South Africa to launch groundbreaking HIV drug Lenacapavir in June

Health

PRETORIA, South Africa (NPA) — South Africa will officially launch Lenacapavir, a groundbreaking HIV prevention drug administered twice yearly, on June 5 as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by South African Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, during the presentation of the department’s budget vote.

Lenacapavir, delivered through injection every six months, is expected to provide long-term HIV protection and reduce dependence on daily medication or frequent injectable treatments.

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According to Motsoaledi, the government will begin distributing the drug to health depots and facilities within the next two weeks ahead of the formal rollout.

“In the next two weeks, we will be delivering Lenacapavir stocks to depots and health facilities. We will be starting with 360 health facilities in the high-burden districts of the country,” the minister said.

He explained that priority would initially be given to vulnerable and high-risk groups, including adolescent girls and young women under the age of 24, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, female sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons and injecting drug users.

Motsoaledi expressed optimism that South Africa was making significant progress in confronting HIV/AIDS and could eventually eliminate the disease as a public health threat.

“We are in a position where we dare say we can eliminate HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. All we have to do is to work hard and work hard together as South Africans motivated and bound together by a common destiny,” he stated.

The minister noted that South Africa currently operates the world’s largest HIV counselling, testing and treatment campaign, which he said has contributed to major public health improvements over the years.

According to him, life expectancy in the country has increased to 66.9 years in 2025 from 54 years in 2010, while maternal mortality and child mortality rates have also declined significantly.

He added that tuberculosis incidence has equally reduced due to the country’s sustained HIV intervention programmes.

“We achieved all these by taming the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Imagine what we can achieve if we work hard together once more,” he said.

Motsoaledi, however, warned that cancer was emerging as another major health challenge in South Africa, describing cervical cancer as the second leading killer of women after breast cancer.

He said scientific advances now make it possible to eliminate cervical cancer through aggressive vaccination, screening and treatment programmes guided by the World Health Organisation’s “90-70-90” strategy.

Under the model, 90 per cent of girls between ages nine and 15 are expected to receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, while 70 per cent of women should undergo cervical cancer screening at specific age intervals, and 90 per cent of women diagnosed with advanced cancer should receive treatment.

Motsoaledi explained that South Africa had adjusted the WHO recommendations to reflect the country’s HIV burden, noting that a large percentage of women diagnosed with cervical cancer are also HIV-positive.

“In our country, 65 per cent of all women diagnosed with cervical cancer are also HIV positive,” he said.

He added that South Africa had expanded its screening age bracket to begin earlier and extend beyond WHO recommendations in response to the country’s unique health realities.