South Africa has officially become the first country in Africa, and only the third in the world, to authorize a new twice-yearly HIV prevention injection.
The lenacapavir (LEN) shot is being hailed as a breakthrough, with experts saying it could potentially end HIV/AIDS in the country within 14 to 18 years, provided enough people gain access to it.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) fast-tracked approval of the LEN jab, allowing the Ministry of Health to begin preparing for distribution. Officials say the rollout could begin as early as February next year.
For now, the initial supply of LEN is being funded through a $29.2 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB, and Malaria.However, this first phase will only cover 456,360 people over two years, far short of the 1–2 million people per year needed to realistically eliminate AIDS within the projected timeframe.
South Africa remains one of the countries hardest hit by HIV, with about eight million people currently living with the virus, and an estimated 1,000 adolescent girls and young women becoming infected every single week.
The new injection offers nearly complete protection for HIV-negative individualism weighing at least 35 kg. Early evidence shows it is also safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, a group statistically at higher risk.
SAHPRA emphasized that lenacapavir should be used alongside safer sexual practices such as condoms to prevent other sexually transmitted infections.
“The registration of lenacapavir is a game-changer, given the high prevalence rate of HIV in South Africa. This product is the most effective HIV prevention measure thus far,” Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, SAHPRA CEO Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed that government plans to absorb LEN into national financing structures.
He also revealed that manufacturers, Gilead along with six pharmaceutical companies, will now offer the jab at $40 per person per year, down from the initial $28,000 price tag.
Motsoaledi added that partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and the Gates Foundation will allow generic manufacturing, with South Africa actively working on developing local production capacity.
If access is scaled up quickly, this small injection could alter the future of HIV prevention in Africa.
