Lenacapavir: A game changer for HIV prevention in South Africa

"This is a game changer for South Africa," said Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Wednesday secured access to breakthrough HIV prevention for low and middle income countries. 

"Lenacapavir offers young women, and everyone at risk, a discreet, long-acting option to stay HIV-free.

"For far too long, women and girls in our country have carried the greatest burden of this epidemic.

"But scientific breakthroughs must be backed by political will, community leadership, and sustained investment. We are determined to ensure no one is left behind.”

The deal signed between with US pharmaceutical giant Gilead and the Global Fund will mean lower-income countries will gain access to a the HIV prevention drug at the same time as in high-income countries.

There was particular urgency in countries like South Africa, where adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately affected by HIV.

The Global Fund said it hoped the agreement with Gilead would make it possible to reach two million people with the drug, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last month.

Drugs to prevent HIV transmission, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, have existed for more than a decade.

But because they typically require taking a daily pill, they have yet to make a significant dent in global infections.

By contrast, lenacapavir, marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, requires only two injections per year and has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent in adults and adolescents - making it functionally akin to a vaccine.

"This is not just a scientific breakthrough - it's a turning point for HIV/AIDS," Global Fund chief Peter Sands said.

"For the first time, we have a tool that can fundamentally change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic - but only if we get it to the people who need it most."

Under the agreement, countries supported by the Global Fund can access lenacapavir for PrEP, the organisation said, adding that it aimed for the first shipment and delivery to reach at least one African country by the end of this year.

This, it said, would mark the start of "a transformational shift in how HIV prevention is delivered to communities with the highest burden of new infections".

To help accelerate access, the Global Fund is leveraging private-sector donor funding to make the introduction and scale-up of lenacapavir more affordable for the countries.

Cape Argus