustain nearly half a million people in South Africa over the next two years, said the department in a statement.

The initial phase will target high-incidence districts and vulnerable groups, it said.

Administered just twice a year, Lenacapavir is a critical tool for reaching the Global AIDS Strategy goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.