South Africa’s Minister of Health said the country plans to make Gilead’s twice-yearly HIV preventative lenacapavir into a “public good”, adding it would be “affordable and locally produced” once it was rolled out early next year.
The country is one of nine selected to receive lenacapavir under a plan by the Global Fund to reach 2 million people with the drug across low- and middle-income countries.
“The introduction of lenacapavir marks the beginning of a new phase in HIV prevention, one grounded in collaboration between government, communities, our partners like the Global Fund and UNAIDS and the private sector,” said Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi during a meeting in Johannesburg earlier this week to discuss the roll out of the drug.
South Africa has received a $29 million grant to provide lenacapavir to 450,000 people, with a focus on adolescent girls, sex workers, gay men and drug users.
There are around 8 million people living with HIV in South Africa and every week around 1,000 adolescent girls and young women become newly infected with HIV, according to UNAIDS.
“No young woman, no queer person, no person with a disability must be left behind in the promise of HIV prevention,” said Steve Letsike, Deputy Minister for Women, Youth and People living with Disabilities.
Wendy Cupido, Gilead’s country manager for South Africa, said the company was ready to engage with partners as they explored local manufacturing options.
