THE United States has launched a new effort to increase HIV prevention in Africa by combining biomedical products with market partnerships, officials said during a briefing at the Africa Media Hub.
The rollout focuses on Lenacapavir, an HIV prevention drug developed by American company Gilead Sciences, in coordination with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Lenacapavir is the first long-acting HIV prevention drug that can be administered twice a year.
Trials have shown it prevents new HIV infections among participants.
The U.S. Government and the Global Fund are working together to buy and deliver two million doses of the drug to countries with high HIV rates.
Eswatini Receives First Shipment
The first delivery of Lenacapavir is taking place in Eswatini, a country with high HIV rates. In 2015, one in three people in Eswatini had HIV.
Today, about 220,000 people in the country have the virus, and over 95% receive treatment funded by the U.S. PEPFAR program.
Part of America First Global Health Strategy
United States officials said the rollout forms part of the America First Global Health Strategy, which focuses on strengthening health systems in African countries while maintaining United States engagement in global health.
Brad Smith, Senior Advisor at the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, said the strategy is centred on support for African institutions and coordinated deployment of available tools.
He said: “Lenacapavir, as many of you know, is a new, highly effective HIV prevention injection that only has to be taken twice a year. With the ability to avert nearly 100% of new HIV infections, Lenacapavir has the potential for high impact when deployed in high-incidence geographies.”
Rising Demand Drives Higher U.S. Dose Commitment
Smith said the United States and the Global Fund are jointly purchasing doses at scale based on country demand.
“The U.S. Department of State and Global Fund are collaboratively buying over $2 million – or 2 million doses of Lenacapavir.” he said.
“We initially intended to buy 500 doses in year one of the program; however, due to the early demand signs we were receiving from countries in Africa and around the world, but mostly in Africa, we are increasing the U.S. commitment from 250,000 doses to 325,000 doses in year one, 2026.”
Gilead Supplies Drug at No Profit
Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day said the company is supplying Lenacapavir at no profit for countries with high incidence.
“The focus all along with this groundbreaking medicine has been on speed and partnership in the service of reaching the communities most affected around the globe with this groundbreaking innovation to fight the disease and really help to end the HIV epidemic,” he said.
O’Day said the drug is reaching countries in Africa in the same year it received approval in the United States.
“It’s very meaningful that some of the first supplies are reaching Eswatini, in fact. This is the country with the highest incidence of HIV in the world,” he said.
“So, we’re very pleased that Lenacapavir – the world’s first twice-yearly HIV prevention, more than 17 years in the making – is now going to be part of the efforts to end HIV in this country.”
Global Fund Calls for Scale and Local Ownership
Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said large-scale distribution is necessary to reduce HIV as a public health issue.
He said partnerships between the United States Government, Gilead and the Global Fund give countries scope to manage and fund their health systems over time.
Data-Guided Rollout
Officials said rollout plans are guided by data, with priority for countries and regions that carry the highest HIV burden. Local authorities are working with the United States and the Global Fund to plan distribution, and lessons from oral PrEP programmes are being used to guide uptake.
By combining biomedical tools with coordinated partnerships and data-based deployment, the United States aims to reduce new HIV infections in Africa while supporting the development of stronger health systems. – IOW Data.
