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2h ago

First Lenacapavir Shipments Reach Eswatini and Zambia as U.S. Excludes South Africa

Donor decisions are channeling scarce injections to a short list of countries, sidelining South Africa.

Gilead logo is seen in this illustration taken August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
FILE - A pharmacist holds a vial of lenacapavir, an injectable HIV prevention drug, at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation's Masiphumelele Research Site, in Cape Town, South Africa, July 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht, File)
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Overview

  • About 1,000 doses were delivered last week — roughly 500 each to Zambia and Eswatini — marking the first shipments under the U.S.-backed rollout.
  • A senior State Department official said U.S.-funded doses will not go to South Africa, drawing criticism from HIV advocacy groups.
  • South Africa expects to start a limited public program in April 2026 using Global Fund donations and domestic purchasing, with initial supply projected below 500,000 people over two years.
  • The initiative, run with PEPFAR, the Global Fund and Gilead, targets about two million people over the rollout period, with 2025 allocations lifted to 325,000 doses due to early demand.
  • Gilead said it has sought marketing approvals in countries including Rwanda, Tanzania and Botswana, and it has set a roughly $40 annual price for lower-income settings.